Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

upon the understandings, hearts, and lives of its readers, that the real value of a book depends. We will give a brief specimen of the kind of writing we mean, with which the book abounds.

"The true education," says Mr. Waterston, " is not to give to the mind so much as to bring out from the mind, to quicken its creative power. All true good comes from within. Religious instruction should not be so much like pouring water into a cup, as stirring the sand, that hidden fountains may gush out." Here is a useful principle laid plainly down, accompanied by an illustration whose fitness and beauty will help to fix the principle in our memories. Our author must have observed that the most common error of teachers is, that they deal too much in direct teaching. They read, talk, explain; and forget that if they do all this ever so well, they may fail of setting the child's own faculties in proper action, which ought to be the immediate object of all education. We have seen some who appeared totally ignorant of this, as a thing possible or desirable; but seemed rather to consider children as the passive recipients of their indoctrinations, whose heads might become filled with knowledge and their hearts with goodness, by having them poured in at their ears. They had no curiosity to know what was passing in the small brain, with what emotion the little heart was throbbing, and so lost golden opportunities of detecting peculiar liabilities to temptation, clearing up confused impressions, and nourishing pure and good impulses. The talk of a young child is always true to its own distinct nature; they do not all talk alike; and that distinct nature must be understood by him who would train it judiciously. Yet how few cultivate the power of talking with children in such a way as to bring them out! It generally accompanies a talent for saying things which children will remember to their profit; and many a chance visitor has in this way done good in a circle, where he has perhaps passed but few hours of his life. It is a power well worth cultivating; yet none, we believe, can attain it, who are hard, worldly minded, insincere, or weak in intellect. Our author's advice on the whole subject of intercourse with children, in whatever capacity, is calculated to help the acquisition.

The Essay on the "Diffusive nature of Christianity" has already borne rich fruits; it may and will bear more. It is followed by one on "Moral and Spiritual Culture," and another, "On the best mode of exerting a moral and spiritual influence in schools;" both admirable, as it seems to us. They give strong evidence of what we consider rather an unusual combination in the author's character and writings, of the spiritual

and the practical, each balancing the other; and few can so carry their poetry into prose without spoiling the latter, at least. There is no more exciting moral spectacle than a fine imagination bridled by a sound judgment, both exercised conscientiously and vigorously in the cause of religion."

The Essays on the "Influences of Home," the "Culture of the Imagination," and the "Love of Nature," have the characteristics just referred to; and the second contains some particularly valuable suggestions. We do not think the vivid imaginations of children have been used as they might. The understanding, the affections, and above all, the quick memory of childhood, have been appreciated, employed, and carefully trained; while the imagination, so lively, fertile, and busy in most children, has been often idly admired, totally neglected, or checked as much as possible. Observation of its tendencies and capabilities show us that it must affect the process of education, do what we will. We cannot quench it, if we would; but we may so train it as to enlist its activity in aid of all else that is good in the child's nature or our own instructions. Not one of the faculties requires more judgment and discrimination in management. A wrong bias early given to the imagination, or undue preponderance allowed, will surely affect the whole future character of the individual, and of course his happiness. It seems to us that Mr. Waterston views this wonderful power rightly, and counsels wisely.

The last piece, on the "Death of Children," will go to the heart of every parent who reads it, and not of parents only. There is a principle in human nature which it will reach, a deep-seated sympathy with all holy affections, which such an eloquent appeal must touch. We cannot refrain from quoting

one or two of the reflections.

"If, then, a child is taken away and others are left, it throws a degree of sanctity around those who remain. They are not simply connected with this world, but with another. One has gone, and they also may go. This idea makes every child a monitor pointing to the spiritual world, and unless parents are insensible to spiritual things, they will, by these means, have their faith strengthened, and their thoughts often led to the home of the soul. But even if the parent does not lose a child, the fact that children may and do die, tends to call out the affections. If it were a fact, that no child had ever been known to die, all children would be looked upon as future men and women. But now there is uncertainty, there are vague possibilities, and the present is valued the more, because the future is unknown. Fear makes Hope more beautiful." - -p. 289.

It may possibly be inferred from the strain of our remarks,

[ocr errors]

that this work can be of use to few, except those actually engaged in the business of instructing their own children, or those of others; but such is not the case. The spirit of the whole work may be imbibed profitably by any reader; and many of the suggestions and exhortations may reach the consciences or help the self-culture of all. With regard to teaching teachers, we fully agree with Mr. Waterston, that, after all, "each must judge for himself, and every one must have plans growing out of his own nature. Mr. Abbott may keep the best school, and he may write the best book; but if any man takes Mr. Abbott's book without Mr. Abbott's spirit, he will not keep a school like Mr. Abbott, though he follow the rules ever so strictly." These remarks may apply with no little force to Sunday-school teachers, now a large, important, influential class in the community. We have been much interested in Mr. Waterston's remarks with reference to them particularly. Excellent as the Sunday-school system is, we are aware of its imperfections, its dubious features, its need of improvement. There should be liberty there, if anywhere on earth; but there license would be fearful. As yet much is undefined and unregulated. The precise relation and degree of authority, influence, we should perhaps say, of the pastor, the most essential requisites of a teacher, the proper means of excluding improper teachers, many such questions are yet open for discussion.

[ocr errors]

We have left ourselves no room to speak of the short poems scattered through the volume, except to express the pleasure they have given us. The piece on Autumn has in it some lines of uncommon descriptive beauty, and breathe the very spirit of lovely, pensive October, which to the thoughtful and imaginative always asks of the past, as May does of the future.

We give our author grateful welcome. God speed him in the closet, and in that walk which he has chosen. None need more the true spirit of Christ, or have better opportunities of imitating his life, than those who literally make it their calling to "go about doing good." If any doubt whether the world be really growing better as it grows older, to what shall we point more readily than to this young institution, the Ministry at Large?

The New Hampshire Book: Being Specimens of the Literature of the Granite State. Nashua 1842. 12mo. pp. 391.

THIS beautiful volume must not only be interesting to the sons and daughters of New Hampshire, to whom it is inscribed, VOL. XXXII. -3D S. VOL. XIV. NO. I.

17

but to all who are interested in American literature, and fond of tracing the connexion between talent and the places and circumstances of its development.

One is surprised, in looking over the contents of this book, at the number of distinguished men who are natives of the Granite State. Among the names eminent in politics and law, we find those of Webster, Cass, Woodbury, Mason, Pierce, Hubbard, Richardson, Parker, Wilson, Smith, Haines, Atherton, Appleton, Sullivan. Still more remarkable is the number of prominent clergymen. Among the Orthodox clergy we find that Payson, Jesse Appleton, Worcester, Emerson, Chase, Ladd, and many others, are natives of New Hampshire. And our own denomination is still more indebted to that State, considering our relative numbers. Buckminster, the Peabodys, the Abbotts, Burnap, Morrison, Livermore, Burton, Haven, are familiar names to many of our readers, who may not be aware of the land of their origin. We observe, moreover, that some of the leading men in the Universalist denomination are from New Hampshire, such as Ballou, Skinner, Balch, Adams, etc.

The poetry in this volume is of a character that has surprised not a few. Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Daniels, Mrs. Thornton, Mrs. Orne, Mrs. Barnes, the Peabodys, Wilcox, Tappan, Carter, Moore, Dinsmoor, Haven, Fessenden, French, Greeley, Hale, Hildreth, Fields, Upham, are names sufficient to prove that the muses have not lost their old fondness for a mountain home.

Perhaps the book might have been made more interesting to the general reader, if it contained fewer allusions to State history and localities. But this very feature gives it chief interest in the minds of those to whom it is particularly addressed. It would have been decidedly more interesting and valuable, we think, if the editors had confined themselves to a more select circle of names. It can never be worth while to draw from all who, in one of our Eastern States, have perhaps committed the fault of writing. Nay, for our writers are bidding fair to outnumber our readers, it must be necessary to stop far short of this large number. The best rule, we think, would be, therefore, to make the compilation of a good volume the main object in any enterprise of this kind, and select accordingly from the best writers, rather than from the largest possible number.

[ocr errors]

Birth and early education the Editors have considered to constitute literary citizenship, and we think, justly. It would have been better not, in a single instance, to have departed from the rule.

The Editors, Charles J. Fox, Esq. and the Rev. Samuel Osgood, of Nashua, their names should have been on the

title page, appear to have performed their work of research and selection with skill and fidelity. They have not only erected a handsome monument to the genius of their State, but have given a permanent form to many treasures of thought that else might have vanished from memory.

[ocr errors]

A Discourse Delivered on the Occasion of the Death of John Vaughan, in the First Congregational Unitarian Church, Sunday, January 16, 1842. By WILLIAM H. FURNESS, Pastor of the Church. With the Services at the Funeral. Phil1842. 8vo. pp. 32.

adelphia J. Crissy.

:

In the death of Mr. Vaughan, not only circles of friends larger and smaller, in the city of Philadelphia, have met with a loss not soon, if ever, to be repaired, but persons at a distance, in every part of our country, and may it not be added, in every part of the world. Scarce any one, entitled on any ground to his acquaintance, ever visited Philadelphia, without receiving from him the most hospitable attention, or acts of substantial kindness, which could never be forgotten, and which connected agreeable sentiments and recollections forever after with the very name of the city he so distinguished by his residence. And if he ever thought or spoke of that place afterwards, as the city of "brotherly love," it was the image of Mr. Vaughan, quite as much as that of Penn, or any modern "Friend," that suggested the association. No one, who happened to be present at the funeral services of this good man, could have failed to be struck with the universal signs of grief upon the faces of a densely crowded congregation. It was as if each one there present had come to bewail the loss of a near relative or personal friend, cut off unexpectedly in the prime of life, instead of an old man of more than fourscore, "whose time it was to die." But it was only by an effort that they, who saw him familiarly from day to day, could, so they declare, associate ideas of decay and death with him; there was such elasticity and life in his movement, such ardor and youthful freshness in his feelings and affections. His death was felt as that of a young man.

The pamphlet before us consists of the funeral services performed at the Unitarian Church, on Sunday, the 2d of January, and a discourse delivered in the same place, on the morning of the 16th,--all beautiful and impressive. We select a few paragraphs, that we may preserve in our pages some slight memorial of so excellent a man.

« VorigeDoorgaan »