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influence on his future character. The gentle restraints by themother of the little obstreperous infant—her sweet smiles of love—her reproving eye—induce habits, thoughts, feelings, in the littlepupil, and are the earliest, and perhaps among the most preciouslessons of our lives : and they who think, or act as if they thought,that infancy has only to be fed and to be pleased, and that it is notime for moral training, commit an error, which perhaps no futurelabour may be able to remedy.”
In concluding these extracts, which we do with extreme regret,we recommend the whole paper from which they arc borrowed, tothe attentive perusal or re-perusal of Triends.
To terminate this inquiry respecting the object of education, itonly remains to advert to a principle which appears to be implied inthe preceding extracts, and which may be stated as follows :
Although care for the moral education of youth is at all times ofprimary importance, this care should be exercised with peculiar dili-gence in the earlier years of life, and should be gradually relaxed asthe pupil approaches that period, when he will be entirely separatedfrom the control of parents and teachers.
It is impossible, within the limits of this essay, to bring forwardany further arguments in support of the above principle; we there-fore incorporate it, without further authority, with the principlespreviously established, and conclude the present inquiry with thefollowing general result:
The object of education is two-fold.—In early life, the generaldevelopment of the faculties, with especial reference to the moralcharacter; at a later period, preparation for after-life, with a largershare of individual liberty and responsibility.
II. APPOINTMENT OF TEACHERS.
Having determined what is the object of education, we come nowto treat of that part of the inquiry concerning the mode of attainingit, which is comprised in the question: By whom shall our childrenbe taught ? We hare not to determine what they shall be taught,