"Tis in the lofty hope, the daily toil, In each far thought divine That brings down heaven to light our common soil. "Tis in the great, the lovely, and the true, 'Tis in the generous thought, Of all that yet remains for man to do. L. E. LANDON. XIII. EDUCATION THE DUTY OF THE STATE. "THE great aim of an enlightened and benevolent philosophy is not to rear a small number of individuals, who may be regarded as prodigies in an ignorant and admiring age, but to diffuse, as widely as possible, that degree of cultivation which may enable the bulk of a people to possess all the intellectual and moral improvement of which their nature is susceptible."--Stewart's Philosophy. O FOR the coming of that glorious time For all the children whom her soil maintains The rudiments of letters, and inform 2 Both understood and practised,--so that none, 3 By timely culture unsustained, or run To drudge through a weary life without the help Of intellectual implements and tools; A savage horde among the civilized, GO-A-HEAD. A servile band among the lordly free! 4 Declares his due, while he makes known his need. To eyes and ears of parents, who themselves Urge it in vain; and, therefore, like a prayer May grant at leisure; without risk incurred, 1. What is the clause prizing knowledge, &c., meant to be applied to? 2. The exact meaning of inform. 3. Droop, trans. or intrans.? 115 WORDSWORTH. 4. What does the poet mean by the sinless age? 5. The godlike faculty of speech; is the expression a happy one? "I HAVE nothing to do with rest here, but with labour."--Arnold. KEEP not standing fix'd and rooted, In each land the sun does visit, GOETHE. XV. LIGHT FOR ALL. FROM THE GERMAN. "THAT Some should be richer than others is natural, and is necessary, and could only be prevented by gross violations of right. Leave men to the free use of their powers, and some will accumulate more than their neighbours. But, to be prosperous is not to be superior, and should form no barrier between men. Wealth ought not to secure to the prosperous the slightest consideration. The only distinctions which should be recognized are those of the soul, of strong principle, of incorruptible integrity, of usefulness, of cultivated intellect, of fidelity in seeking for truth. A man, in proportion as he has these claims, should be honoured and welcomed everywhere. I see not why such a man, however coarsely if neatly dressed, should not be a respected guest in the most splendid mansions, and at the most brilliant meetings. A man is worth infinitely more than the saloons, and the costumes, and the show of the universe. He was made to tread all these beneath his feet. What an insult to humanity is the present deference to dress and upholstery, as if silkworms, and looms, and scissors, and needles, could produce something nobler than a man! Every good man should protest against a caste founded on outward prosperity, because it exalts the outward above the inward, the material above the spiritual; because it springs from and cherishes a contemptible pride in superficial and transitory distinctions; because it alienates man from his brother, breaks the tie of common humanity, and breeds jealousy, scorn, and mutual ill-will. Can this be needed to social order?"-Channing. You cannot pay with money The million sons of toil The sailor on the ocean, You gaze on the cathedral, That in earth and darkness lie: The workshop must be crowded XVI. THE QUESTIONER. "NOBILITY is not only in dignity and ancient lineage, nor great revenues, lands, or possessions, but in wisdom, knowledge, and virtue, which, in man, is very nobility, and this nobility bringeth man to dignity. Honour ought to be given to virtue, and not to riches."Anacharsis I ASK not for his lineage, I ask not for his name- I care not though of world's wealth I ask not from what land he came Nor where his youth was nursed- Where first his life began, I seek not of; but answer this— Nay, blush not now-what matters it A manger was the cradle-bed Of HIM of Nazareth! Be nought, be any, everything— If yes you answer, when I ask— Art thou pure, true, and free. NICOLL. XVII. THE TOY OF THE GIANT'S CHILD. "WORK is the appointed calling of man on earth, the end for which his various faculties were given, the element in which his nature is ordained to develop itself, and in which his progressive advance towards heaven is to lie."-Arnold. BURG NIEDECK is a mountain in Alsace, high and strong, |