To The writer of this essay mentions the name of Southey, and discusses his poetical merits, with a feeling of gratitude. his experienced encouragement he owes the confidence in that continued hope which has ever laid the flattering unction to his soul, of his being capable of some intellectual exertion, and that of no insignificant character. To him it is owing that he dares no longer term the unction of this ambitious hope a flattering one, but must impute unto it the character of truth, and call this hope by a holy name,-the holy name of faith; that faith in individual impulse, by which individuals become the land-marks of ages, and have the name of many merged in the unity of their genius, and the majesty of their success. But for this, he might have been shadowed by the unspiritual wings of prevailing circumstance, and sunk under the weight of occupation and the labour of engagement, which war against the soul, and perchance had made him fatally doubt the verity of that flame which burnt within him, Which, if not the same 68 That kindles poets into faith and fame, Is a strange something, and without a name.” Well, says Coleridge,* "Hope is a holy duty." Despair is criminal. To him, to whose laureate name the essayist has expressed his gratitude, he owes that he has performed this holy duty hitherto, looking to compass a work "which the world shall not willingly let die ;"--that it has supported the self-determination of his spirit; and that, in the strength of the faith in individual impulse, he hath presumed, in these Analects, to distinguish the faculties of the mind of man, to intimate the spiritual constitution of the human understanding, and to declare the might and the majesty of the human intellect divine. CONCLUSION. The preceding Analects are extracted from a course of lectures, on the subject of poetic genius, delivered by the author at the Philomathic Institution. Engagement, and Circumstance, "that unspiritual god," prevent him from arranging the materials of which those lectures were composed in the strict order necessary for publication. At some future opportunity, perhaps, he may collect his papers; and, after mature reflection, and sedulous revision, submit them to the public in a methodical work. In the preceding extracts * Coleridge says,-"Those institutions of society which would condemn me to the necessity of twelve hours' daily toil, would make my soul a slave, and sink the rational being in the mere animal." If it be so, this "free country" is in reality a land of slaves. many positions are assumed, which were attempted to be demonstrated; and the brevity requisite to be observed in the present paper has excluded much illustrative matter, that might perhaps have explained what may now appear obscure. To the Philomathic Institution he is indebted for the opportunity afforded him of delivering his opinions and sentiments upon topics so important, and involving interests so vital. Gratitude demands that he should advantage himself of the present occasion to bear public testimony to its exalted merits. Easily, among its members, might it find a better eulogist than he; nay, long before its existence, it found a better, in the anticipatory praise of Milton, who recommends recreation of the laudable nature proposed by the Institution, in lan"Beguage at once energetic, perspicuous, and sublime. cause," says he," the spirit of man cannot demean itself lively in this body, without some recreating intermission of labour and serious things, it were happy for the commonwealth, if our magistrates, as in those famous governments of old, would take into their care, not only the deciding of our contentious law-cases and brawls, but the managing of our public sports and festival pastime, that they might be, not such as were authorized a-while since, the provocations of drunkenness and lust, but such as may inure and harden our bodies by martial exercises to all warlike skill and performance; and may civilize, adorn, and make discreet, our minds by the learned and affable meeting of frequent academies, and the procurement of wise and artful recitations, sweetened with eloquent and graceful inticements to the love and practice of justice, temperance, and fortitude, instructing and bettering the nations at all opportunities, that the call of wisdom and virtue may be heard every where, as Solomon saith,- She crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets, in the top of high places, in the chief concourse, and in the openings of the gates. Whether this may not be, not only in pulpits, but after another persuasive method, at set and solemn pageantries, in theatres, porches, or what other place or way may win most upon the people to receive at once both recreation and instruction; let them in authority consult." What Milton proposed, we have accomplished. Behold our porch! though the roof be not "Arched with the enlivening olive's green;" -though, perhaps, it may be long ere a Plato arise in our academy; yet will we,-named as it is from wisdom,-yet will we, as her lovers, hail it and her. And the laudable purpose which some members of this Institution have carried into effect, of sending forth periodically, in the present journal, their "wisest and most artful recitations, their most graceful and eloquent incitements to the love and prac tice of justice, temperance, and fortitude,"-may tend generally to the interests of science and of manners, and in particular to accelerate the period when a Plato shall arise amongst us: and, finally, may the feeble invocation of the present essayist suffice "To unsphere not only The spirit of Plato, to unfold" "What worlds and what vast regions hold The immortal mind, that hath forsook --but what habitation she had before her inferior dwelling was prepared, and what her faculties and powers are despite her durance, and with his sublime authority confirm the mighty mystery which hath been upon this occasion all too impotently revealed. Of human intellect, behold, the archetypal world is eternity: Truth there is mother, nurse, substance, and nourishment. All is pellucid there, and every one to each perspicuous as light to light. Every thing there is great, since what is little must always be great. The sun there is all the stars; and again, every star the sun, and all things: but every thing is eminently some one thing, and yet all things fairly shine in every thing. Thence the soul derived the sublime and beautiful, with which she invests this external world. Thence is the spirit of man empowered to impress her image on the mundane spirit, and to arise to tactual conjunction with the universal soul. From that archetypal paradigme she claimeth her origin, and with the hues she thence brought with her doth clothe material forms. Mere earthly beauty she affects not, but exalts herself by transmuting them into the nature of her own essence. Thus, an intellectual world is created, in which the objects are perfective, and not destructive,-better than the soul, not baser. The intellect of man assimilates to the first pulchritude, and majesty, imparting the life received to the qualities of his essence, thereby developing virtue, illustrating and manifesting the attributes and perfections of his nature; till at length he shall return to that first form, which in itself is also an ineffable plenitude of life, whence all other intellects and forms are emanations; and be again absorbed into the self-existent source of all existence-the sempiternal essence of the Deity. 65 DISCUSSION: ARE THE DOMESTIC DUTIES TOO MUCH NEGLECTED IN THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF FEMALE EDUCATION? 66 Tantum, vicine Palæmon, Sensibus hæc imis (res est non parva) reponas." VIRGIL. THE member who commenced the discussion of this question, which occupied two evenings, maintained the affirmative. His arguments were very properly introduced by observations on the importance of every thing which is, either directly or remotely, connected with education. The immortality of the mind itself, the consequent preparatory nature of this state of existence, and our complete ignorance at entering the world, rendered education necessary; and, to deserve that appellation, and to make it available to any definite purpose, it became needful that education should be reduced to some plan or system. Considering the vicissitudes of human life, the varying fashions, customs, and revolutions, of different ages;-yea, the changes and variations of opinion in the same mind at different periods of time, (immutability being an attribute of Deity,) it was not surprising that education, in common with all sublunary things, should be affected by these causes; and that the system of instruction should be found to vary according to the degree of knowledge, taste, and principle, which prevailed but, it was with the present system that we had now to do, and that only as it applied to the formation of the female character. The great Creator in this, as in all his other arrangements, had shown the most consummate wisdom. He had benevolently constituted man a social creature, and hence had given him in woman all that was captivating in beauty, endearing in friendship, and enchanting in address; and had evidently apportioned to the sexes varied spheres of action, involving very different duties, which became increasingly apparent as knowledge was diffused and civilization prevailed. It was, therefore, requisite, that the education of each should be adapted to prepare for the nature of the opposite duties they had to perform; and, in proportion as the distinct sphere of each was observed and maintained, would the order, the VOL. II. PART 1. F beauty, the harmony, the prosperity, and happiness, of society be promoted. To man belonged the theatre of public life; to woman, the safer and sweeter scenes of home: "To study household good, And good works in her husband to promote." To the female, it would not be denied, belonged the sphere of domestic action, and the discharge of what are properly called the domestic duties: the height of her ambition, as it was the perfection of her character, should be, to be qualified to become a good wife, an exemplary mother, and the competent mistress of her family. This confessed, it was proper to inquire, whether the present system of female education was adapted to answer these important ends? Every system of instruction that met with the countenance of a civilized age, must be expected to have enough in it that was excellent to recommend it to general patronage. Still, considering the imperfection of human nature, and our proverbial liability to extremes, it was not surprising, that, in the laudable and happily successful attempt at elevating the female character to its just rank in the scale of being, we should, in verging from the extreme of degradation and servility, in which women were sunk in barbarous states, too much withdraw them from that sphere of action for which even nature had evidently designed them. Far be it from the lovers of domestic happiness to overlook the peculiar charms of woman: "For softness she and sweet attractive grace." They were fully impressed with her personal beauty, her delicacy of manners, and her captivating eloquence ; "Those thousand decencies which daily flow And far be it from them to wish to degrade and enslave her. The objections taken to the present system were, that it was rather ornamental than important; that immense time and expense were bestowed on mere accomplishments, to the neglect of indispensible requirements; that the influence of the system tended rather to make woman a pretty than a useful creature; that it engrossed her attention in comparative trifles, rather than directed it to indispensable duties: in fact, that it aimed at the confounding of rank, and, consequently, produced ridiculous mimicry and corresponding disappoint ment. To descend to particulars. What are the pursuits which Occupy the greatest portion of their youthful time? Fancy |