3rd. Beautiful river! thou seemest to say, Yet on, without pausing, they flow to the sea. Yes, onward! yes, onward! they flow to the sea. PLEASANT PAGES. Vol. I. London: Houlston and Stoneman. The purpose of this periodical is to aid the work of home education. It seems to have been undertaken with a view to expand and improve the initial education of children in the middle classes, and to place within their reach those better methods and more appropriate subjects of instruction which have been introduced into elementary schools. There is much truth in the Editor's remark, that our recent educational improvements have been somewhat partial in their application; in many cases, we doubt not, the children of the poor receive a more thorough education than is supplied in ordinary middle schools. It must, however, be remembered that the period of the poor child's school-life is restricted within the narrowest limits; as soon as he can earn pence, the school is left for the field or the factory. Again, a child in the middle class will have far more future facilities for self-culture; more instruction and mental force will be obtained in the intercourse of common life; there is an education which all acquire in their own social sphere. The habits and pursuits, moreover, of persons in the middle class involve more exercise of mind, and therefore stimulate its powers; those of the industrial classes are, in most instances, manual and mechanical. But while it is right that we should direct our first efforts towards the children of those who, in their poverty and toil, are least able to help them, we must rejoice to watch the spread of wiser and more practical education in all directions. Beyond question, our English middle schools need much improvement; and active endeavours should be put forth to replace their old lifeless routine with more careful and vigorous methods, and to prevent that waste of mind and character which obtains so widely amongst them. We trust that the effort which the College of Preceptors has made to raise the standard of instruction in these schools will be attended with success. It inform and train the mind depends Master to enter more readily into the The periodical before us eonsists of a series of Conversational Lessons; in these a continuous course of instruction for home education is supplied, prepa-propriate use of words will enable the ratory to the school. It is conducted with much intelligence and energy; the Lessons contains much valuable material, which would prove useful to school-masters as well as to parents. There is an earnest and high tone in We need only add that we agree the Moral Lessons; and much ability with the writer of these pages in his in those on History, Natural History, exposition of the idea of Education as and Drawing. The Object Lessons are the formation of moral and intellectual well arranged; perhaps it might be habits. It is now, we think, on all possible to mix more method and in- sides admitted that this is its only real duction with these and the other Les- scope; and that the Educator has to sons; children should not merely be mould character as well as intellect, taught to observe, but to make infer- and rather to form the mental powers ences; and to store the mind through than fill the memory. We trust that the senses is not to train out its higher more thoughtful views and more pracpowers. The Lessons have been care-tical aims will penetrate the education fully simplified in their form and lan- of all classes, and promote our highest guage. This is a matter of much im- national interests. portance; for the Educator's power to EXTRACT. TRUTH."It is important to remember that it does not by any means follow, that because we have ourselves conscientiously, and by a safe road, arrived at an opinion of the truth of certain doctrines, and are, therefore, sure that they are sound, we may, for this reason, safely lead others to believe them verely on our authority-since if we do so, however true the doctrines may be in themselves, and however well-founded the belief in them, in our minds may be, we are leading others to believe them, not because they are true, but because we say they are so-in other words, we are not making men Disciples of Christ and the Truth, but blind partisans of our own. And if, having done this, we are removed, or in any way lose our influence over men so trained, we cannot wonder they are lightly induced to change their opinions. Never, I am persuaded, can it be too often or too strongly urged upon the attention of all teachers, that their main object, as leaders of opinion, must be, not to bring about the profession of certain opinions by any means, but to train men in the right method of forming their own opinions, and to lead them to endeavour, and earnestly to wish, to form true opinions. I am deeply convinced that that deplorable indifference to Truth and Error, and lack, not only of true opinions, but of any opinions at all, especially on religious truth, which is so commonly to be seen in our times, is mainly owing to the very faulty method of our teaching. We do not awaken men to think and feel earnestly for themselves on these subjects; we do not train them in habits of judging between truth and error; but we lead them to be satisfied with the most implicit faith in ourselves, or rather with no faith at all, but with an entire indifference to all opinions. Who can observe the signs of the times without deploring how easily the most evident fallacies are propagated,-not only fallacies relating merely to speculative truth, but such as have a direct relation to all the holiest feelings of our nature, and the adoption of which involves an offence against all sound moral sense. Men's senses have never been 'exercised to discern good aud evil; their feelings of justness, earnestness, candour, and truth, love of purity, and holiness, have never been called into exercise; nor have they been trained in habitual obedience to the guidance of these principles. Let us remember, that they must first become married to the spirit of truth, induced not by any external compulsion, nor by self-interest, nor by prejudice, or a spurious ambition, nor by any other base passion, but by the holy and earnest love of the truth for its own sake, because it is God's Truth. So may we hope that they will become not blind partisans of any earthly party, but zealous defenders of the truth, be cause it is the truth, and will love men in and for God. The bond of union between them will be not party-spirit properly so called, but the common love of one, and that the only right object, God and the Truth."-An Ordination Sermon, by the Hon. and Rev. W. H. Lyttelton. ORGANIZATION. In the following Time-Table, our Correspondent who has only three classes, may read 1st class classes, and alter the time one hour in the afternoon. We should advise him to employ two trustw give them extra instruction for their pains, or we fear two of his classes must be in danger of d purpose. As regards when the boys should sit and stand, concerning which this Correspondent inq best leave it to his own good sense. Etymology is to be taught during Reading Lessons. It is well as a rule that we are strongly influenced by example, nd the most powerful of all is that of ordinary custom. Traditional sage is nothing but practice enforced by repeated example, where ractice, the fruit of example, becomes itself the pattern to future actice with an accumulated force. But, like every good thing, e example of ages is liable to abuse. We should not love a thing ecause it is old, but suffer it to grow old only because it is good. hat our forefathers did may be right or may be wrong, and to crifice the right of examination to antiquity, simply for antiquity's ke, is neither wise nor useful. Thus peculiarities of Education ve become stereotyped by age, and pass unquestioned as principles unchanging truth. At a time when popular Education is being bject to re-adjustment, we shall be less exposed to the charge of ofane innovation, if we presume to inquire in what real principle, a science, it has shown itself defective. It is now becoming generally acknowledged, that the more closely School follows the model of a family, it more effectually produces results, and accomplishes its intended mission; and that the rther it departs from this model, the more ineffectual these results 11 be. We speak, as we would ever be thought to speak, of ucation as that complex process which trains the moral as well as e intellectual powers,-the heart as well as the mind. The question has of late been frequently asked, and with an emasis which shows how strongly the inquirer feels upon the subject, Would you educate the girls with the boys? what, in the same m, and in the same class, and upon the same form or gallery ?" e have a short way of replying to these questions how has ture taught us to educate in the sacred institution of the family cle? She does not create one family of boys, and another of girls, she mingles them in order that they may learn, from earliest rs, their mutual as well as individual duties. In the nursery, |