it is the appearance of a new power in the world, the appearanoe of a multitude of men on that stage where, as yet, the few have acted their parts alone.

What

4. This influence is to endure to the end of time. more of the present is to survive? Perhaps much of which we now take no note. The glory of an age is often hidden from itself. Perhaps some word has been spoken in our day which we have not deigned to hear, but which is to grow clearer and louder through all ages. Perhaps some silent thinker among us is at work in his closet, whose name is to fill the earth. haps, there sleeps in his cradle some reformer, who is to move the church and the world; who is to open a new era in history; who is to fire the human soul with new hope and new daring.

Per

LESSON XXXVIII.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE AND SCENERY ON MIND.- RANDALL.

[The reader may determine the character of the language or style of this and the next two pieces, and tell how they should be read. See Rule 2, p. 163.]

1. The effect of climate, upon the character of individuals and of communities, is known to be very important. The mind, in its present condition of existence, is dependent for its healthy and vigorous manifestation upon the degree of energy and elasticity with which the physical organs fulfill their functions. The inhabitants of the polar and equatorial regions, are subjected to the paralyzing and debilitating influences of the extremes of cold and heat; and, accordingly, we find their intellectual and moral faculties scarcely susceptible of any considerable development.

2. On the other hand, as we advance from the extremes to a more equable and temperate region, the mental incubus

gradually disappears; and, in proportion to the salubrity and genial temperament of the climate, the mind in all its powers be comes capable of expanding to a loftier and more substantial flight. Independently of the numerous illustrations which the past history and present condition of the inhabitants occupying the various regions of the frigid, temperate, and torrid zones, afford of the principle here adverted to, its existence is a legitimate deduction from the soundest and best established theories of science and philosophy, in their application to the physical and mental constitution of our being.

3. Whatever advantages then, in the formation and development of character, are derivable from the favorable influences of climate, are enjoyed in the most abundant profusion by the inhabitants of a region like our own, comprising almost every variety of temperature within the extremes of heat or cold, washed on its principal borders by the ocean, penetrated in every direction by noble rivers, enriched by inland seas, and variegated by ample forests, lofty mountains, and extended plains.

4. To these advantages must be added those which belong to the magnificent and beautiful scenery which nature has so bountifully spread out to view, in all the great features of our landscapes. From the bold, rugged, and strongly marked outline of our northern border, with its wild and gigantic acclivities, its lavish profusion of lakes, its labyrinth of islands, its majestic rivers, and its perpetually resounding cataract, to the green savannas and verdant loveliness of the south, and the vast prairies, mighty streams and unexplored forests of the west, the eye and the mind continually rest upon images of grandeur and of beauty; and the active energies of a great and united people, have devised and executed the noble conception of rendering this diversified scenery, in all its vast proportions, accessible to the humblest and least favored individual, and have

opened up its wide expanse of territory to the highways and thoroughfares of civilization.

5. It is impossible that these diversified influences should fail to affect, in a material degree, the growth and expansion of character. The associations, which constantly surround the dwellers in cities, the bustle and the hum of business, the anxious and care-worn faces, the incessant excitement of contending interests, the monotonous uniformity of artificial life in all its ceaseless and dull routine, tend directly to the depreciation of humanity in all its higher and most enduring aspects.

6. On the other hand, the quiet repose and placid loveliness of the cultivated landscape, stretching out in dim perspective, no less than the rugged grandeur and wild sublimity of the mountain and the forest, the purity of the atmosphere, and the habitual contemplation of the ever changing phenomena of nature, irresistibly tend to the elevation of character, the germination and growth of thought, and the predominance of the better feelings and impulses of the heart.

7. The intellectual faculties may be, and frequently are, more rapidly developed, and more speedily matured by the collision of mind with mind, produced by the diversified interests and pursuits of a crowded population; but all history and experience has demonstrated that the substantial elements of character, the moral and religious sentiments, the virtues and the graces of public and private life, incorruptible integrity, devoted patriotism, diffusive benevolence, and an abiding and cheerful faith, are best promoted, and most effectually cherished, amid the secluded scenery and pure associations of the country. These aids to the formation of character, are enjoyed by the citizens of our re

public in a degree unsurpassed by any people of any clime, and their influences are purely beneficial.

LESSON XXXIX.

TO GUARDIANS OF FEMALE EDUCATION. — SIGOURNEY.

[See Rule 2, p. 163.]

1. "The mind of the present age, acting on the mind of the next," as it has been happily defined by a living writer, is an object of concern to every being endowed with intellect, or interested, either through love or hope, in another generation.

2. Nor has the importance of education, in the abstract, been alone conceded. Practical researches for its improvement, have signalized our age, and incorporated themselves with its vigorous and advancing spirit. Our most gifted minds have toiled to devise methods for the instruction of the humblest grades of community, and to make useful knowledge the guest of the common people.

3. In this elevation of the intellectual standard, the female sex have been permitted freely to participate. It is desirable that their education should be diffused over a wider space of time, and one less encumbered by extraneous objects; and, that the depth of its foundation should be more correctly proportioned to the imposing aspect, and redundant ornament of its superstructure.

4. Is it not important that the sex, to whom nature has intrusted the molding of the whole mass of mind in its first formation, should be acquainted with the structure and developments of mind? that they, who are to nurture the future rulers of a prosperous people, should be able to demonstrate, from the broad annals of history, the value of just laws, and the duty of subordination, the blessings which they inherit, and the danger of their abuse?

5. Is it not requisite, that they, on whose bosom the infant heart must be cherished, should be vigilant to watch its earliest

pulsations of good or evil? that they, who are commissioned to light the lamp of the soul, should know how to feed it with pure oil? that they, in whose hand is the welfare of beings never to die, should be fitted to perform the work, and earn the plaudit of Heaven?

6. That the vocation of females is to teach, has been laid down as a position which it is impossible to controvert. Is not the infant in its cradle her pupil? Does not her smile give the earliest lesson to its soul? Is not her prayer the first messenger of it in the court of heaven? Does she not enshrine her own image in the sanctuary of the young child's mind so firmly, that no revulsion can displace, no idolatry, supplant it? Does not the influence of woman rest upon every member of her household, like the dew upon the tender herb, or the sunbeam silently educating the young flower? or as the shower, and the sleepless stream, cheer and invigorate the proudest tree of the forest?

7. Admitting, then, that whether she wills it or not, whether she even knows it or not, she is still a teacher, will she not, of necessity, impart what she most prizes, and best understands? Has she not power to impress her own lineaments on the next generation? If wisdom and utility have been the objects of her choice, society will surely reap the benefit. If folly and self-indulgence are her prevailing characteristics, posterity are in danger of inheriting the likeness.

8. This influence is most visible and operative in a republic. The intelligence and virtue of its every citizen, have a heightened relative value. Its safety may be interwoven with the destiny of those, whose birth-place is in obscurity. The springs of its vitality are liable to be touched, or the chords of its harmony to be troubled, by the rudest hands.

9. Of what unspeakable importance, then, is her education, who gives lessons before any other instructor; who preoccupies