Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

are cut off from the actual books which the boys of the upper grammar-school read. But why need they be cut off from the same kind of books? Why may they not read histories and poems? Such do exist in the English tongue; more, we would hope, may exist. Why should not English history especially-the history of that which has happened in the very places which the boy looks at with his eyes and walks on with his feet, be a leading subject in our National Schools? And why should not the most living ballads, and whatever else we have that may be called national poetry, be read and committed to memory, as illustrative of the history, and that it may not become a mere flat record of events, with which no form or feeling is associated. I grant the difficulty of finding the kind of English history which is wanted. A book which has of late been put forth expressly for the people, "The Pictorial History of England," though it possesses some worth for its illustrations, and for the information which is collected in it, is exactly the book which no boy ought to read, and which no well trained boy could bear to read. It is full of vulgar sneers, and utterly wanting in sympathy with what is good or great. Keightley has the same fault, and is hard and cold. Sharon Turner, with all his merits, is pompous and unpicturesque, besides being twenty times too long. I ventured to suggest, in the former series of the Educational Magazine, translations from the Latin Chronicles, and I still think nothing would be so good. Till this is done, extracts might be made from Hall, and Holinshed, and Grafton, from Speed and Stowe. To them might be added passages from some of our verse histories-Robert of Gloucester, Drayton's Polyolbion, Daniel's Civil Wars. Our ballads should be well studied and sifted, and perhaps Mr. Hullah, or some other English composer, would make some of them fit for school singing. I do not mean that no poetry should be read but what is connected with history; I think every age and kind of poetry could supply a series-not of Elegant Extracts-but of real English songs, which the poor ought to know, and which they might repeat on winter evenings to their children. Still, the more the poetry bears upon history the better I think it is for both. Mr. Macauley has performed a memorable and praise-worthy feat, in showing how the men of ancient Rome might have sung of Cocles and Virginia in the spirit and tone of our British bards. Assuredly it is well to feel and know how much the stronger feelings of men everywhere are alike, and that even forms which seem to belong to the mind of one age may express that of another. Still one cannot help asking, whether the same skill and genius might not be more profitably employed in setting forth the great acts of Alfred, the judgment upon Rufus, how Richard was brought out of prison, how Eleanor saved her husband, how the English bowmen sped at Cressy?

I need not repeat what I said in my first letter about the great benefit which our national schoolmasters would gain from feeling that they are to prepare themselves for such teachings as these. It will not really give them more trouble than they have at present; I believe far less. They would only have to study really living books instead of hungry compilations-books which would quicken their own minds, and so fit them to quicken the minds of their boys. In our Training Schools I

hope these studies will occupy a prominent place; and that those who superintend them will feel how mighty a service they may be doing to the commonwealth if they can inspire men who are to teach English children with English sympathies. Still this is only one province of the imagination, important as it is. Our poorer pupils, if they cannot be led to feel, through the Greek and Latin Classics, that they do not merely belong to this soil, that they are bound to men of other countries and ages, may acquire that feeling in another and perhaps a safer way. The volume of Church history may be laid open before them; they may be taught how God has formed a family out of all nations and kindreds; what witnesses He has raised up from age to age, of the permanence of that family, and of its real connection with Him; how yet these have been but weak men, accomplishing a particular task, and that imperfectly, and leaving another task for their followers, with sometimes a deposit of evil, which had need to be purged away; how a better wisdom than theirs has been supporting them, and the body to which they belong, from generation to generation; how we are inheritors, if we will be so, of all its blessings. On such a subject, above all others, what a sin it is to speak any word that we do not believe to be true; to warp any fact; not to labour that facts should tell their own tale. Yet the more we use this effort, the more appeal shall we make to the imaginations of our pupils. If we give them a great quantity of talk about Church history, if we substitute moralizings for actual narratives, if we merely pick out what is agreeable; the memory may be all that receives our communications. But the true record of God's Church upon earth is a perpetual call for the exercise of the faculty which has been the subject of these letters; and we may be sure that if it be not awakened, that which is in itself most living, and continuous, and harmonious, will seem nothing but a collection of fragments, or a mass of rubbish, only of value because it furnishes the diligent observer with an opportunity of exhibiting his own wisdom in the detection of some bright grains of ore in the midst of it.

And let me in conclusion repeat a remark which I have made before, and which will now perhaps be more intelligible, that these principles do apply most strictly to that Book which we all allow is meant for poor as well as rich; which we are all, or nearly all, agreed should be the great book in education; which contains the types of all histories and poems; which is itself the great National and the great Church history. This, too, has been treated as a mere collection of fragments ; the divine bond which connects all its portions together, and makes us feel, when we read, that it is a living whole, has been lost sight of; the awful feeling, that it is a transparent medium through which the Everlasting Himself looks at us, has been lost in the eagerness to wrench some meaning of our own out of a text, or to use it as a stone for casting at a brother. I do not say that the neglect of the imagnation is the ultimate cause of this evil. I know well that it lies far deeper; but of that deeper cause this may have been one of the sad effects, that a faculty which fuses thoughts and words together, and sees life, and order, and unity in them, has been withered up in us. At all events, I am sure that I have never met a religious and pure-hearted

man among the poor, who did not seem to have acquired a large measure of this faculty, although it may have been little cultivated in his youth, or by his spiritual teachers afterwards. That form of the faculty -the passive-form, I may call it—which I have attributed especially to children, is especially exhibited in such poor men. They have been blessed to become as little children, and like little children they wonder. But its boyish-form, its active form, that which delights in sympathizing with the brave deeds of human beings is often not wanting in them. The two combined, as they give a kind of completeness to the faculty itself, so they seem to be characteristic of a well-formed Christian Surely, then, we have every encouragement for believing that God wishes us to cultivate them, each in its proper order, in the children of the poor.-Yours very truly,

man.

F. D. MAURICE.

ON THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHINESE EDUCATION. Some of our readers will be not a little amused at hearing, that we are indebted for the following particulars respecting education among the Chinese (and they include nearly all the Editor knows about the subject), to the "Descriptive Catalogue of the Chinese Collection exhibiting at Hyde Park Corner, by Wm. B. Langdon, Curator." It is to hoped that the author is not confounding what is with what ought to be. In any case, however, the extracts are worthy of a place in our pages.

"It is well known that the civil institutions of China claim to be framed and fashioned upon the exact model of a wise family government. The Emperor is invariably spoken of as the 'father of the nation;' the viceroy of a province arrogates the same title in reference to his satrapy; a mandarin is regarded as holding a similar relation to the city which he governs; even a military commander is the 'father' of his soldiers. This idea, with its corresponding sentiments, is sedulously instilled into every subject of the empire, from the earliest dawn of intellect, till its powers are extinguished by death. The Book of Sacred Instructions, whose sixteen discourses are read to the people twice every moon, inculcates the doctrine again and again. 'In our general conduct,' it says, 'not to be orderly, is to fail in filial duty; in serving our sovereign, not to be faithful, is to fail in filial duty; in acting as a magistrate, not to be careful, is to fail in filial duty; in the intercourse of friends, not to be sincere, is to fail in filial duty; in arms and in war, not to be brave, is to fail in filial duty.'

"¡In fact, obedience to parents, filial piety, and duty to parents, are placed at the head of all moral excellence.

"Mr. Davis (a writer upon China, &c.), observes, 'that fathers have virtually the power of life and death over their children; for, even if they kill them designedly, they are subject only to the chastisement of the bamboo and a year's banishment; if struck by them, to no punishment at all. The penalty for striking parents, or for cursing them, is death, as among the Hebrews, (Exod. xxi.) It does not appear that this absolute power bestowed on fathers, is productive of evil; the natural feeling being, on the whole, a sufficient security against its abuse.'-P. 17.

"In education, the Chinese glory in the inculcation of social and political duties. Their teaching is chiefly by authority. Hence the great use made of maxims. These are suspended upon the walls of every apartment where they are constantly seen and read from early childhood to decrepid age. They say, 'good sayings are like pearls strung together: inscribe them on the walls of your dwelling, and regard them night and day as wholesome admonitions.'-P. 26.

"Of the causes which have given strength and stability to the Chinese empire, the most powerful agent beyond all question is the education of her people. We speak

here not so much of the education received in schools, as of that which consists in an early, constant, vigorous, and efficient training of the disposition, manners, judgment, and habits both of thought and conduct. This most efficient department of education is almost wholly overlooked and neglected by us; but it seems to be well understood and faithfully attended to by the Chinese. With us, instruction is the chief part of education, with them training; let the wise judge between the wisdom of the two methods. The sentiments held to be appropriate to men in society, are imbibed with the milk of infancy, and iterated and re-iterated through the whole of the subsequent life the manners considered becoming in adults, are sedulously imparted in childhood; the habits regarded as conducive to individual advancement, social happiness, national repose and prosperity, are cultivated with the utmost diligence; and, in short, the whole channel of thought and feeling for each generation, is scooped out by that which preceded it, and the stream always fills but rarely overflows its embankments. The greatest pains are taken to acquaint the people with their personal and political duties, wherein they again set us an example worthy of imitation. Our rights,' is a phrase in every body's mouth; but our duties engage but a comparatively small share of our thoughts. Volumes are written on the former, where pages are on the latter. The sixteen discourses of the Emperor Youn-tching, on the sixteen sacred institutes of Kangtey, the most accomplished and virtuous of Chinese sovereigns, are read twice every moon to the whole empire. On the 1st and 15th of every moon, or the new and full moon, the principal officers of the provinces assemble in a hall, and listen to a preacher mounted on a table, who rehearses memoriter, a section of the Shing-yu, first in Chinese, and next in the Tartar language, for the benefit of the soldiers who attend. We subjoin the texts of these discourses as curious, and at the same time highly illustrative of the Chinese character :

1. "Be strenuous in filial piety and paternal respect, that you may thus duly perform the social duties.

2. "Be firmly attached to your kindred and parentage, that your union and concord may be conspicuous.

3. "Agree with your countrymen and neighbours, in order that disputes and litigation may be prevented.

4. "Attend to your farms and mulberry trees, that you may have sufficient food and clothing.

5. "Observe moderation and economy, that your property may not be wasted. 6. "Extend your schools of instruction, that learning may be duly cultivated. 7. "Reject all false doctrines, in order that you may duly honour true learning. 8. "Declare the laws and their penalties, for a warning to the foolish and ignorant. 9. "Let humility and propriety of behaviour be duly manifested, for the preservation of good habits and laudable customs.

10.

Attend each to your proper employments, that the people may be fixed in their purposes.

12.

11." Attend to the education of youth, in order to guard them from doing evil. "Abstain from false accusing, that the good and honest may be in safety. 13. "Dissuade from the concealment of deserters, that others be not involved in their guilt.

14. "Duly pay your taxes and customs, to spare the necessity of enforcing them. 15. "Let the tithings and hundreds unite, for the suppression of thieves and robbers. 16. "Reconcile animosities, that your lives be not lightly hazarded.

"The discourses founded on these excellent maxims are clear, direct, and simple in their style, and are characterised by vigorous thought and practical sense. They might be adopted as a model for didactic compositions. We offer a few specimens from the Book of Sacred Institutions.'

Economy should, the efore, be held in estimation. A store is like a stream of water, and moderation and economy are like the dams which confine it. If the course of the water is not stopped by the dam, the water will be constantly running out, and the channel will at length be dry. If the use of the store is not restricted by moderation and economy, it will be consumed without stint, and at length will be wholly exhausted.'-' Wisdom should precede, and letters follow.'-' He who pretends to profound learning, without regarding first himself, and his own duties; fame indeed he may acquire, but when he is examined, he will be found to possess no solidity."-P. 155.

PROPOSED CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLMASTERS'

PROVIDENT SOCIETY.

THOSE who have been practically engaged in endeavours to extend the blessings of a sound religious education, have invariably found that their first and main difficulty, was the want of good masters, and the scarcity of proper candidates to be trained up to become so. In different parts of the country, Training Establishments have been formed (perhaps too many for a beginning), and everywhere there has been a lack of suitable candidates for admission, even with the offer of exhibitions, amounting to half the portion of expense imposed upon the pupils. Why are parents so unwilling to devote their children to the office of schoolmasters? Is it not because they deem the remuneration insufficient—in few instances adequate for a maintenance-in hardly any such as to enable them to provide against the infirmities of sickness and old age, much less to lay by a provision for their widows and children? Any measure which will tend to improve the outward circumstances of the schoolmaster, will at the same time lead to an increase in the candidates for so useful an employment.

I

I confess, that I should wish to see our National Schools forming more intimately a part of our Church System, and those who have charge of them, in some respects deemed, though in a subordinate position, ministers of the Church, called to train up "her little ones." believe, also, that were this manner of spirit felt and acted on, there would be many, who, from the highest and holiest motives, would gladly devote themselves to such duties, amply repaid for any sacrifice they were making, by the dignity and sacredness of their office. But even a desire of this kind, should not debar us from adopting measures for the temporal wants and comforts of schoolmasters.

With this view, I venture to call the attention of our readers to the advantages of establishing a "General Church of England Schoolmasters' Provident Society.' The objects of such a society should be two-fold: first, to create a fund for the maintenance and relief of its members in sickness, infirmity, and old age. Secondly, to enable them to make some provision for their widows and children.

The details of a measure of this sort would, of course, be better discussed, when the adoption of the general principle had been agreed upon in proper quarters. On the present occasion, it may perhaps not be improper, for the information of those who have given little attention to the subject of Provident Societies, to state briefly their nature and object, They may be divided into two kinds; those which may be called simply " Benevolent Societies;" and those which may be called “Assurance and Benevolent Societies." The former are but suited to agricultural labourers, artizans, and small tradesmen: their object is limited to provide, out of the funds arising from the subscriptions of the members, increased it may be, by contributions from honorary members, a sufficient sum for their support in sickness and old age. The latter are better adapted to persons in a higher walk of life, who desire not only to obtain assistance in sickness and old age, but also to

« ElőzőTovább »