Herbert Spencer. 15 



and which can only proceed from the exercise of individual 

 spontaneity and freedom. 



This principle has been misapplied in one important par- 

 ticular, as it seems to me. Mr. Spencer's views of the lim- 

 itation of the functions of government lead him to the notion 

 that the State should have nothing to do with education, 

 which, he thinks, should be accomplished entirely by private 

 agency. Schools maintained by the public, and regulated 

 by governmental administration, should be done away with. 

 The fundamental mistake here is an error of omission. 

 Those who hold these ideas fail to perceive that education 

 is necessary as a measure of security. Though they may 

 see that the root of all evil lies in the character of men, 

 they do not appreciate that mere negative prohibition is 

 not enough to secure that free and full development of in- 

 dividuals upon which they lay so much stress. There must 

 be placed over human beings, in early life, such a discipline 

 of the will and of the intellect as to develop the social in 

 opposition to the selfish disposition. This is by far the 

 most certain means of preserving the peace. And if the 

 ideal of the perfect State be a community where there is 

 little or no government, such an ideal can only be realized 

 by the creation of a predominantly altruistic character in 

 individuals. How, then, are we justified in saying, when 

 -we allow that government exists for the purpose of secur- 

 ing people in their freedom, that we ought to neglect those 

 means which are evidently the most efficient for the desired 

 end ? For security's sake, therefore, the State ought to 

 have a care for education, and maintain a system of public 

 instruction and discipline. 



There is little to find fault with in Mr. Spencer's notions 

 of the general course which education ought to take. He 

 asks the question, What knowledge is of most worth ? and 

 answers it according to a broad view of utilities. Those 

 things which are directly necessary to self-preservation come 

 first : then those indirectly ministering to this end, and to 

 the full development of human nature. Physical, intellect- 

 ual and moral education all have their place in proper pro- 

 portions. The treatise on "Education" probably has been 

 more widely read than any other of Mr. Spencer's writings, 

 and it is likely to be regarded as a classic on that subject 

 for a long time to come. It subordinates the aesthetic to 



