Perhaps, some time next winter, I shall get some one who knows such things better than I do, to come and teach you about the human body-your outward selves-how your eyes are formed and adapted for sight; and your ears for hearing; and your stomach for digestion; who will like to hear this? All held up their hands. Which do you think you should like best, to hear about the construction of your bodies, or about your Spirits? Spirits. You prefer to talk of inward things rather than outward things? Yes. Who think the analysis has taught you a good deal about yourselves? All. Who think it has taught you a good deal about the meaning of words? All. I intend you shall learn outward things too: I shall get people to come and tell you about many outward things, which I do not know much about myself. I can teach better about the inward things. Next quarter I am going to teach you about inward things, not in yourselves, but in another-a Perfect Being. In Jesus Christ? asked some. Yes; we will study Jesus Christ; how many will be glad to do this? They all held up their hands. How many have learned something from the analysis-they are very sure; they know it? Almost all held up their hands. How many are sorry these lessons are over. Several.

Some said they were glad the
Who would like to hear the

next subject was coming.
Record of the Analysis read? All.

Mr. Alcott then recurred to the blackboard, and said he would read the scale. This diagram had been altered, many times, during the quarter. It was intended merely to systematize the conversations in a degree; and never was presented to the children as a complete map of the mind. Some have objected to these diagrams, as if they would be fetters on the minds of the children. But their constant renewal and changes preclude the possibility of their being regarded as any thing but what they are. After having read the scale through, he began at the end asking the meaning of each word, and as they were defined, he obliterated them, until all were gone.

CHAP. V.

CONCLUSION.

In the first edition of this work, I introduced a chapter on the General Principles of Education, with an attempt to answer the question, whether the human germ of never ending existence, be matter-insensate, unthinking, involuntary, finite, lifeless matter; of which sensation, thought, volition, are mere modes, like form; or results of motion, like sound; and to which the Creator may superadd, as an attribute, eternal life? Or if it be, of itself, LIFE, from the fountain of life; feeling, thinking, willing, acting, by the same necessity of nature, by which God loves, knows, creates ; and to which matter is but a temporary accident?

It was rather hazardous, perhaps presumptuous, to endeavor to give analytic definition of that portion of our consciousness, which as it comes to us not by induction from the outward, but by intuition, almost defies expression. Those who have gone most deeply into this spiritual region, have never attempted to do more than approximate the subject, as it were-through an address to the imagination. But there are persons who seem to think that the action of the Imagination is not the embodiment of truth, but is pure fiction. They suppose that Socrates meant by his demon, a person who was not Socrates; that Plato meant by the soul's reminiscences, pre-existent personality; and that Christians deny their Savior, when they find that salvation consists in the perfection of their own souls. If these are told that such is not the interpretation of these expressions, they straightway take the idea that then they are words without any meaning whatever. It was to this

class of minds I intended to speak, and to endeavor to convey, in language which I thought would be more to their taste, the idea that the soul's very life consists in its action; that there is not over and above the soul's life-conscience, intellect, affections, happiness, virtue, salvation, but that the soul has its substantial existence in these various modes and degrees of action, and that to educate the soul, is to make common cause with its action; to think, love, hope, desire, in short, live in companionship with it.

But those to whom I wished to speak, find no meaning in my words; and others smile at what seems to them the absurdity of attempting to reach a class of minds that will not take the trouble to find out within themselves what Socrates, Plato, and Christ meant by their beautiful emblems. With the latter class of critics, I am myself inclined to agree; and confess that I should not have attempted, with my small powers, to depart from the symbolical expression, which the wise of all ages have agreed to be the only appropriate mode of conveying spiritual facts; and have gone into the shallows of analytic definition.

But as I feel no less confidence than ever in the truths which I there attempted to explain-on omitting this chapter, whose expressions are judged on all hands to be so inadequate, I will make another effort to convey my ideas, by inserting in its place part of a conversation that I once held with a class of children under fourteen years of age, in a charity Sunday school, which did not seem to be a failure, at the time; and which contains, perhaps, the whole practical philosophy of the matter.

I began with what is to me a very natural question, when beginning to instruct :

What is a soul?

It is what thinks; replied a child of eight years.
Has a little baby just born any soul?

Little babies must have souls, or they would not go to heaven when they die, said all.

Well! what is the soul of a baby; is it what thinks; or is it thin stuff, something like vapor or air; or is it

feelings? I spoke this question very deliberately. Feelings said all with decision.

What feelings-what kind of feelings has a baby? Happy feelings! said a sweet child, of ten years old. Yes-happiness-and is there nothing else; does not a baby seem to wish to be loved-and does it not seem to love?

Yes it is loving-and that is one reason it is happy. But does a baby believe any thing?

It does not know any thing to believe, said one.

We are not sure of that; don't you remember Jesus Christ said, "their angels always behold the face of my Father in heaven?" Perhaps they know God!

Babies seem to believe, said another, that people will be kind to them and love them.

You know a baby's soul, after it comes into the body, seems to lie still and enjoy itself, i. e. its happiness, love, and faith for a good while-but at last it begins to look out of its eyes, to see people and things about it?

It seems to have confidence in every thing, said one.

:

Yes faith grows out of love and happiness. But does it know about people and things out of itself, so as to choose right in loving, and having confidence?

No.

Do not some things seem to disappoint it?
Yes.

Perhaps it judges by what it feels within, and when it does not find love and happiness outside as well as within, it gets pain and terror: are all people worthy of love and confidence?

No.

And the baby may make mistakes?

Yes.

Does it know what will make it happy?
No.

How does it find out?

After a pause, one replied; sometimes it does not find

out.

Very true-it is the work of life to find out: have you found out?

This home question silenced them, and I asked; do you

think, if you had always been treated with love; and always had thought others were trying to make you happy; you should ever have been discontented, or have feared, or have disliked any body?

No: said all.

Discontent then, and fear, and hate, were no part of your soul at first?

No.

And if you should lose all such feelings, would it destroy your soul?

No-it would make it better; as good as it was at first. Well! now tell me ; do you think it is possible that you should lose all your desire of being loved, and all your love; all your happiness, and desire, or even expectations of happiness?

After a pause for thought, they decided unanimously, that they could not.

But you might lose your bad feelings and your soul would be left?

Yes.

Then your love, happiness, and faith, are your soul itself? Yes.

And discontent, hatred, fear, do not seem to be your soul itself, but disorders and diseases of your soul?

Yes.

Each of you began, like any other little babies, with being happy, loving, and believing: have you ever made any mistakes, loved what could not love you? desired what could not make you happy? believed what was not true? Yes; a thousand times-said several.

Will not a person, who constantly makes these mistakes, at last grow discontented, unloving, fearful, and full of doubts?

Yes.

And cannot you imagine a soul that seeks for happiness in so many wrong ways, that after a while, it becomes discouraged?

Yes.

And supposing a person loves one bad person after another, and finds them out, one by one, to be bad, don't you think, at last, he will doubt whether there is goodness any where ?