a new view of society-第21章

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to　be　formed？　　　　　The　kind　and　degree　of　misery　or　happiness　experienced　by　the　members　of　any　community；　depend　on　the　characters　which　have　been　formed　in　the　individuals　which　constitute　the　community。　　　　　It　becomes；　then；　the　highest　interest；　and　consequently　the　first　and　most　important　duty；　of　every　state；　to　form　the　individual　characters　of　which　the　state　is　composed。　And　if　any　characters；　from　the　most　ignorant　and　miserable　to　the　most　rational　and　happy；　can　be　formed；　it　surely　merits　the　deepest　attention　of　every　state　to　adopt　those　means　by　which　the　formation　of　the　latter　may　be　secured；　and　that　of　the　former　prevented。　　　　　It　follows　that　every　state；　to　be　well　governed；　ought　to　direct　its　chief　attention　to　the　formation　of　character；　and　thus　the　best　governed　state　will　be　that　which　shall　possess　the　best　national　system　of　education。　　　　　Under　the　guidance　of　minds　competent　to　its　direction；　a　national　system　of　training　and　education　may　be　formed；　to　become　the　most　safe；　easy；　effectual；　and　economical　instrument　of　government　that　can　be　devised。　And　it　may　be　made　to　possess　a　power　equal　to　the　accomplishment　of　the　most　grand　and　beneficial　purposes。　　　　　It　is；　however；　by　instruction　only；　that　the　population　of　the　world　can　be　made　conscious　of　the　irrational　state　in　which　they　now　exist；　and；　until　that　instruction　is　given；　it　is　premature　to　introduce　a　national　system　of　education。　　　　　But　the　time　is　now　arrived　when　the　British　Government　may　with　safety　adopt　a　national　system　of　training　and　education　for　the　poor　and　uninstructed；　and　this　measure　alone；　if　the　plan　shall　be　well　devised　and　executed；　will　effect　the　most　importantly　beneficial　changes。　　　　　As　a　preliminary　step；　however；　it　is　necessary　to　observe；　that　to　create　a　well…trained；　united；　and　happy　people；　this　national　system　should　be　uniform　over　the　United　Kingdom；　it　should　be　also　founded　in　the　spirit　of　peace　and　of　rationality；　and；　for　the　most　obvious　reasons；　the　thought　of　exclusion　to　one　child　in　the　empire　should　not　for　a　moment　be　entertained。　　　　　Several　plans　have　been　lately　proposed　for　the　national　education　of　the　poor；　but　these　have　not　been　calculated　to　effect　all　that　a　national　system　of　education　of　the　poor　ought　to　accomplish。　　　　　For　the　authors　and　supporters　of　these　systems　we　feel　those　sentiments　which　the　principles　developed　throughout　these　Essays　must　create　in　any　minds　on　which　they　have　been　early　and　effectually　impressed；　and　we　are　desirous　of　rendering　their　labours　for　the　community　as　extensively　beneficial　as　they　can　be　made。　To　fulfil；　however；　a　great　and　important　public　duty；　the　plans　which　they　have　devised　must　be　considered　as　though　they　had　been　produced　and　published　in　the　days　of　antiquity。　　　　　The　plans　alluded　to　are　those　of　the　Rev。　Dr　Bell；　Mr　Joseph　Lancaster；　and　Mr　Whitbread。　　　　　The　systems　of　Dr　Bell　and　Mr　Lancaster；　for　instructing　the　poor　in　reading；　writing；　and　arithmetic；　prove　the　extreme　ignorance　which　previously　existed　in　the　manner　of　training　the　young；　for　it　is　in　the　manner　alone　of　giving　instruction　that　these　new　systems　are　an　improvement　on　the　modes　of　instruction　which　were　formerly　practised。　　　　　The　arrangement　of　the　room　and　many　of　the　details　in　Mr　Lancaster's　plan；　are；　in　some　respects；　better　calculated　to　give　instruction　in　the　elements　enumerated；　than　those　recommended　by　Dr　Bell；　although　some　of　the　details　introduced　by　the　latter　are　very　superior；　and　highly　deserving　of　adoption。　　　　　The　essence；　however；　of　national　training　and　education　is　to　impress　on　the　young；　ideas　and　habits　which　shall　contribute　to　the　future　happiness　of　the　individuals　and　of　the　state；　and　this　can　be　accomplished　only　by　instructing　them　to　become　rational　beings。　　　　　It　must　be　evident　to　common　observers。　that　children　may　be　taught；　by　either　Dr　Bell's　or　Mr　Lancaster's　system；　to　read；　write；　account；　and　sew；　and　yet　acquire　the　worst　habits；　and　have　their　minds　rendered　irrational　for　life。　　　　　Reading　and　writing　are　merely　instruments　by　which　knowledge　either　true　or　false；　may　be　imparted；　and；　when　given　to　children；　are　of　little　comparative　value；　unless　they　are　also　taught　how　to　make　a　proper　use　of　them。　　　　　When　a　child　receives　a　full　and　fair　explanation　of　the　objects　and　characters　around　him；　and　when　he　is　also　taught　to　reason　correctly；　so　that　he　may　learn　to　discover　general　truths　from　falsehood；　he　will　be　much　better　instructed；　although　without　the　knowledge　of　one　letter　or　figure；　than　those　are　who　have　been　compelled　to　believe；　and　whose　reasoning　faculties　have　been　confounded　or　destroyed　by　what　is　most　erroneously　termed　learning。　　　　　It　is　readily　acknowledged　that　the　manner　of　instructing　children　is　of　importance　and　deserves　all　the　attention　it　has　lately　received；　that　those　who　discover　or　introduce　improvements　which　facilitate　the　acquirement　of　knowledge　are　important　benefactors　of　their　fellow　creatures。　Yet　the　manner　of　giving　instruction　is　one　thing；　the　instruction　itself　another；　and　no　two　objects　can　be　more　distinct。　The　worst　manner　may　be　applied　to　give　the　best　instruction；　and　the　best　manner　to　give　the　worst　instruction。　Were　the　real　importance　of　both　to　be　estimated　by　numbers；　the　manner　of　instruction　may　be　compared　to　one；　and　the　matter　of　instruction　to　millions：　the　first　is　the　means　only；　the　last；　the　end　to　be　accomplished　by　those　means。　　　　　If；　therefore；　in　a　national　system　of　education　for　the　poor；　it　be。　desirable　to　adopt　the　best　manner；　it　is　surely　so　much　the　more　desirable　to　adopt　also　the　best　matter；　of　instruction。　　　　　Either　give　the　poor　a　rational　and　useful　training；　or　mock　not　their　ignorance；　their　poverty；　and　their　misery；　by　merely　instructing　them　to　become　conscious　of　the　extent　of　the　degradation　under　which　they　exist。　And；　therefore；　in　pity　to　suffering　humanity；　either　keep　the　poor；　if　you　now　can；　in　the　state　of　the　most　abject　ignorance；　as　near　as　possible　to　animal　life；　or　at　once　determine　to　form　them　into　rational　beings；　into　useful　and　effective　members　of　the　state。　　　　　Were　it　possible；　without　national　prejudice；　to　examine　into　the　matter　of　instruction　which　is　now　given　in　some　of　our　boasted　new　systems　for　the　instruction　of　the　poor；　it　would　be　found　to　be　almost　as　wretched　as　any　which　can　be　devised。　In　proof　of　this　statement；　enter　any　one　of　the　schools　denominated　national；　and　request　the　master　to　show　the　acquirements　of　the　children。　These　are　called　out；　and　he　asks　them　theological　questions　to　which　men　of　the　most　profound　erudition　cannot　make　a　rational　reply；　the　children；　however；　readily　answer　as　they　had　been　previously　instructed；　for　memory；　in　this　mockery　of　learning；　is　all　that　is　required。　　　　　Thus　the　child　whose　natural　faculty　of　comparing　ideas；　or　whose　rational　powers；　shall　be　the　soonest　destroyed；　if；　at　the　same　time；　he　possess　a　memory　to　retain　incongruities　without　connection；　will　become　what　is　termed　the　first　scholar　in　the　class；　and　three…fourths　of　the　time　which　ought　to　be　devoted　to　the　acquirement　of　useful　instruction；　will　be　really　occupied　in　destroying　the　mental　powers　of　the　children。　　　　　To　those　accustomed　attentively　to　notice　the　human　countenance　from　infancy　to　age；　in　the　various　classes　and　religious　denominations　of　the　British　population；　it　is　truly　an　instructive　although　melancholy　employment；　to　observe　in　the　countenances　of　the　poor　children　in　these　schools　the　evident　expression　of　mental　injury　derived　from　the　well…intentioned；　but　most　mistaken；　plan　of　their　instruction。　　　　　It　is　an　important　lesson；　because　it　affords　another　recent　and　striking　example　to　the　millions　which　previously　existed；　of　the　ease　with　which　children　may　be　taught　to　receive　any　sectarian　notions；　and　thence　acquire　any　habits；　however　contrary　to　their　real　happiness。　　　　　To　those　trained　to　become　truly　conscientious　in　any　of　the　present　sectarian　errors　which　distract　the　world；　this　free　exposure　of　the　weakness　of　the　peculiar　tenets　in　which　such　individuals　have　been　instructed；　will；　at　first；　excite　feelings　o