IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) t*^J Um ^^* « 1.1 1.25 2.5 .....2.0 U lid ■* Photographic Sciences Corporation A ^ 1 i\ ^\ [V O^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4S03 eD. ONTARIO NORMAL COLLEGE, HAMII.TON, ONT. 1900 McPhbrson & Drope, Printers. LB 4! 5-m within, lechanical ive state? idency to to express :tive than presence, •e subject- y in terms conscious- iective nor I of a rela- an adjust- ;xpression of a perfect relation between subject and environment. Thus every mental mode finds an explanation of its three aspects through being an expression of this relationship, which relation- ship seeks to perfect itself impulsively from within. We are now in a position further to affirm that consciousness possesses a germ of causation, which predicates a capacity to become free from within. Life being thus found to consist in the expression of a relation between subject and object, and to be endowed with an inherent tendency to adjust these into perfect relationship or to formulate the conscious life into perfect knowledge, our next problem will be to discover within what fields the subject may apprehend itself through relationship to the external. Before passing to this point, however, we would pause for a moment to consider whether we are in a position to affirm any- thing concerning the nature of this external. It has been seen that the subject or ego realizes itself only in a consciousness resulting from the relating of itself to an external world. It thus appears that the perfection of conscious life must imply, not only a potentiality of perfection in the sub- ject, but also an organized perfection within the outer world. If this perfection does not exist, then the potentiality for a per- fect life, inherent in the ego, must, in the present phase of con- scious life at least, remain unrealized, through lack of an objective content. If, however, it is found that the subject is capable, through its relating activity, in certain cases to develop consci- ousness into perfect knowledge, in such a way as to secure per- fect freedom from its environment, it will be rational vo conclude a universal objective perfection — the goal of the subject's relat- ing activity. Leaving this, therefore, to be decidc:d by the results of our subsequent investigations, we shall now examine under what phases the external world is organized in conscious- ness ; or, in other words, in what fields the subject may realize itself in terms of an external world. Firstly, the mind is found to realize itself in terms of an objective, physical world. As to the real nature of this physical world, it is not necessary here to speculate. Suffice it to say, 10 EDUCATION AND LIFi ' I that, in realizing himself, man likewise realizes an objective world possessing interest for the subject. This interest presents itself as pleasurable or painful, as useful or injurious to the conscious subject. Thus there arises, through the impulsive tendency, or causation germ inherent in the ego, an effort to readjust its present relation with its environment, that it may thereby so learn this physical world as to become its master and not remain its servant. Secondly, among these objects, distinguished as external to the subject, some are recognized as intelligences similar to the self; and, therefore, capable of realizing a like relationship to, and of taking a like interest in the external world. Hence would arise a new series of interests. May not the tiTortof one individual conflict with the interested effort of another ? But a life of perfection cannot exist where individual interests conflict. If, therefore, other intelligences are to be realized in conscious life, these also must be brought into perfect relationship with the subject. Here, also, the freedom of the self must be realized and developed. Lastly, it has been seen that, in securing its store of exper- ience, the mind, as an organism, further tends to act on these, and propagate from within. Thus there appears a new field of activity — the ideal, or spiritual world. In this spiritual extension of man's conscious life, there are also materials for interpretation and adaptation. Should he, therefore, in these two former spheres, fail to realize that freedom which his inherent power of causation has set as its goal, there yet remains this ideal world toward which his activities may be directed. Having examined into the nature of conscious life, and having discovered the possible fields of its activities, let us next inquire more closely into the successive steps in the process. Frr m such an inquiry we may the better understand what assistance, if any, formal education is able to afford toward the perfecting of conscious life ; and in what ratio these several fields of activity, the physical, the social and the spiritual world, will assist in its attainment. At this point, a word of explanation may be necessary. EDUCATION AND LIFE. 11 •jective world presents itself the conscious tendency, or 3 readjust its y thereby so id not remain J as external :es similar to ; relationship orld. Hence e tiTortof one )ther ? But a ertsts conflict. 1 in conscious .tionship with jst be realized The foregoing division of the world of experience into these several fields is to be viewed, not as actual, but solely for the purpose of scientific treatment. It has been truly said, " The stuff of education, material of education, and end of education are not distinctions of kind, but distinctions of process." More- over, it is evident that the real work of education is to recon- struct all phases of this world of experience on the basis of man's social life. While, therefore, we shall continue to speak of these several phases of experience as distinct, the assumption will be understood to be thus conditioned. tore of exper- act on these, a new field of tual extension interpretation ; two former herent power lins this ideal i. :ious life, and ies, let us next 1 the process, lerstand what ird toward the these several spiritual world, be necessary. 12 EDUCATION AND Llf£. CHAPTER III. THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF CONSCIOUS LIFE. Thus far have been discovered the nature and purpose of conscious life, and the several spheres of its possible develop- ment. We must now proceed to an examination of the particular stages through which the individual mind is to advance to a life of perfection. Conscious life has been seen to consist of an expression of the relation of the subjective mind to an objective world. In every mode of conscious life, we have further noticed an affective quality which makes it a mode of interest. This interest is seen to express itself in an impulsive tendency to establish harmony between the affective, and the external, or non-subjective aspect of consciousness. This activity is thus seen to be subjective in its origin, and to direct itself toward the external. If we examine the effect, in consciousness, of this impulsive tendency, we find that it results in organizing the external aspect of conscious life, and setting it in a definite relation to the subject, or ego. In this process there may be noticed a peculiar interaction between interest and impulse. For, while interest or feeling tends to awaken and fix the mind's attention, it also happens that attention, being fixed on the mental state, tends to organize its external sspect and set it in a definite relation to the subject These modes, however, despite their interest, are found to succeed one another in an order, over which this impulsive tendency has no absolute control. These former modes, however, though losing their immediate interest, linger in consciousness in the form of memory. Thus a new attribute postulates itself as belonging to mind — that of retention. EDUCATION AND LIFE. 18 S LIFE. purpose of le develop- on of the aind is to pression of world. In noticed an rest. This :ndency to jxternal, or i^ity is thus ielf toward s impulsive le external ation to the d a peculiar jile interest tion, it also state, tends : relation to interest, are which this ese former erest, linger ;w attribute ion. These successive modes being capable of being retained in consciousness, and differing in their affective values, the mind's activity is further directed toward their qualitative differences or develops a power of comparison. This, however, as a form of judgment issues into a form of practical thought, in which one end of the comparison is cognized as preferable to the other. Here the mind's interest takes the form of desire, while its primary impulse, being thus rationalized, or directed by a form of thought, becomes an activity of will. Summing up this progress of the mind's primary casual activity, we may notice the following stages in its growth into a rational v/ill, directing its energy to the attainment of a desired end. 1st. That primary subjective impulse, in which the mind gives a passive attention to its qualitative modes. In this stage the mind acts only on such elements as may be given it from external stimuli. Through its unifying power, how- ever, it tends to associate these as they arise in conscious- ness. 2nd. As a result of the aforesaid interaction of interest and attention, and through its retentive power, the mind gains the power of analyzing these elements of consciousness, and fixing its attention on those possessing the greater interest for the self. 3rd. This will necessarily lead to a third stage, in which the mind, acting through some present interest, will be able to direct its flow of energy toward the accomplishment of a fixed end. Here it will select from its store of experience only such elements as conduce to the attain- ment of the end in view. From the above consideration, it will appear that, if the conscious subject is to obtain freedom from its physical environ- ment, this must be effected through its mental activity. A perfect life must result from a life of rational activity. This fact is further proven from a consideration of the relation in which these ideas stand to the subject. These are not viewed as ends in themselves ; but are considered as means to be applied to human progress, and thus aid in the realization of the self. 14 EDUCATION AND LIFE This is sufficient of itself to establish the prominence of mental activity as a factor in self-realization — an important considera- tion for the scientific educator. At this point a new factor is to be considered. It has been seen that, through its inherent qualities, the subject will be enabled to retain, as a part of its conscious experience, impres- sions of the earlier actions and reactions of its primary activity. This signifies an ability, on the part of the subject, of expressing its future activity in tc/ms of the past. Thus, through the development of this new factor, man will now be enabled, with premeditation, to seize the conditions of his environment and facilitate his adjustment thereto. In other words, man's impul- sive activity becomes, not only rationalized, but also habituated. This tendency of intelligent life, to reduce its activities to habits and so determine its future experience, at once raises an important question. We have discovered that man must realize himself by a life of activity, which shall extend intelligently the range of his conscious life. This implies that present modes of existence are not, in many cases at least, to be viewed as ends in themselves, but as stages in a forward progression. Will not the habituation of man's activities, however, rather tend to check such a rational extension, by reducing them to an automatic tendency to act in a fixed direction ? That such a result may follow is evident ; by what means, if any, this tendency is to be overcome, must appear from subsequent investigation. Again, it has been seen that, in his realization in conscious- ness of an external world, man develops a power of comparison which enables him to judge qualitative differences. At this point, there occurs what may be called a transference of feeling. These subjective qualities are cognized as belonging to the external object. The sweetness is in the sugar — the pain in the fire. This transference of feeling at once gives an emotional value to the external object, and leads the mind to view it as an end in itself. Does not this also indicate a point at which the subject's further development must be checked ; since the growth of these desires postulates a life of particular pleasure, rather than a life of universal self-realization ? EDUCATION AND LIFF,. 15 ice of mental ,nt considera- , It has been bject will be ience, impres- Tiary activity, of expressing through the er.abled, with ironment and , man's impul- so habituated. ts activities to once raises an in must realize telligently the ;sent modes of iewed as ends ion. Will not r tend to check an automatic 1 a result may idency is to be ation. m in conscious- r of comparison ;nces. At this ence of feeling, ilonging to the ir — the pain in es an emotional id to view it as point at which :ked ; since the icular pleasure, Here, then, we discover a further crucial stage in the development of intelligent consciousness. That these imperfect ends will present themselves, experience abudantly demon- strates. That their pursuit will check the growth of self-know- ledge, and the realization of a perfect life, both experience and science abundantly prove. How are these dangers to be overcome ? It was noticed at an earlier stage in our inquiry that the possibility of realizing a life of perfection would imply, not only a potentiality of perfection in the subject, but also an actual perfection in the external world, through which the perfection of the subject may be realized. Arc we now in a position to prove the presence of such an external perfection ? Thus far we have viewed man only as taking an interest in, and directing his activities towards external objects, in so far as they possess value through being useful to the individual. At this stage, however, a new condition arises. These external objects, though individually desirable, in bcingsubjected to the unifying power of the ego, frequently e.xcite trains of associated ideas which realize a new potentiality of conscious life — the expression of a perfect harmony including both the subject and the external objects. In this new form of subjective interest, the pleasure is found to be distinct from the former value of the object as useful. Our interest is now centred on the external, because we have realized in it a mode of consciousness in which truth is discovered, clothed with subjective emotion— an expression of a harmony inherent in the nature of the conscious subject. Thus the presence of an Esthetic Sense implies both a poten- tiality of perfection in the thinking subject, and also a perfection in the universal aspect of the external. This aesthetic sense, in addition to possessing an emotional element, has also been seen to be a form of thought, in which the conscious subject cognizes and realizes a harmony of ideas. From such a cognition man is led to conceive a universal harmony throughout the physical world. This new ideal, as an expression of the perfect life of the subject, will possess an interest capable of subordinatincj the former objects of desire 16 EDUCATION AND LIFK. to a hij^her unity. Thus the mind through its own activity has been enabled further to rationalize its former individual desires, and subject them to a higher universal ideal. Thus far we have considered man only in relation to his physical environment. But, as was previously noticed, his developing freedom may be conditioned or restricted by other intelligences. Are these to be avoided, or also realized in con- scious life ? Both nature and experience have solved for us this problem. Man's very existence is bound up with that of the family ; and, though wc may conceive some Platonic state in which the family experience shall disappear, this result will be obtained, only by substituting some other form for the social relation. This narrow circle, whatever it may be, must, of necessity, become most intimately known, and thus develop a desire for social life. This question is further answered by the very conditions of mental development. No intelligence can develop beyond the possibilities of the social environment in which it is placed. It appropriates and objectifies largely by virtue of the culture and opportunities of the society to which it belongs. Its most original efforts are but an explicit expression of the potential" ities of this social organism. It is evident, therefore, that to shut the mind off from the greater social circle is but to limit the free activity and development of life. We may, then, predicate, as a necessary quality of perfect conscious life, an adjustment to a social environment. In relating himself to this social environment, man will become cognizant of individuals similar to himself, and seeking a similar realization of self. Here the individual must realize himself through a process similar to that by which he obtains freedom and development in the physical world. This external social world, as possessing value for the individual, will also tend to the formation of individual desires and aversions, in the pursuit of which nicin must check his progress toward a perfect realization of the social self. These desires must also be rationalized and subjected to a higher and more perfect unity. Here man m ist recognize himself as belonging to a social organism in which the # EDUCATION ANH LIFE. 17 activity has 3ual desires, ation to his noticed, his ed by other lizcd in con- his problem, family ; and, :h the family ned, only by ation. This sity, become ire for social ry conditions elop beyond li it is placed. )f the culture js. Its most the potential* efore, that to s but to limit ; may, then, icious life, an in will become king a similar ealize himself tains freedom xternal social Iso tend to the the pursuit of 'ect realization tionalized and [ere man n^ >st n in which the happiness of each is advanced by the perfection of the whole. By what intelliKent process is this to be eff" 'ted r We have seen that, in his ivsthetic conception of the external world, man also realizes a potentiality of perfection inherent in the thinking subject. This realization of his poten- tiality of perfection, at once creates an idea of ouyhtness, or enables the mind to contrast its actual with an ideally perfect condition. Further, as out of the recognition of this aesthetic harmony, there arose the conception of perfection in the universal aspect of the physical world, so will it develop a similar ideal in the social world, where the individual will recognize his particular self as part in a higher unity. Here the former sense of beauty appears as a sense of purity, and know- ledge as conscience, or a sense of duty including both aspects of this universal idea — duty to self and duty to others. Such an ideal social organism is supposed to exist for the individual in the state or nation. If this be true, man must realize the perfection of his social nature in terms of the polit- ical society to which he belongs. It will, therefore, be necessary for us to consider more closely the true relation of the individual to the nation. It has been said that the family precedes the nation, as the individual does the family. While this may be physically true, as regards the first stages of national life, we find the very opposite to hol3 since cduca- If, howevco fintity of its .tion to one force of this need but to apter it was consist in the rather in the ijecting them n is able to ill make good a position to e the progres- ;ults primarily gh his activity ternal world in Ligh the exter- ■ he must dis- bout him, and /orld, physical of particular being brought This is to be .f the aesthetic isc in the social t apprehension converted into and the social this potentiality s conscious life an ideal expres- ersal perfection. What means does formal education offer for the bringing about of these results ? It has been postulated that m;m's intellectual and moral progress is primarily conditioned by his Ovvn consciouhly deter- mined effort. This premcsis is further established by the history of human progress. All primitive races lack foresight and self- restraint, and are wanting in intellectual tenacity. They shun labor of every form, and yield themselves to a life of indolence. Being wanting in intellectual and moral energy, they become slaves to their natural impulses and passions. Here, then, we discover another reason for assuming that the essence of human progress lies in mental activity. If, therefore, the educator is able, by any means, to insure the development of this power, he will have contributed in no small degree toward the realiza- tion of a life of perfection. To enter into a complete psychological examination of the function of attention in the development of intelligent consci- ousness would carry us beyond the limits of our subject. We shall, therefore, content ourselves with such a brief outline of the role of attention, as will enable us logically to affirm the possibility of its formal development. It has been seen that the most primary facts of conscious life present a two fold aspect, subjective and objective, and that these can be organ- ized and set in a definite relation to each other only through the interaction of interest and attention. Thus the most elementary percepts involve an exercise of this inherent power. These modes were further seen to be capable of being retained as related parts in the content of conscious life. This, however, implies not only cognition but recognition, in which this power of attention again appears as an important element. It may further be noted, that these primary cognitions possess a general character, and awaken a feeling of sameness. For instance, in the early cognitions of thv; child, all members of a class appear the same. In passing to a higher stage of knowledge, not only must these primary elements of perception be reproduced viv- idly in memory, but the mind's activity must clearly realize, by analysis and comparison, the exact characteristics of each. 24 EDUCATION AND LIFE. Finally, only in so far as the mind secures the power of concen- trating its attention upon these ideas, and thereby making them vivid and distinct, are they found capable of entering into the higher relations necessary for the universalizing of subject and object. Is education able to seize on these successive phases of mental activity, and assist in their development ? It has been seen that attention is primarily awakened through a passive interest attached to the conscious mode. This interest, however, may develop into a higher form. Man is both a sentient and a rational being. As a rational being his interest may be affected through the satisfaction of his rational nature, so that the very pursuit of knowledge will become an object of pleasure. It is through this inherent desire for self- realization that the scientiiic educator must seek to secure the development of rational activity. It has been seen that consciou'^ life exhibits a unifying ten- dency, which tendency is realized through the discovery of law and order in the physical and social worlds. Here lies the spec- ial opportunity of the scientific educator. For, while the lessons of daily experience are too varied and disconnected for the proper awakening and development of this rational principle in man, the scientific educator, having control over the materials of study, is able to present his facts in such an order as will satisfy this rational tendency, and lead to the acquisition of mental power. This liberty of selection will possess two advan- tages. Firstly, the educator is enabled to present his materials in conformity with the activities to be exercised. In this way he is able to present the thinking subject with such materials as will best conduce to cultivate the several phases of its mental activity. Secondly, by presenting material capable of organi- zation and unification, he enables the mind to reconstruct itself in conformity with its rational unifying tendency. This, how- ever, since man has a rational nature, must lead to the creation of a desire for rational activity ; as a result of which, truth will be followed for its own sake. This foundation principle of scientific education, though so evident and so easily obtainable, is, we fear, too frequently EDUCATION AND LIFE. 25 violated. By looking upon our pupils as the possessors of a single ready-made faculty — that of retention — we are too prone to consider it our highest function to pour into this receptacle the maximum of externally organized information, rather than considering it our office simply to lead the thinking subject to conscious activity, and self-realization, through his own active organization of skilfully presented material. Even after recog- nizing this principle, and seeking to apply it in our formal pres- entation of new material, we are still too liable to violate it in other particulars. The present thesis is not intended as an exposition of particular methods; we shall pause, however, to make a single reference. How often, after leading our pupils to a rational discovery of some scientific principle, are we satisfied, in its application to an extended field of examples, to convert our lessons into mere expositions, in which our more intelligent pupils perform the function of lecturers to their less fortunate companions. If we desire, however, to promote the intellectual progress of these weaker vessels, let us remember that this must come from the self-activity consciously extending itself into these new fields, and incorporating them with the subject's former experiences. We would, therefore, postulate as an ideal principle, that, with every pupil, the method must be, not one of information but one of self-discovery, in which the teacher shall but direct the activity of the pupil in the latter's search for similarities and differences, to enable him consciously to realize the hidden unity. In leaving this section of our subject, a word of explanation may be necessary. We have stated that the chief office of the educator is to present to the child such material as will enable him to develop and organize his own consciousness through intelligent effort. Does this imply that the educator is to make as easy as possible the mental efforts of the pupil ? It has been seen that, as a rational being, man is capable of deriving pleas- ure from the intelligent exercise of his activities. The develop- ment of this tendency was seen to be of the highest importance in insuring a life of rational activity. Such power, however, can 26 EDUCATION AND LIFE. I develop only through a proper degree of self-conscious effort. It is, therefore, neither necessary nor desirable that the teacher should make easy the conscious effort of his pupils ; but rather that he should so present his materials that his pupils, through an earnest effort of attention, may arrive at thorough and complete knowledge. While postulating the importance of a life of rational activ- ity, we have further seen that this is not sufficient of itself to constitute a life of perfection. Nay, when expending itself simply ?s an analytic process, it may even become individualistic and destructive in its tendency. We have seen, however, that the perfect man must be led to realize such a universal imity as will cause him to refuse to be limited by the particular and the finite. What further assistance are we able to offer thereto ? It has been shown that particular desires and aversions can be rationalized only by the universalization of the individual through the conception of order and perfection in the external world, and a consequent ideal of universal self-realization, as the goal of the subject's rational activity. Here, also, the scientific educator, through the nature of the materials by which he exercises and organizes the minds of his pupils, is afforded special opportunities for awakening this conception of a universal order. The materials to be presented in an ideal course of study should be of such a nature as, not only to appeal to the past experience of the pupil, and thus enable him to distinguish their several phases, but also to admit of entering into ever wider and higher relations. By this means, the educator is enabled to afford such exercises as will direct the conscious activity into a higher channel — the search for more universal relations. This exercise, as furnishing an expression for the tendency for unification, inherent in the individual, will speedily develop into a conscious habit. Here lies the second great opportunity of the scientific educator — that of developing such a synthetic attitude of mind. It was noted that the cultivation of the aesthetic must play an important role in the breaking down of the individual nature and the development of universal ideals. We may now notice that in the awakening of this unifying or synthetic attitude of EDUCATION AND LIFE. 27 mind, lies the very germ of the lusthetic sense. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." Every discovery of higher relations in the field of individual experience is n metaphor and a poem, while the appreciation of the beauty of an object involves a unification, more or less conscious, of analyzed objects. There- fore, in the presentation of materials considered the most dry and uninviting, when, in addition to tiio apprehension of certain individual facts, j'ou are able to lead the pupil to discover the presence of these higher syntheses, be assured that you will also have vibrated the chords of beauty and of goodness. Again, when our hearts are touched by a conception of harmony arising from the contemplation of some a.'sthctic object, you may be further assured that this conception of beauty will also unfold a vision of universal truth and unity. As has been seen, moreover, the awakening of this jEsthetic sense involves an explicit emotional element, and thus gives a more impulsive expression to our inherent susceptibility to universal truth and beauty ; and, by tending to render active the desire to realize this universal ideal, will lay a foundation for moral character. Here, then, let education perform its possible functions in the perfecting of conscious life, by developing such a habit of synthesis that the mind will be enabled intelligently to grasp presentations of unity and harmony, and by so awakening images of beauty (and, therefore, of truth) that the mind may learn both to know and to love the beautiful and the good. In this depart- ment, also, the educator will have every advantage over ordinary experience, through his freer command over the presented materials. A word may be added here also, as to our method in the presentation of the products of creative art. An artistic pro- duction is not an objective imitation but the outward expression of an inward, universal ideal. It is to be viewed, therefore, not simply as an object for dissection and analysis, but as a synthetic unity whose beauty is constituted by the harmony of its several parts. For example, in Milton's — "Right af^ainst the Eastern gate Where the sreiit Sun begins his state Robed in Hanies antl amber light, The clouds in thousand liveries dight ;" 28 EDUCATION AND LIFE. or in Shelley's — " Night followed, clad with stars." or again in Longfellow's — " After a day of cloud and wind and rain Sometimes the setting sun breaks out again, And, touching all the darksome woods with light, Smiles on the fields, until they laugh and sing," we obtain a revelation of t.he harmony and beauty of nature which the most careful observations of ordinary experience might fail to reveal. In such an interpretation, therefore, the pupil will be enabled, both to realize these spiritual potentialities within his own inner life, and to prefigure that higher universal, toward which his rational activities would direct him. On the emotional side also, the feeling produced will develop from a sensuous interest in the local, into a contemplation of the ideal for its own sake, and thus cause the mind to transcend individual desires, and elevate its interests into the region of rational sentiment. Thus far, we have outlined only the opportunities afforded the formal educator for the development of the intelligent and the aesthetic. But, as we have seen, man is also a social being, and, as such, his development must take place in and through a social organism. As an heir of civilization, his complete self- realization will imply an entrance upon that heritage. These primary factors, however, are essential to its attainment. We are likewise children of nature; and it is in nature that we must find a basis for this higher development. Though moral train- ing, therefore, may be the higher, it presupposes the intellectual and the .-esthetic for its perfect attainment. For, as was seen, morality consists in an identification of the self with a social environment. This implies the apprehen- sion of a universal good, and a distinction of right and wrong in human conduct, as related thereto. These, however, are forms of practical thought, and, therefore, imply a rational element in the moral sense. This fact is also verified by the history of social progress. Social reforms, to be effective, must always be pre- ceded by, and founded on public opinion ; while this opinion F.DUCATION AND I-II T,. S9 will be found, in turn, to rest on some form of knowledge. This fact is established by a reference to any of our social reforma- tions, which are always found to have been preceded by an intellectual revival. An example is furnished in our own day in the evident decline of the drinking hal)it, as a result of the knowledge of the effects of alcoholism — an instrument which, in an unseen manner, is effecting inorcthan a century of legislative enactments. But morality is also a sentiment. To choose the good, we must both know and love it. Nay, with some the presence of this moral sentiment is viowcd as all-sufficient ; and, though we may not admit so much, we must nevertheless agree with the poet, that there may be those— " Who in love and truth Where no misgiving is, rely Upon the genial Heiiae o£ youth : Glad Hearts ! without reproach or blot ; Who do thy work, and know it not." The development of feeling, therefore, is essential to moral progress— to our own " light " we must add " sweetness." But, as has been seen, it is from the cultivation of the aesthetic emotions that such a disinterested sentiment can have its foun- dation most securely laid. Then — " With Thought and Love (companions of our way, Whate'er the senses take or may refuse, The mind's internal heaven shall shed her dews Of inspiration on the humblest lay." Morality has been shown to consist in the realization of the self in harmony with a social environment. But our primary interest in this environment was seen to be in the form of particular desires, and, therefore, selfish in its character. Such an individual existence, by separating man from his environment will cause him to view his own personality as limited thereby. This must lead him to seek his freedom independent of, or in opposition to others— in acts of selfishness and injustice. The moral man, however, must learn that such efforts in reality check his free development, which can be attained only through the freedom of the whole, or in practising the good. The nature of the environment in which man has been set t — so EDUCATION AND LIFE. by the Creator would seem to have been determined by the necessity for such a development. As an individual, he is set in a physical environment, where his very existence is dependent on an adjustment thereto. Thus he is at once drawn out, as it were, from self and interested in an external world. Again, his existence is made to depcrid on thcfamily, where this individual nature must be further subdued by the creation of interests and desires which include other members of the family group. To widen his personality still further, he finds the nation embrac- ing the narrower family group, and leading him into a yet more universal existence. Thus, step by step, the very conditions of his enviroinnent tend tr> guide him to the highest summit, where his individuality shall merge into a single universal. Can the conscious effort of the educator assist in this progress. Conduct, to be moral, must present two phases. The moral man must know and love the right. Secondly, he must choose and do it. In the first of these spheres, at least, the educator is afforded special opportunities of preparing his pupil for moral living. The history of civilization is the history of man's striv- ings for intellectual and moral freedom. This civilization has crystallized itself in innumerable forms, and remains standing for our edification. Here we will find objectified the lessons of human progress ; and if our hearts have been attuned to truth and beauty, we cannot but learn, from the contemplation of these lessons, to love the good in human action. Here, there- fore, we have a field for moral education. No doubt, in the presentation of all intelligently organized materials, since they represent a product of human intelligence, there may be found a moral value. But it will now be the province of the educator to select from these products, and to set forth such material as shall constitute the highest expression of morality. The importance of this department of our subject will warrant a more extended examination. We have pointed out the important role which literature may pla^ in the cultivation of the iesthetic feelings. We may now- note that it should play no less a part in the development of the moral sentiment. The moral progress of the human race has been seen to have been a struggle for freedom and self-realization in a family, social and EDUCATION AND LIFE. 31 spiritual environment. Literature is an expression, an outward projection, of this inner struggle for freedom and morality, h or example, in Milton's— " peace hath her victories No less renowned than war ." or in Bryant's— " He who from zone to zone ^ • n- y . Guides through the boundless sky thy crtaiu flight, In the long way that I must tre».d alone Will lead my steps aright, we realize moral and spiritual ideals to which a life of ordinary experience might scarcely give expression. Here, then, the moral educal r will have an opportunity of presenting noble ideas and examples, which cannot fail to realize the potential- ities of our moral nature. In history, also, the teacher possesses an abounding 6did for the selection of moral materials. Even on its biographical side, it possesses a dramatic interest, and affords a sensuous expression which cannot fail to realize ideas of goodness, and create an interest therein. But history is more than a collection of individual biographies. It exemplifies the social organism, and as such, sets forth the unity of that organism. It mus , therefore, necessarily possess materials whose presentation wU tend to realize explicitly in man the potentialities of his social nature. Other fields might be exemplified, but these will probably suffice for our purpose. We would remark, however, that here as in the former departments, we must recognize the necessity of a selection and arrangement of materials. The teacher must consider both the logical order of his materials, and their psychological adaptability for promoting the self-realization of the moral subject. At this point, it may be objected that such a presentation of moral ideals, while resulting in a knowledge of the moral law, cannot result in the formation of moral character. We must not only know but choose and do the right. The essence of char- acter formation, therefore, must consist in action ; and without such an active application, the highest product can be but a I ^t^^'" 3: EDUCATION AND Ul E. moral sentiment. That tliesc ideals become fixed only in and throu