culture of the conscience, by calling it early into exercise, and giving it frequent opportunities to act, as well as by guarding it in its feeble state, against the rude attacks of temptation, and aiding it in the execution of its incipient decisions. Here two opposite mistakes of parents, guardians, and teachers frequently occur. In some plans of education, arbitrary command and absolute authority become the invariable substitute for the decisions of conscience, directing every action, controlling every propensity, and leaving no opportunity for the conscience of the child or pupil to be consulted or exercised. And thus the capacity itself is never, or but very imperfectly developed. It becomes feeble and sickly; if, indeed, it has life and vigor enough to act at all, and form any thing like positive and independent character. Sometimes, on the other hand, the conscience of a tender child, or an inexperienced youth, is trusted too soon, or too far, left to act and contend without aid or advice-exposed, single-handed, to the rudest and most violent attacks of the tempter; and thus it is often overcome and led captive, before it has gathered strength by exercise and discipline to meet its numerous enemies, as they proceed from a corrupt heart within, and a wicked world without. Thus in education, as in every thing else at the present day, we have our ultraism and our anti-ultraism. The true course here, as in most cases, unquestionably is the middle Course: "In medio tutissimus ibis"- if you would secure to the child or youth you are educating, a "good conscience," avoid the two extremes of entire control and unlimited exposure. Both are generally fatal to virtuous, manly, and independent character. So far as education can give direct assistance to conscience, it must be done by securing its early development, and affording it opportunity for full exercise and steady action; and, at the same time, by watching over its movements, throwing light upon its path; aiding it by advice, strengthening its decisions by authority, and every where guarding it, as far as possible, against the sudden and insidious attacks of temptation.

Closely connected with conscience, in constituting man a moral agent, is Reason; which if not in itself a moral power, is nevertheless indispensable to moral agency. Reason is that power of the mind, by which we discover relations; either at once, by a single comparison; or by deduction, or a succession of comparisons; and the result in both cases is a judgment. Now as a moral power, or as connected with the

great moral power of which we have been speaking, it discovers, and leads us to feel, moral relations; and thus becomes subservient to conscience, and even necessary to its salutary operations. In moral education, therefore, the one must be cultivated in connection with the other. For if a man reasons wrong and forms erroneous opinions on moral subjects, his conscience, following his judgment, will fail to guide him in the path of duty; nor will it reprove him in opposition to his perverted judgment, even for the grossest iniquity. Thus the Hindoo mother sacrifices her infant child with the same approbation of conscience, that the christian mother feels; when, with sleepless solicitude, she watches over the sickness of the cradle, and strives to deliver her tender offspring from the jaws of death. Thus, too, the bloody persecutor drags his innocent victim to the stake, and applies to him the faggot and the torch, with as little compunction of conscience, as the faithful magistrate feels, when he pronounces the righteous sentence of the law on the murderer of his father, or the betrayer of his country. Indeed, where our opinions are correct our judgment sound, the approving or condemning sentence of conscience will harmonise with the decisions of Heaven. But where our opinions are erroneous, or our judgment perverted by passion and prejudice, our feelings of approbation or disapprobation will follow these erroneous opinions and this perverted judgment; and may come at last, as in the case of Saul of Tarsus, to be directly at variance with the will of God; so that we may persuade ourselves, that we are doing God service; while, like that bloody persecutor on his way to Damascus, we are opposing his cause, and breathing out threatenings and vengeance against his people. In forming rules for moral education, therefore, we should never forget, that while moral sensibility or conscience is to be carefully cherished and cultivated; reason must likewise be trained and exercised in connection with it, or it will dwell in darkness; and its movements will be uncertain and inefficient, giving neither purity nor stability to character. We should never forget, that the office of conscience is not that of an instructor; but simply that of a prompter or reprover; that it was not designed to discover truth; -- that it cannot of itself distinguish between right and wrong;-that it acts only in accordance with moral judgment - preconceived opinions rules of action, already settled in the mind. We should remember, that conscience without reason is blind, · that its

monitions, while under the influence of erroneous opinions and a perverted judgment, are coincident with the dictates of a perverse and unsubdued will, producing nothing but obstinacy and rebellion against rightful authority, indeed, that the very conscientiousness of an ignorant man often counteracts the best natural sympathies, and renders him a worse member of society. And remembering this, we should never forget the practical lesson, which it teaches, on the subject of moral education; nor fail to encourage the youth and even the child, to think and reason for himself, to investigate truth, and to form deliberate and independent opinions, on all practical subjects. I know a different course, in these days of double ultraism, has been recommended. It has been said, that children are not to be reasoned with; but instructed, directed, - commanded they are to be taught to believe, because you affirm; and to act, because you make the requisition. The whole system of education, so far as it regards moral sentiment and moral conduct, must, according to this theory, rest on authority, be maintained by coercion, and result in blind submission. The very idea of furnishing evidence to produce faith, or secure obedience, is ridiculed, as a departure from the good old way of education,-as the fruit of modern degeneracy and rash innovation-as, at once, exhibiting and fostering a spirit of radicalism, insubordination and licentiousness. But it seems to me, that this theory, especially as it is served up, in a recent article in a popular publication, is ultraism of the worst kind; and carried to the greatest extreme. It must have originated with those, who are given to hypothesiswho have much theory, and no practical knowledge whom Providence has never committed the care of children, nor awakened in their bosoms the sympathies, which belong only to the parent, and flourish only around the family altar, whose sole "blessedness" (and if these sentiments are to be retained may it ever be their state,) is that of "single life." Now while I admit, that there is an extreme of weak indulgence in education; and, that the tendency in this country, for the last half century, has been toward that extreme; I am obliged to contend, that the doctrines recently advocated, and to which I have just alluded, involve a grosser absurdity, and would if generally adopted, lead to more pernicious consequences, than the most extravagant innovations of the wildest enthusiast. While I would encourage obedience even implicit obedience; I enter my protest against the doctrine of

to

passive obedience. Obedience truly we must have obedience to authority; but let it be active obedience to rightful authority. While too, I would advocate the cause of faithif you please, implicit faith; I must contend for a rational faith, in opposition to blind credulity for a faith resting on conviction, supported by evidence, and "working by love." Against the theory of education, which thus rejects all appeals to reason and conscience-sympathy and affection - which demands passive obedience, implicit confidence, unconditional submission, I again, and forever, enter my protest. If you would educate children and youth, to be men moral men,

to act for themselves, and to act from principle, you must encourage them to think and judge, as well as feel and act, you must appeal to reason, strive to awaken conscience, and aid them in forming habits of reflection, thorough investigation, and firmness of purpose. You must not appeal to the rod, even in training the earliest childhood; much less, in controlling the wayward propensities of youth; till you have exhausted the resources of moral power. Where this, after a thorough trial fails-where the understanding has already become darkened, and the eye of reason blinded, through the influence of passion, and prejudice, and vice; or where the will has usurped the place of conscience; where all appeals, both to the reason and the heart, prove utterly in vain, resort must be had to physical force, or some other coercive measures. And here the inspired direction of the wise man comes in, and applies in full force: "Chasten thy son, while there is hope; and let not thy soul spare for his crying." In cases of obstinacy and perverseness, all reasoning and persuasion are vain; here stern authority must be exercised, till submission is produced. But in all ordinary cases, corporal punishment is unnecessary; judicious and persevering appeals to reason and conscience, both with children and youth are sufficient for all the purposes of government, in the family and in the school. At least, it is always safe to begin with these. By adopting the other course--by beginning with the exercise of authority, and thus neglecting to cultivate, and call into exercise, the moral power of children and youth, you may indeed succeed in procuring immediate and temporay submission; but you fail of teaching them, what they most need to learn, self-government. You fail of forming virtuous and manly character; train you a generation of slaves up you educate your children to become fit subjects for the Pope of

Rome, or the Autocrat of Russia; but you do all you can to render them unfit for American citizens, Christian freemen, denizens of Heaven.

66

Thus in every good system of moral education, reason, in connection with conscience, must be cultivated, exercised, and to a certain extent, left to follow out its own conclusions, free from the shackles of human authority. But since reason, at best, is exceedingly limited in its researches, and peculiarly liable to error in its conclusions, since it is chained down to earth and limited by time since its observations cannot reach other worlds, nor its eye penetrate the darkness of the grave, it must be aided by revelation; or it will fail to enlighten conscience, and guide securely in the path of duty and the way of life. You cannot take a single step in the business of educating immortal beings for immortal life, without the aid of that gospel, which brings life and immortality to light." If, then, you would train your children to virtue and happiness, you must proceed to the work, with the Bible in your hands, and the spirit of the Bible, or rather the Spirit of God in your heart; and you must so proceed, as to place this blessed book open, in the hands of your moral pupil, and lead him to read, believing, and seeking the same Spirit to open his heart and instil into his bosom the sentiments and principles, which these Holy Oracles inculcate. Any system of moral education, which excludes the Holy Scriptures, must fail-forever fail, of securing the great object of moral discipline. Without the Bible you may, indeed, produce external morality-mechanical virtue passive obedience to human authority; but you can never thus form a holy character, for the service the everlasting service and enjoyment of a Holy God,—a character positively virtuous, resulting from principle, producing happiness, and enduring forever.

Another part of the human constitution, capable of being modified by education; and on account of its influence on moral character, requiring great care to secure its full development, and to furnish it with due restraint and proper regulation, is imagination. Without stopping here to define the term, I may remark, that all our sympathies and sensibilities depend very much on the vividness of the conceptions which awaken them. If, therefore, action is desired; and if activity is superinduced by feeling, it is evident that the more lively the imagination, the more powerful will be the excited emotion, and consequently the more prompt and vigorous the resulting

*