absurdity. It would be interesting to see a Committee from the legal and clerical professions, enter a physician's office, and inform him that they had brought him an entirely new set of authorities, which they expected he would implicitly follow in his subsequent practice. He would probably reply, "Gentlemen, I appeal from your jurisdiction; I refer to you in matters of law and divinity, but claim to understand medical science better than you. If I do not understand that which I have made my life's study, you surely caanot, who have been entirely absorbed in other pursuits." The same remarks would apply to the other professions. But it will be said the opinions of teachers differ, and where several schools exist, some course must be adopted to secure uniformity. This is true; and let those be appointed to make the selection, who are the best qualified to judge of their merits. And they, I maintain, are the teachers themselves. Let them decide by vote, for this is the method adopted by Committees, and it would only be transferring the decision from those who do not to those who do understand the subject upon which they pass judgment. In saying this, I mean no disrespect to Committees. They ought not to be expected to give that time and attention to the study of textbooks, which will enable them to form a correct opinion respecting their merits. They are engaged, heart and soul, in other professions.

But it is the teacher's province, and the teacher's duty, to inform himself respecting the character of books and it is the right of the community to avail themselves of his knowledge. If any thing can be said to be

an axiom in matters of school management, I think it is this. In some of our cities and large towns, still more stringent regulations are adopted. The manner in which every hour in the day shall be spent is distinctly marked out, and I have been told by some teachers that when they are absent from duty for the space of half an hour, a deduction is made from their salaries. How a man can live under such a system without some sense of self-degradation, is more than I can understand. If a dozen or fifteen teachers can be found, who shall experience no inconvenience under the operation of such regulations, it seems to me it ought to be regarded as prima facie evidence of their incompetence to teach. Minds that could thus tamely follow in a prescribed course, must be entirely destitute of that self-inspiring confidence and determined energy which should constitute the great features in a teacher's character.

And it is still more surprising that men of sense and ability should ever enforce such regulations. How can they endure the customs of society,—as varied as the individuals that compose it? How can they bear the apparent disorder and endless variety in the heavens above, and in the earth around? In conformity to their views every motion in nature should be in straight lines or exact circles. But the infinite diversity in the natural, is only a transcript of what exists in the spiritual world. It is true there is a high degree of pleasure in witnessing the exact movements of a large mass of machinery, but it is nobler far to contemplate the glorious confusion of the material and intellectual worlds, working out in the mysterious economy of Providence, a sublimer

harmony than ever sprung from the most gorgeous creations of the human fancy. Where shall we learn to work upon great Nature's plan, and bow to the majestic simplicity of law? How long is society destined to pay the heavy penalties of infringing upon the Creator's patent?

But I gladly turn from this view of my subject. By some it will be deemed a grand or rather a contemptible impertinence, that I should presume here to impeach a policy which has been considered the bulwark, rather than the bane, of our public schools. I might yet heighten the picture, and spare many a startling fact from real life; but it would be deemed invidious. I have intended to speak only of the system. No one can think more highly of the men who perform the duties of School Committees, than myself. They are selected from the ablest and best men which society affords. But the ablest men often make great mistakes when acting out of their appropriate spheres. One thing, it seems to me, is clear: if society employs a class of men for a particular service, that service they ought to perform.

Of course there should be committees to examine schools, and employ teachers, but by the principles of common sense-by the principles which regulate the practice of all other professions and occupations, the teacher should be left to the selection of his own means and appliances, and then held responsible for results. If he succeed, let him have his just reputation, as a master of his profession. If he fail, let him give place to some worthier man. It may be said that this would

be giving great power to the teacher. This is true; but it is just such as is given to the clergyman, the physician, and the lawyer. What a solemn responsibil ity is committed to the hands of the physician, when you entrust to him a life as dear to you as your own; or to the lawyer, when you entrust entirely to his management, a suit in which your whole property is involved; or to the clergyman, when clothed with conquering power, the king of terrors claims his own dread hour. But we do this, constantly relying, with entire confi. dence, upon the moral honesty and professional skill of those whom we employ.

But can there not be honest and able men engaged in teaching? men who understand their business as well as other professional men? No man accomplishes great good without incurring great responsibility. And it is the sense of responsibility properly felt, that calls into exercise our most effective powers. Responsibility, with moral agents, is one of the great motive powers. And that it may operate to advantage, it should be distinctly understood where it rests. There is no surer method of making a man a scoundrel, than by always treating him as such; and there is no surer method of rendering a teacher unfaithful, than a system of policy which contemplates him as unworthy of trust.

But, gentlemen, we have more pleasing duties to perform, than to complain that our labors are undervalued, and our office not appreciated. We have something more important to attend to, than to inquire what men think of us. In our hours of calm reflection, when

the soul retires into the sanctuary of its own meditations; when we take a comprehensive view of the field of our duties, and consider the relation which our labors sustain to human destiny, we find that our work is not merely undervalued by our contemporaries, but by ourselves. Let us rise, then, to a proper sense of our high vocation, and this we can never do, until great thoughts of eternity come over us. If there be any reality in a future state, and if the revelation we possess mean any thing, there can be no doubt that from these sources are to be drawn the great controlling motives of our lives. No considerations of merely temporal advantage can be of sufficient moment to balance and control the operations of a spirit that must live forever. I say this, not merely for the purpose of closing with some religious cant, but as something which must lie at the very foundation of our views of education, and of our labors as educators. It was on this basis that the Puritan character was built the strongest character which the world has yet seen. They have labored, and we have entered into their labors. If our minds can take fire in view of the incentives addressed to them, in view of the Archimedean position which we occupy - and they can if adequate to their work we can well afford to be regardless of our reputation. If we give ourselves wholly to our work, we may rest assured that our fame will take care of itself. But there will be hours and days of despondency. There will be times when we shall be misrepresented abroad, and that too when we most deserve commendation. I have often heard from