respect more important than many of the sovereign princes on the other side of the Rhine,-was an English manufacturer, who had established himself there some twenty years ago, without much capital, and had effected all this by his industry and enterprise."— Speech of H. S. Legare, in Congress, 1837.

XI. PAGE 251.

ANCIENT AND MODERN PHILOSOPHY COMPARED.

THE end which the great Lord Bacon proposed to himself was the multiplying of human enjoyments and the mitigating of human sufferings. The ancient philosophy disdained to be useful, and was content to be stationary. It dealt largely in theories of moral perfection, which were so sublime, that they never could be more than theories; in attempts to solve insoluble enigmas, in exhortations to the attainment of unattainable frames of mind. It could not condescend to the humble office of ministering to the comfort of human beings. All the schools regarded that office as degrading, some censured it as immoral. Once, indeed, Posidonius, a distinguished writer of the age of Cicero and Cæsar, so far forgot himself, as to enumerate among the humbler blessings which mankind owed to philosophy, the discovery of the principle of the arch, and the introduction of the use of metals. This eulogy was considered as an affront, and was taken up with proper spirit. Seneca vehemently disclaims these insulting compliments. Philosophy, according to him, has nothing to do with teaching men to rear arched roofs over their heads.* "The true philosopher does not care whether he has an arched roof, or any roof. Philosophy has nothing to do with teaching men the uses of metals. She teaches us to be independent of all ma

* Seneca, Epistle 90,

He

rom The

terial substances, of all mechanical contrivances." labors to clear Democritus from the disgraceful imputation of having made the first arch, and Anacharsi the charge of having contrived the potters' wheel. business of these philosophers was to declaim in praise of poverty, with two millions sterling out at usury; to meditate epigrammatic conceits about the evils of luxury, in gardens which moved the envy of sovereigns; to rant about liberty, while fawning on the insolent and pampered freedman of a tyrant; to celebrate the divine beauty of virtue with the same pen which had just before written a defence of the murder of a mother by a son. From the cant of this philosophy, a philosophy meanly proud of its own unprofitableness, it is delightful to turn to the lessons of the great English teacher. The philosophy which he taught was essentially new. Its object was the good of mankind, in the sense in which the mass of mankind always have understood, and always will understand, the word good. The aim of the Platonic philosophy was to exalt man into a god. The aim of the Baconian philosophy was to provide man with what he requires, while he continues to be a man. The aim of the Platonic philosophy was to raise us far above vulgar wants. The aim of the Baconian philosophy was to supply our vulgar wants. The former aim was noble; but the latter was attainable. Ask the follower of Bacon, what the new philosophy, as it was called in the time of Charles the Second, has effected for mankind, and his answer is ready. It has lengthened life; it has mitigated pain; it has extinguished diseases; it has increased the fertility of the soil; it has given new securities to the mariner; it has furnished new arms to the warrior; it has spanned great rivers and estuaries with bridges, of form unknown to our father; it has guided the thunderbolt innocuously from heaven to earth; it has lighted up the night with the splendor of the day; it has extended the range of the human vision; it has multiplied the power of the human muscles; it has accelerated motion; it has annihilated

distance; it has facilitated intercourse, correspondence, all friendly offices, all despatch of business; it has enabla man to descend to the depths of the sea; to soar into the air, to penetrate securely into the noxious recesses of the earth, to traverse the land on cars which whirl along without horses, and the ocean in ships which sail against the wind. These are but a part of its fruits, and of its first fruit. For it is a philosophy which never rests, which has never attained, which is never perfect. Its law is progress. A point, which was yesterday invisible, is its goal to-day, and will be its starting-post to-morrow.-Edinburgh Review.

XII. PAGE 292.

TECHNOLOGICAL INSTRUCTION,

AMONG the most effectual means of developing manufacturing skill and enterprise in a country are, legislative protection, associations for the encouragement of the arts, public exhibitions and repositories, and technological instruction. It was our intention to have entered into some details, with respect to each of these, but our limits forbid. Omitting, therefore, any further reference to the first three, which are beginning to be appreciated among us, we pass to the fourth, which has hitherto received scarcely any attention in the United States, but is perhaps superior in importance, at this time, to either of the others.

By technological instruction, we mean the systematic instruction of the young in the theory and economy of the useful arts. To some extent, this instruction ought to be made general, and should therefore be introduced into our elementary schools and colleges. What is more particularly wanted, however, is special instruction for those who are intended for industrious pursuits. Of these, there are, of course, two classes:

one, having some capital and the means of taking a thorough course of instruction, and who contemplate becoming proprietors or superintendents of manufactories, or engineers; the other contemplate beginning as operatives, and advancing, by degrees, to a higher station. For both of these, a more thorough preparatory training is necessary, as it respects the science of their business.

It is necessary, on the simple principle that knowledge is power. Under the strong stimulus of circumstances, our people contrive to acquire vast dexterity in whatever they undertake. It is none the less certain, however, that with more thorough and systematic training, this dexterity might be increased and made more general, at the same time that it would be applied with more steadiness and forecast. Our enterprise is now somewhat too impulsive. Undertakings of great promise, and involving great expense, terminate disastrously, because not commenced with sufficient deliberation; or because intrusted, for their execution, to incompetent agents and operatives. The effect of a well-digested system of technological instruction, if it become extensive, would be to provide a ready stock of ability and skill, which might at any time be made available for such undertakings. More capital, too, would be invested in the arts and in manufactures, if the capitalists could find agents, and had more confidence in their ability.

Another effect of such instruction would be, to elevate the character and sentiments of the pupils, and thus inspire them with the desire of excelling in their respective pursuits.

A young country, like ours, especially if its industry is not protected by the government, can build up its own arts only by superior native skill. It must have artisans, superintendents, &c., of its own, seeking employment, who are able to fabricate the best articles at the cheapest rate. This is peculiarly necessary among us, at this time. In respect to geographical position, facilities for obtaining the raw materials, freedom from

taxation, and general activity and intelligence among the people, we are more advantageously situated for manufacturing than the countries of Europe. But they have more capital, more science, and cheaper labor; and they are now busily engaged in acquiring more skill. This may be regarded as the distinguishing feature of European industry, especially of continental industry, at this time. Tired of dependence on England for all the articles needed in home consumption, France and Germany are now laboring to develope their own arts, through the medium of education. Though they have judiciously regulated their tariff for this purpose, and Prussia, in order to insure success, has abandoned her policy of free trade, as it respects England, and resorted to an admirable system of protecting duties, yet they seem to rely greatly on the superior skill which they are aiming to develope by instruction.

For this purpose, professorships of technology have been established in the universities, in connexion with repositories or museums for instruments, products, materials, &c.; and text-books, and other instruction connected with the arts, have been introduced into the gymnasia and inferior schools.

In addition to these, institutions specially devoted to the training of those intended for industrious pursuits are rising in all parts of Germany, Austria, and France. Some of them, like the school of arts and manufactures at Paris, the institute of arts at Berlin, and the polytechnic institute at Vienna, teach the elementary learning of all the arts, in connexion with other branches, useful for those who are not intended for the learned professions. The following branches are usually taught, in addition to the languages, which may be omitted: namely, chemistry and its applications, physics and their applications, elementary and higher mathematics and their applications, mechanics and their applications, civil and hydraulic architecture, drawing, modelling, &c. These institutions are designed, of course, for those intended for engineers, su