are little men; and in

Men, it is replied, have children, than the latter We may safely grant all

ashamed to be opposing theory to theory, when I am furnished with what is the best of all arguments-a successful experiment. But it has been said, grant that they can teach, it does not follow that they can govern. Children, it is said, lack judgement-so do men. Children are often partial-so are men. Children love to domineer-so do men. Children, then, what does their peculiar inability consist? more judgement, when compared with have, when compared with each other. this, and destroy its force, by saying that if they have less judgement in proportion, the drafts upon it are less also. The child's sphere of government is very limited, and always subordinate to the master's. The objection goes upon the presumption that monitors have full power to punish or reward, without being accountable for their conduct. But the reverse is the fact; for, in every case that can possibly be anticipated, their duty and power is clearly defined; and, in all cases, the scholar is allowed to appeal from the monitor's decision, to that of the master, who is always at hand.

It is contended that self-government, and the government of others, should constitute a prominent feature in every system of education. But shall children be taught that they must be discreet, impartial, and self commanding, and have no opportunity of exercising these qualities? If children lack judgement, they will run no risk of lessening their stock, by exercising the little they do possess. It should be recollected that every monitor is also a scholar; and our system is truly republican. Being sometimes governed, children will be less likely to grow imperious; and sometimes commanding, they will not easily become servile. Men were once thought incapable of governing themselves, but experiment has proved that those who made the assertion did not know every thing.

Perhaps the best test of the excellence of a government, is the general morality, order, industry, and happiness of the governed. In the best communities, some irregularities will appear; but these should not weigh against the general regularity. In forming an opinion of our discipline, however, if a death-like silence be the criterion of perfection, we shall certainly be cast. We have no ambition to produce such a state of things, and maintain it at its known cost of happiness, time, and labor. We love the hum of business; and our practical system cannot go on without it. The old system of committing to memory, and obliging the whole to be idle and silent, that one may work, is an unprofitable system. We aim at full and complete employment; and this we obtain with as little noise as possible. But we go farther, and assert from expe

prevent the introduction of this worse than useless exercise. It requires no ingenious reasoning to prove, that, if children are only required to recite a page or two from memory, verbatim, a monitor is as capable of hearing the recitation, as any master can be. But, if the objection imply that the memory of our pupils is not exercised in storing up as many facts as are well understood, it has no foundation in truth. The memory is, no doubt, the storehouse of the other intellectual faculties; but, for the sake of filling it up, shall we throw in all the broken and useless furniture we can find room for? In a class of twenty, just promoted to my care, are several who have repeatedly committed to memory the large geographies used in common schools; but they neither rank at the head of their class, nor appear in any respect superior to such as commenced the study with them, but a few months ago, and never committed a word to memory. The immense difference of labor which this explanatory mode imposes upon the teacher and monitors, must satisfy any one, that personal ease is not our object in introducing it. We endeavor to exhibit every thing to the senses of the pupil. Instead of describing a kite to a boy we should make one before his eyes, and then require him to make one. Instead of describing the road to any place, we should go with the child, and let her see for herself. Which the child will recollect longest, the definition or the object, it is not difficult to determine. Our experience teaches us, that before children have reached the end of a large book which they are committing to memory, they have begun to forget the beginning. What an admirable method to prevent a master's having nothing to teach his pupils, and to save the expense of books! and what a comfort it must be to the little traveller on this delightful route, to know that when he travels it again, every object will be decked with the charm of novelty, and as fresh as if he had never seen it before! Even with all our care and practice, much is forgotten by the pupils; but we have a powerful check upon this natural tendency to oblivion, by the incessant reviews of former lessons, which monitors are obliged to make, while teaching. If any branch of education must be reviewed, how much more agreeable must be our method, and how much more will it diversify the exercise, and enlarge the thinking powers. Much as the public mind needs information on the subject of education, I think no one will deny that one cannot teach without also learning. But, if any parent doubts this fact, let him take a geography or other elementary book, and attempt to teach his own children. We will rest our defence upon the experiment. I have always found that those who teach most are the most intelligent scholars; and, for this reason, I always employ all, as far as our small number of scholars and classes will permit.

An afternoon school, under the care of a lady, has been opened and continued for two summers. Instruction in drawing and needlework has been given on the monitorial plan. This department will again be opened early in spring; and it is the intention of the instructress to conform more closely than ever to the system of classification and mutual instruction, so favorably commenced. To enable her to do this, the trustees have provided that not only needles and thread, but cloth shall be furnished for the children. This is rendered necessary on many accounts. Many children come unprovided with work; and, even when provided, the work is either so unsuitable, or so diversified, that it sets classification at defiance. These have been serious obstacles to the improvement of the pupils; and it is hoped that any unwillingness to lose, for a time, the little labor of the child, will not prevent a cheerful acquiescence in the improvement proposed.

Finally, in regard to the co-operation of the parents I would remark that it has, in almost every instance, shown itself in a ready acquiescence in all that I proposed. More than this negative cooperation I could not reasonably expect; for it was impossible for the parents to understand my views, without some explanation of them; and my arduous duties have hitherto prevented my visiting them, and personally explaining my wishes and intentions. I have been promising myself a period of repose, when having matured my system, and qualified myself to teach every thing, I should have time to cultivate that acquaintance with the parents of my pupils, which alone can enable me to understand their wishes, and secure their active co-operation. But this time has not yet arrived; and I can only hope that the explanations here attempted, will be some approach to the desired end. Parents may now see what is expected of their children, and will have a guide to enable them to inquire into their pursuits. I can readily perceive, by the conduct of the children, when any interest in their progress is felt at home. Most children love study, when presented in an intelligible form; and, when they find their friends interested in what they do, they work with tenfold satisfaction. Without much loss of time, parents may do much by occasionally asking a few questions as to their children's rank in the school and in their classes, their number of merits and demerits; by allowing them to have a slate and pencil at home, and occasionally asking them to write, or cipher, or draw maps upon it. They will not need the parents' assistance, but may sometimes need encouragement, to undertake what is required of

In drawing maps, for instance, the beginner is, through diffidence, afraid to make the first attempt. The parent must not suppose, on this account, that too much is required of the child; for she is only required to do as well as she can. The rudest scrawl

is always expected; but it must be recollected that the picture in the mind is much superior to that exhibited on paper. On the whole, the instructer is anxious to give his pupils a practical and useful, and not merely an ornamental education; believing with one whose memory our city fondly cherishes, one* who well knew how to value the elegant refinements and accomplishments of society, "That it is time some plan of more liberal and extensive female education were devised, to form the mothers of your children's children; an education, which will save many a ripening female mind from that feebleness, to which it might otherwise be destined, in this age of vanity and books; so that women may be more generally furnished with principles as well as sentiments, with logic as well as taste, with true knowledge as well as with a morbid thirst for entertainment."

We look forward also to the time when circumstances will warrant the introduction of physical, as well as intellectual education into our school. The practicability of uniting them was satisfactorily proved by a slight experiment, made last season, with very inadequate preparations. Enough was accomplished to show that the spirits of the pupils may be made conducive to their health, as well as to their amusement, and that, with suitable apparatus, and proper regulations, their physical powers may be improved, without detriment to their morals, or to that delicacy of character, which should distinguish females.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant.

BOSTON, Dec. 23, 1825.

WILLIAM B. FOWLE.

[The notes appended to this report, are so full, and, at the same time, so interesting, that we have thought it better to give them a place in our next number.]

COLLEGE OF SCIO.

[The present political attitude of Greece, gives an interest to every thing connected with its recent history. The following account of the college at Scio, will no doubt be peculiarly acceptable to our readers, from the circumstance of its having been chiefly written by a youth who was a student of that seminary, at the time when the Turks invaded the island, and who was one of the survivors of the horrid scene of massacre and devastation which ensued.

Buckminster.

The writer of the principal part of the subjoined article, is at present pursuing his studies at Yale college, under the patronage of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The sketch which we have here presented, is extracted from a letter to one of his friends in Boston; and, with the exception of a few corrections in idiom, is given in his own words.

As a suitable introduction to the account of the institution in Scio, we transcribe from the Missionary Herald a brief geographical description of the island.]

"The isle of Scio is separated from the continent of Asia, by a channel eighteen miles in width. On the north, is a distinct view of the isle of Mitylene; on the east, of the shores of Asia, the city of Ichesme, near to which was destroyed the Turkish fleet; on the south east, of the isle of Samos. The length of the island, it is said, is thirty miles; the breadth, from twelve to eighteen. A high range of mountains, composed principally of limestone, runs through the whole length of the island, like the green mountains of Vermont. On the east side, is an extensive and highly cultivated plain, upon which is the principal city, Scio, a number of fine villages, and numerous summer-seats of respectable merchants. The low lands are covered with fruit trees; as orange, lemon, fig, olive, pomegranate; but the mountains are barren, except now and then a small grove of pine trees.'

The college of Scio consisted of one building only, which was situated in the middle of the city. The edifice was originally built by a private person, for his own use; and was afterwards purchased, to be used as a school-house, when it was resolved that a charity school should be established. The college did not require more than one building; as the students, being mostly natives of the island and of the city, wished to 'room' and board at their own homes. The few strangers who attended the college, were accommodated by some families in the city. The college edifice contained eleven rooms, most of which were used for the purpose of recitation. About the year 1815, another building was joined to the original one, in which there were five rooms and a hall. Two of the rooms were occupied by the philosophical and chemical apparatus. In the hall and the other rooms, lectures on chemistry, natural philosophy, and some other branches of science, were delivered. A few years after, another building of two storeys, was joined to the second. The lower storey was divided into four rooms: two for the Latin, French, and Turkish recitations; and two others for the Greek. The upper storey contained a hall, and a room for the library, which consisted of ten or twelve thousand volumes.