In conclusion, he described this family, as he called the school, assembled on PESTALOZZI's birth-day, when he had arrived at the age of nearly seventy, and quoted an interesting passage from the address which he delivered on the occasion.

He died in 1827, the last years of his life being full of storms and adversities. The one hundredth anniversary of his birth, was attended by thousands, who had partaken of the benefits of his system of instruction. He should be happy if the cause of education was so far in advance here as not to need these suggestions. But there might be here a tendency to press the tree of education too fast. In that case,

he would point them to that venerable man, and entreat them to allow the tree first to take root.

Mr. MORSE, of Nantucket, spoke of the allusion in Mr. PHILBRICK'S lecture, to the giving of too much aid to pupils in their studies. He thought this was the chief fault in the school-room instruction of New England. He offered a resolution to the effect that it is the sense of this Institute, that keys to arithmetics and algebras, in the hands of pupils or teachers, tend to make superficial scholars, and that this Institute disapproves their use. He regarded it as a point of vital importance. He believed it would be better to suspend all the schools in New England, and devote two or three years to the teaching of teachers, so that they may be able to go on without the keys, than to go on as at present.

Mr. ALFRED GREENLEAF, of Brooklyn, said there was, in the city of New York, a Free Academy for the benefit of all the pupils of the public schools, who are fortunate enough to get in there. Twenty-five per cent. of those who get in are from one school. He asked one of the teachers of that school how they got along so. He replied that, "keys or no keys, every scholar was required to show that they understood what they learned."

Mr. GREENLEAF, of Bradford, replied to the gentleman from Nantucket, and said that he wished that gentleman had looked on one of the pages of his Key, and read, "For teachers only." He did not believe a teacher that was good for anything would let a scholar deceive him, or abuse a key. He did not see all this evil. He had kept school since 1805. Then they had old PIKE's Arithmetic. Then they had manuscripts in which the sums were all worked out. They brought their sums to him, but he could not get time to work them out, and they would go and look at other scholars' manuscripts. He would like to know what good teacher had never used a key? The best books published in Europe have keys. He always used them, because he could not get time to do a sum, to tell whether it was right.

On motion of Mr. PHILBRICK, the subject was laid on the table. Mr. BULKLEY, of New York, called attention to the great subject of Mr. PHILBRICK's lecture-the Culture of the Heart. This, at the present time, was a matter of great interest, when attempts were making to drive the Bible from common schools.

Dr. BACON, of New-Haven, had no doubt that the teaching which pupils get is often a positive disadvantage to them, in respect to the object of teaching. He did not believe a pupil could have too much

help, if it was of the right kind. But a pupil might be bothered with help that was no help. He could look back to the time when he was a student, when he suffered for want of help. The business of the tutor was not to teach, but to see whether the pupil taught himself; and the point of honor was, that he should get no help from earth or heaven. If a student had gone to the tutor to ask him to explain a problem in Euclid, he would have been tabooed in a moment. He believed this doctrine was now exploded, and that the business of teachers was to teach. But teaching was not to take the problem and work it out. But it was teaching if he led the mind of the learner through all the successive steps, and made him understand it. Teaching consists in bringing the powers of the mind to an apprehension of the truth. A few years ago, he spent half a day in the High School at Edinburgh. After he got through, he made the remark that, if we had reason to suppose that slaves on our Southern plantations were driven so, we should be disposed to apply Lynch law to their masters.

Dr. HOOKER, of Hartford, believed that pupils were helped too much. There were two objects of instruction-the one to impart knowledge, and the other to give the power to obtain it. He proceeded, at some length, to elucidate his subject.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 17, 1853.

At 3 o'clock, P. M., a prize essay was read by Mr. PEIRCE, of Waltham, Mass., on "Crime, its Cause and Cure," attempting to show that the common education of the school, secular instruction, is no security against crime and hence arises the importance of moral instruction in our schools. It is generally admitted that crime is rapidly on the increase. Notwithstanding all that could be said in explanation or extenuation, he believed it was a fact that there had been a great increase of crime for the last few years - although never had so much been done, in the way of benevolent operations, for the improvement of society.

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He believed that the diffusion of knowledge merely, was no certain prevention of crime or immorality. A very popular notion is, that ignorance is the parent of vice, and that we have only to teach men, to make them good. But he doubted whether, when we have simply taught one to read, and no more, we have really done him any good. Facts would show that, to make one good, we must do something more than to teach him to read and write. This, of itself, only makes men more capable of doing evil. Facts: According to the criminal calendar of England, in thirty-seven years, there was an increase of commitments of about seven fold, while the population had scarcely doubled. In Ireland, it was about the same; while in Scotland, crime had increased thirty fold. The London Times notices this increase, and in its connection, the fact that this has been especially the period of philanthropic action, and of the multiplication of schools.

In our own country, there has been a great increase of schools. In New York, the increase of crime has been gradual for eighteen years per cent. in the whole period, a little more than the increase of population.

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In Massachusetts, according to the testimony of Gov. BRIGGS, and the Mayor of Boston, there has been a great increase, especially of juvenile crime. In Philadelphia, similar facts exist. With these, he compared the statistics of Prussia and France. In Prussia, where all the people are educated, the returns show a great increase of crime, while in France it is stationary. But in France the comparative exception may be traced partly to the division of the land into small proprietorships. The number of landed proprietors is 4,000,000; while in England less than one-fourth are employed in agriculture.

In New York State, the city of New York, containing about one-fifth of the population, furnishes more than half the criminals. France also has her great cities; and her comparative exemption from crime is entirely unaccountable, on the presumption that Education prevents crime.

On examining the records of prisons, it will be found that convicts are better educated than the generality of their class. At Pentonville, England, it appeared that over 800 out of 1,000 had attended some school. The chaplain thinks that such an education as they received does not prevent crime, and Mr. ROEBUCK was obliged to admit the same fact. Blackwood's Magazine demonstrates the fact, that for the last twenty years, two to one of the criminals were educated. And in France, it appeared that four-sevenths of the criminals were educated.

These facts go to show that the morals of a people do not necessarily advance in proportion to the progress of secular education. This affords no éffectual barrier against crime. These facts almost justify the inference that education multiplies the facilities for the commission of crime. The proportion is not so great in this country, probably because there is more of the moral element here.

What, then, is the cause, and what the remedy? Crime is not all from one cause. Ignorance is doubtless one cause. And yet mere intellectual knowledge contributes to crime as often as it does the contrary. As indolence promotes crime, let every one follow some regular occupation. All that we do to promote industry, and to furnish laber to those who want it, goes so far to prevent erime. He who furnishes employment, therefore, as truly contributes to the prevention of crime, as he who builds churches and schoolhouses.

Another mode of preventing crime would be, to offer adequate facilities and inducements to agricultural employment to laborers, and especially to foreigners. It has been estimated that threequarters of the foreigners among us remain in our cities, and hence a large proportion of them are without employment, and with all the temptations to crime. He marvelled that no benevolent enterprise had been set on foot, to provide for the settlement of these foreigners in the West. An agricultural population, spread over a large extent of country, would naturally be more free from crime than the same population collected in manufacturing or mercantile towns. He believed, also, that it would be better for our young men, as well as for the community, for more of them to remain in the country, engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Mr. PEIRCE looked upon unsound education as the chief cause of crime. There never was a time when such outlays were made for popular education, and yet it was the general wonder that crime was on the increase. Our education in the family, the school-room, and of every-day circumstances, has been more of the head than of the heart to make children learned and accomplished, rather than wise and good. The fact ought to have been the reverse. The greatest outlay ought to have been made to promote moral education. Legislatures have seemed to take it for granted that all that was necessary to reform men was to enlighten them. We have increased the number of our school-houses, advanced the qualifications of teachers, and lengthened the time of the schools. But too much of this has been merely to promote the cultivation of the intellect, without reference to the culture of the heart. A school does not generally embrace the idea of inculcating good moral principles and good manners. The same thing is true of our school books. And the same defect runs through our Normal Schools, and the examination of teachers. Morals and moral training should be put not only on a level with other branches, but they should have the preference. The whole spirit and discipline of the school must be moral in the highest degree. This moral training must be an omnipresent, all-animating influence. It must be continually at work. The scholar also must feel that he is sent to school for this purpose. Character is the object for which we should live, and labor, and pay our money. This work should begin in the family and be carried on in the school. It was possible, he thought, to teach all the principles of Christian morals, without the dogmas of sectarianism.

It might be asked, whether as much was not done to teach morals in schools now, as there was thirty or fifty years ago. He thought there was not. As late as the commencement of the late war with Great Britain, nearly all the children, especially in New England, were connected with some religious society. But now there are thousands who belong to no society, and go to no church. Moreover, he thought there was not so much religious instruction in families as formerly. The time was, when the family altar was generally maintained in New England. But now, he feared these altars were, to a great extent, thrown down. And there, in former times, the catechism was taught in the schools, and nobody was dissatisfied. If the schools of his early days were of any advantage to him, they were chiefly so on account of their Saturday's exercise. But now this could not be done. It might be said that we now have our Sabbath schools, but multitudes of children never go to them.

The subject commends itself loudly to the consideration of the friends of humanity. Let our schools be consecrated to religion and morality, as well as to learning, and then a new epoch will begin, and we shall no longer be troubled with the paradox of increasing education and increasing crime.

Mr. GREENLEAF, of Brooklyn, said he had a few statistics, but they were somewhat different from those of the lecture. Of fifty

persons brought before the police in Brooklyn, thirty were Irish, and but eight were Americans. The rest were from other countries. And it is the Irish and Germans who keep the grog-shops that make the criminals. He went into the prison in Brooklyn and inquired, and found but three or four Americans. It was true that

we had crime, but it was not our schools that made it.

Mr. HUNTINGTON said we should all admit that public crime has increased in the world. But the attempt to connect it with any system of education is a perfect non sequitur. He believed that just so far as we have any system of intellectual culture, we so far put in operation a system tending to diminish crime. The essay says that whatever we do to furnish employment tends to the diminution of crime; hence, as we employ children in the improvement of their minds, we produce this result. It would be as logical to maintain that the increase of crime is originated by the advancing interest in benevolent and religious objects. We might, also, as well attribute it to the increase of the arts of commerce, of luxury, &c. The great objection to the lecture was not its statistics, but connecting it with education.

Mr. BISHOP, of Boston, was afraid the impression would be created, that those who dissented from some parts of the lecture, were opposed to moral education. No one felt the necessity of it more than himself. But he felt called upon, as having spent his whole life in the Common School cause, to say that we ought not to be told that for thirty years we have been doing the public an injury, by a defective system of education. He denied it. He believed it could be maintained that, aside from our system of religious instruction, our Common School system has been one of our most efficient means of moral influence. It had been stated that thousands of children in our country are brought into no Sabbath schools. An English gentleman came to Boston, for the purpose of obtaining information respecting the Massachusetts Common School system, with the view of its introduction into England, where it was objected to by many of the clergy, as a "godless system." Questions were sent out, and answers were returned from three of the principal cities, directed to this point. They were astonished by the fact developed, that nearly all- about 99 in 100 of the children in the schools were also attending Sunday school. In Boston, there were but 13 who did not attend Sunday schools. This was on the 1st day of January, 1853. He believed the result would not be materially varied, if the examination were general throughout the country. Here, criminals are not the fruits of our school system. They were too far gone before they comé here. Many of them are trained up as street-beggars, and we cannot get hold of them.

Mr. RUST, of Tennessee, said it must be a fact, that the excess of intellectual over moral culture, was one of the dangers of the present day. If he made any objection to the essay, it was that it was not sufficiently specific as to the means of correcting the evil. Connect education with moral culture, and it results in a virtuous character; but connect it, with vicious culture, and it will make a