From a somewhat more egotistical standpoint Herbert Spencer 

 defines education as ist, a preparation for direct self-preservation ; 

 2nd, indirect self-preservation ; 3rd, for parenthood ; 4th y 

 for citizenship ; and 5th, for the miscellaneous refinements of 

 life. Spencer considers that these divisions subordinate one 

 another in the order given, because the corresponding divisions 

 of life make one another possible in that order. His definition 

 leans perhaps, too much to the egotistic or self-seeking side, and 

 neglects as did the older economists, Adam Smith for instance, 

 the altruistic, or other seeking, side of our nature which is at 

 least of equal importance. 



James Mill defines the end of education to be " to render the 

 individual as much as possible an instrument of happiness, first 

 to himself, and then to other beings ; " a sufficiently wide and 

 perhaps rather indefinite view. 



In an address entitled A Liberal Education we find 

 Huxley, in that clear, beautiful English peculiar to himself, 

 comparing life to a game of chess — " The chessboard is the 

 world, the pieces are phenomena of the universe, the rules of 

 the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on 

 the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is 

 always fair, just, and patient. But also we know to our cost that 

 he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance 

 for ignorance. To the man who plays well the highest stakes 

 are paid with that sort of overflowing generosity with which 

 the strong shows delight in strength. And one who plays ill is 



checkmated — without haste, but without remorse 



Well, what I mean by Education is learning the rules of this 

 mighty game. In other words education is the instruction of 

 the intellect in the laws of Nature, under which name I include 

 not merely things and their forces, but men and their ways ; and 

 the fashioning of the affections and of the will into an earnest 

 and loving desire to move in harmony with those laws." 



This also savours a little of egotism, and we have, I think? 

 a more nearly perfect definition by Wordsworth, when he says : 

 "And here I must direct your attention to a fundamental mis- 

 take by which this age, so distinguished for its marvellous 



