THIRD DAY-MORNING SESSION. After the return of the members of the Institute from their visit to the college at Brunswick, the Institute was opened at ten o'clock with prayer by Rev. Mr. Phipps, of Ipswich, Mass. Rev. Thomas Hill, of Waltham, Mass., was introduced as the lecturer of the morning. He announced as his thesis, that Geometry is the foundation of learning. This is the science which is always taught in Nature's school. It has been neglected since the invention of logarithms, but it has remained the foundation of all knowledge; and no man has learned anything truly, until he has got enough of geometry to build that knowledge upon. The reverend speaker then gave the outline of his views of a perfect education. As the child is a will, actuating a body under the impulse of sentiment, appetite or passion, and by the guidance of reason, four sorts of education are requisite; for the will, the body, the impulsive nature, and the reason. Intellectual training is, therefore, only one of the four indispensable branches of true education. Mr. Hill divided science into five branches, viz.: Theology, Psychology, History, Natural History, and Mathematics. Then, taking these divisions, they necessarily follow each other in the reverse of the order in which they are enumerated above, so far as relates to time. All knowledge rests upon a double basis of perception and conception, of sensation and consciousness. The perceptive faculties are first developed and the conceptive last. The infant only perceives. He does not reason. For many ages geometry was made the first, and almost the only, study for the young. Of late years, and especially in our own country, the science has been greatly neglected. The child begins to study geometry as soon as it opens its eyes and distinguishes a circle from a square, a chair from a table. Did the infant fail to learn what it does of form and space, it would be an idiot, and could not learn anything else. Mr. Hill said, the reasoning powers are the only ones called into play in ordinary education. The child is directly taught only to reason and remember. The copying of simple outlines should be taught in order to train the perception. Of all that we learn, no truths are so intimately connected with our own happiness as those of geometry. At the close of the lecture the subject was briefly discussed. Dr. Barnas Sears first spoke, expressing his general approbation of the lecture, though he said there were some points in respect to which he might not entirely agree with the lecturer. He was pleased at the exhibition of vigorous thinking which had What we to Him who "has put all things under his feet? daily sow we shall reap. What is in us, will out. If we mean to train disciples to Christian virtue we must tread the road ourselves. The graces of Christianity must be set upon the breasts of the pupils by teachers who illustrate them by their own lives. In closing, Mr. Huntington spoke of teachers as being, under Christ, directors of an immortal rearing, ministers of our social institutions, the regulators of families, apostles to the church, fellow-helpers to the truth of Him who is the Father of all families, King over all empires, the Head of the Church.— "If," said he, "I heartily congratulate you on such possibilities and opportunities, will it be deemed a presumption that I have urged you to be disinterested in that friendship, wise masterbuilders, faithful apostles?" Mr. Greenleaf, of Brooklyn, N. Y., then repeated a notice which the President had previously given, of a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Education, to be held in New York on the last four days of August, and urged the attendance of members of the Institute. On motion by Mr. Perry, of New London, Conn., three members of the Institute were appointed as delegates to attend the above meeting, viz., Messrs. Perry, of New London, Tower, of Boston, and Wm. H. Wells, of Westfield, Mass. Mr. Bulkley, of Brooklyn, N. Y., then suggested that he wished to have the Institute express its sympathy with those in oreign lands who are engaged in general education, and offered he following Resolutions :— Whereas, The principle of home and foreign correspondence, visitation and exchange, has demonstrated its utility and power, therefore, Resolved, That the American Institute of Instruction recognize in this principle a means by which all our educational interests may be greatly promoted. Resolved, That we enter into correspondence, exchange of publications, and intercourse by delegates with kindred associations in the United States and foreign countries. Mr. Perry said, in reference to this matter, that, when abroad, he met with teachers in every part of Europe, and beyond it, who expressed themselves willing to join with any association for such exchanges as the resolutions, contemplated. These exchanges might be at once commenced. Mr. Vattemare said to him that he would be glad to be a medium of communication in such an enterprise. The resolutions were then adopted, and the Institute adjourned. THIRD DAY-MORNING SESSION. After the return of the members of the Institute from their visit to the college at Brunswick, the Institute was opened at ten o'clock with prayer by Rev. Mr. Phipps, of Ipswich, Mass. Rev. Thomas Hill, of Waltham, Mass., was introduced as the lecturer of the morning. He announced as his thesis, that Geometry is the foundation of learning. This is the science which is always taught in Nature's school. It has been neglected since the invention of logarithms, but it has remained the foundation of all knowledge; and no man has learned anything truly, until he has got enough of geometry to build that knowledge upon. The reverend speaker then gave the outline of his views of a perfect education. As the child is a will, actuating a body under the impulse of sentiment, appetite or passion, and by the guidance of reason, four sorts of education are requisite ; for the will, the body, the impulsive nature, and the reason. Intellectual training is, therefore, only one of the four indispensable branches of true education. Mr. Hill divided science into five branches, viz.: Theology, Psychology, History, Natural History, and Mathematics. Then, taking these divisions, they necessarily follow each other in the reverse of the order in which they are enumerated above, so far as relates to time. All knowledge rests upon a double basis of perception and conception, of sensation and consciousness. The perceptive faculties are first developed and the conceptive last. The infant only perceives. He does not reason. For many ages geometry was made the first, and almost the ouly, study for the young. Of late years, and especially in our own country, the science has been greatly neglected. The child begins to study geometry as soon as it opens its eyes and distinguishes a circle from a square, a chair from a table. Did the infant fail to learn what it does of form and space, it would be an idiot, and could not learn anything else. Mr. Hill said, the reasoning powers are the only ones called into play in ordinary education. The child is directly taught only to reason and remember. The copying of simple outlines should be taught in order to train the perception. Of all that we learn, no truths are so intimately connected with our own happiness as those of geometry. At the close of the lecture the subject was briefly discussed. Dr. Barnas Sears first spoke, expressing his general approbation of the lecture, though he said there were some points in respect to which he might not entirely agree with the lecturer. He was pleased at the exhibition of vigorous thinking which had been made, and whether the doctrine of the lecture was true or not, there was enough in it to contribute to his enjoyment.This world of beautiful forms might be looked upon with more pleasure by teachers and pupils, if what is beautiful and true were more often contemplated. This would train the mind to those elevated ideas to which all education should tend. Prof. A. Crosby, of Boston, also expressed his gratification at the manner in which the subject had been presented. He wished the leading principles of the lecture could be incorporated into our habits of thinking and feeling on the subject of education. He had no question that geometry was essential as one of the foundation studies, and had no objection that it should be called a corner-stone, whether it lay at the foundation of all studies or not. Still, there must be other corner-stones. A teacher of music would contend that the ear is the first medium of ideas, and that a child comprehends the voice of its mother, before it can have any idea of the forms of objects around it. The observation of color comes along with the observation of form, and without this, color would be a mere daub. Ev He thought the study of forms was too much neglected in common schools. What idiots we should be, had we not the beautiful forms to study which God has thrown around us. ery object, the earth, the beautiful forms of the vegetable world, the branches, the leaves of trees, the out-gushing fountain, the mountains and the stars rising in solemn stillness above us, invite to the study of geometry. In conclusion, Prof. Crosby expressed his entire sympathy with the lecturer, in his earnest labor to secure the just rights due to geometry in our common schools. He also urged all present to make themselves acquainted with the works which Mr. Hill had produced for the purpose of interesting the young in the study of geometry. Mr. Hill responded to the remark that a teacher of music would claim for it a precedence over geometry, that there is no science directly founded upon the sensations of color or sound. Music, as it relates to the ear, is an art-the art, because it is the highest art. He would say, then, that music was the necessary foundation of all moral culture; geometry the foundation of all intellectual culture. The Institute then proceeded to the choice of officers for the ensuing year, which resulted as follows: President John Kingsbury, Providence, R. I. Vice Presidents-S. Pettes, Roxbury; Barnas Sears, Newton; Gideon F. Thayer, Boston; Horace Mann, Yellow Springs, Ohio; George N. Briggs, Pittsfield; Benjamin Greenleaf, Bradford; Daniel Kimball, Needham; William Russell, Lancaster; Henry Barnard, Hartford, Conn.; William H. Wells, West field; Dyer H. Sanborn, Hopkinton, N. H.; Alfred Greenleaf, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Cyrus Pierce, West Newton; Solomon Adams, Boston; Nathan Bishop, Boston; William D. Swan, Boston; Charles Northend, New Britain, Ct. ; Samuel S. Greene, Providence, R. I.; Benj. Larabee, Middlebury, Vt.; Thomas Cushing, Jr., Boston; Rufus Putnam, Beverly; Ariel Parish, Springfield; Leander Wetherell, Amherst ; Ethan A. Andrews, New Britain, Ct. ; Thomas Baker, Gloucester; John Batchelder, Lynn; Daniel Leach, Providence, R. I.; Amos Perry, New London, Ct.; Nathan Hedges, Newark, N. J.; William J. Adams, Boston; Worthington Hooker, New Haven, Ct.; Zalmon Richards, Washington, D. C.; John D. Philbrick, New Britain, Ct.; John W. Bulkley, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Samuel F. Dike, Bath, Me.; Thomas Sherwin, Boston." Recording Secretary-D. B. Hagar, Jamaica Plain. Corresponding Secretaries-George Allen, Jr., Boston; A. M. Gay, Charlestown. Treasurer-Wm. D. Ticknor, Boston. Curators-Nathan Metcalf, Boston; Jacob Batchelder, Lynn; Samuel Swan, Boston. ton. Censors-Charles J. Capen, Joseph Hale, Joshua Bates, Bos Counsellors-Daniel Mansfield, Cambridge; Samuel W. King, Lynn; D. P. Galloup, Lowell; A. A. Gamwell, Providence, R. I.; Elbridge Smith, Cambridge; Solomon Jenner, New York; F. N. Blake, Barnstable; Charles Hutchins, Providence, R. I.; Moses Woolson, Portland; Alpheus Crosby, Boston; Calvin P. Pennell, Yellow Springs, Ohio; Samuel John Pike, Lawrence. THIRD DAY AFTERNOON SESSION. The Institute met this afternoon at two o'clock and took up for consideration the question of the relative importance of the ancient classical and of scientific studies in an American system of education. Professor Alpheus Crosby, of Boston, considered the subject presented for consideration one of the most important that could be discussed, because the two classes of studies concerned have for a long time divided the attention of educationists. In England one of the great universities gives prominence to, and derives its glory from classical pursuits, while the other, though it has not neglected the classical, has given prominence to mathematical and scientific pursuits. There is scarcely a meeting among earnest men engaged in the work of education, at which the question is not presented and the necessity of the classics urged. On the other hand |