INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 



the foundation of clear ideas ; and the acqv.ifition of what- 

 ever can be truly called knowledge depends moll materially 

 on the potTellion of it. It is exercifed by various objefts of 

 inltruClion ; and in faft it often is this exercife which gives 

 thofe objeCls their leading value. Now, if we \\\(h our 

 children to think clearly, and to n^afon accurately, the 

 works of thought and reafoniiig mull be attended to early. 

 Thofe who learn to think and reafon comparatively late in 

 life, have difficulties to overcome which can fcarcely be ap- 

 preciated by thofe whofe intelleftual qualities have been early 

 cultivated. And no fenfible parent need defpair on this 

 point. ITie objeft to which we would urge, is not to com- 

 municate extenlive information ; that will be gained, and be- 

 neficially gained, if the defire of knowledge have been pro- 

 duced, and the quahties -of mind, on which the acquiiition of 

 knowledge depends, have been properly trained ; we only 

 •w'lfh that on thofe objefls which properly fall within the 

 fphere of capacity, during the early part of childhood, the 

 obfervation fliould be lb exercifed, that the power of dif- 

 crimination lliould be acquired. A few fimple play-thitigi, 

 which a child has the opportunity of obferving in every 

 fituation, the natural objefts which furround us, and which 

 ufually ilrikc the attention of a child, if he be allowed to 

 obferve, piftures of different kinds of animals, the letters of 

 the alphabet, the difleftcd map, &c. furni(h abundant oppor- 

 tunities for that difcrimination, the cultivation of which we 

 ftrongly recommend, as lying at the foundation of every 

 thing which is valuable in the moft ferviceable exercifes of 

 the judgment. All that is r^-quilitL- is tl'at we (hould our- 

 felves be capable of difcrimination ; that we watch the op- 

 portunity, when the mind is al!\e, to encourage the obfer- 

 vation, and to produce diftinrt :ind accurate perceptions. 

 Our bufincfs is not to be continually making direct efforts, 

 as in the later period of education, but to employ thofe 

 occafions which fo often prefent themfelves to the attentive 

 parent, to lead to the exercife of thofe qualities of mind 

 which he knows to be of high importance. It fcarcely 

 matters what it is on which we do thus exercife them ; pro- 

 vided always that we attend to the actual Hate of the mental 

 progrefs ; circumilanccs which, to uninterefted fpeCtators, 

 appear of the flightell poffible moment, often to the judi- 

 cious parent indicate the operation of fome ufeful quality, 

 and enable him to difcover, more than any fpecific diredlions 

 can do, what will enable him to promote thofe qualities of 

 mind which he willies to fee poffelfed. The grand point to 

 be kept in view is, that we do not aim, on any occalion, to 

 force the faculties, but to employ them as they advance in 

 ftrength and accuracy fuitably to their progrefs, and to 

 furnilh them with appropriate objeCls of exercife : and we 

 ly feel affured, that fo long as thofe qualities are exercifed, 



the bufmefs of education is goin 



ch better than if we 

 were endeavouring to (lore the memory with words to which 

 indiflinft ideas, or no ideas at a'l, are attached, or even to 

 ftore it with fafts, however in themfelves conltdered ufeful 

 and intereiling. We ought never to think the work of 

 education going on, unlefs the operations of the underlland- 

 ing are in fo.ne way or other brouglit into exercife : and 

 when they are, we msy rtll fully fatisfied. If the deve- 

 lopement of the intelleClual faculties is properly begun, it 

 will go on by the mere influence of external impreffions. 

 Our bufinefs is to regulate and employ thofe external im- 

 prefilons, fo that their influence may be fuited to the (late 

 of the mind, and really produftive of a fuitable exercife of 

 the underftanding. 



We fhould aim not only to produce difcrimination, but 

 to lead to the habit of oblcrving the grounds of difcrimina- 

 litm, the particular qualities or circumfiances in which 



ohjcfts refemble one another, and thofe in which they diflTer. 

 This is by no means a necetfary efFedl of the perception of re- 

 femblance or difference; and it is often but partially acquired ; 

 yet it is certainly effential to con-eft reafoning, and may be 

 properly included under the head of difcrimination. Chil- 

 dren very carlv acquire the pov. cr of finding ovit the grounds 

 of differiiic.- aid agrecnic!! : and the quellions, In what are 

 thefe two things aiikc ? In what are they unlike? often 

 ferve, at the age of three or four years, to bring into exer- 

 cife fome of the moll ufeful operations of the underllandnig. 

 Every thing, in faft, which fets children to think upon the 

 objects of their fenfations, and upon their ideas, is a moft 

 ferviceable employment : and the more they are early led to 

 think correftly, the more eafy in the Liter periods of educa- 

 tion will correct thought become. 



It would often ferve as an important guide, if parents 

 would thctnfelves confider what qualities, or faculties of 

 mind, are brought into exercife by the different circimt- 

 fiances which occur, by their own words to their chil- 

 d'-en, and the modes of exprefiion which they encoin-age 

 them to ufe. We fliould always wifli that intelleclnal 

 cducaticn Ihould be made fubfervient to moral education ; 

 but attention to the one would in no way interfere 

 with attention to the other. A found, comprchenfive, 

 vigorous, difcriminating judgment, is furely of the firft im- 

 portance, both in a moral and in an intelleftual point of 

 view. There can be no doubt that much might be done 

 towards the acquifition of it, if parents kept it in fight as 

 the chief mental objeft, and regulated their direft efPerts, 

 and as much as might be controlled accidental iinpreflions, 

 with a view to the cultivation of it, ufing their own good' 

 fenfe and patient obfervation as the bell guides to the 

 probable cffeft of each upon the inind. 



IX. Reajontiig, or the drawing of inferences, is a procefs 

 which may be expefted to go on fuccefsfidly where the 

 judgment has been cultivated. It begins very early ; indeed 

 the mental procefs is often independent of words. The 

 direft exercife of it does not appear to be defirable, till the 

 mind has acquired fome vigour ; more efpccially til! the 

 judgment has been tolerably eultiv.-ted, and a conlidcrable 

 acquaintance with words acquired : and this is the lefs 

 necelTary, becaufe in every part of early educa.tion, circnm- 

 llances of conflant occurrence will cuiitiiuialiy bring the 

 reafoning faculty into exercife, and give it a right dircftion, 

 if we avail oiirlelves of the opportunities which they prefent. 

 " Sca.cvlv a .lav paif.s," lays Mifs Edgeworth, "m which 

 children do n t iiiak..' ionic attempt to reafon about the little 

 event;; which nitereli them, and upon thefe occafions a mother 

 who joins ill eunverfation with her children may inllrudt 

 them m the art of reafoning without the parade of logical 

 difqniiitions." 



As the mind expands, the objefts of the reafoning fa- 

 cidty, of courfe, increafe in number and frequency of occur- 

 rence. And the jiKlicinus parent, without making it a for- 

 midable objeft, maN- ixeretle it effectually. Two points, 

 which are of uin\erfil a;ij>llt;ilioii, iViouid, however, be 

 always kept in vieu- : that the premiles fliould be tho- 

 oughly underllood, and this prtvioufly to the employment 

 of them in the aft of reafoning ; and that the afl'ent of a 

 child to the conclufion fhould never be exafted, when there 

 is any helitation. It is too much to expeft from a child,, 

 that the conclufion fliould be admitted, if the underftanding 

 is to be exercifed upon the premifes alfo : and as we cannot 

 force the reafoning powers, and cannot compel a child to 

 fee the jullnefs of our reafbiiings, we fliall either lead him 

 to falfehood by too great eagernefs, or to alfent upon our 

 aulhoritv and not upon the elfcft of the premifes ; or, we 

 J (hull 



