LETTER XI.

MENTAL AND MORAL EDUCATION.

The Author's Conscious Incapacity--Education within the Power of All--Americans not Socially Trammelled--The Two Attributes of Mind essential to Self-Culture--Prospective Discernment-- The most enlightened System of Education--Duty of Cultivating the Moral as well as the Intellectual Nature--The Acquisition of Wealth not to be regarded as the highest Human Attainment --Definition of Self-Culture--Reading for Amusement only, Unwise--"Aids and Appliances" of Judicious Reading--Example of a Great Man--Fictitious Literature--Pernicious Effects often resulting from a Taste for Light Reading--Condemnation of Licentious Novels--Advantages of Noting Choice Passages in Reading--Carlyle's Criticism of Public Men--The Study of History of Great Importance--Benefits resulting from the Perusal of well-selected Biographies--Enumeration of celebrated Works of this Character--Newspaper and Magazine Reading--A Cultivated Taste in Literature and Art the result of thorough Mental Training--Affectation and Pretention in this regard to be avoided--Critical Assumption condemned-- Impressions produced upon observing Judges by a Pretentious Manner--"The World's Dread Laugh"--Advantages of Foreign Travel--Misuse of this Advantage--Knowledge of Modern Languages essential to a complete Education--False Impression prevalent on this point--Philosophic Wisdom--Wise Covetousness --Tact the Result of General Self-Culture--An Individual Moral Code of advantage--Example of Washington--Education not completed by a Knowledge of Books--Definition of True Education--The Development of the Moral Perceptions promotive of Intellectual Advancement--Undue Exaltation of Talent over Virtue--Religious Faith the legitimate Result of rightly-directed Education--Needful Enlightenment of Conscience--The Life of Jesus Christ the best Moral Guide-Book--Charity to the Faults of others the Result of Self-Knowledge--The Golden Rule of the Great Teacher--The highest Aim of Humanity--Reverence for the Spiritual Nature of Man the Result of Self-Culture--Danger of Self-Indulgence in regard to trifling Errors--Caution against the Infidel Philosophy of the Times--The establishment of Fixed Principles of Action--The True Mode of computing Life, 438

The Attainment of Knowledge under Difficulties--Necessity the Nurse of True Greatness--The Learned Blacksmith--The Wagoner --The Mill-Boy of the Slashes--Franklin and Webster, 439

A Peep at Passers-by, from the "Loopholes of Retreat," 440

The Force of Genius--A Man about Town--Anecdote--Manly Indignation, 441

Old-Fashioned Honor, 442

Webster on Biblical Studies, 443

The Young Frenchman and the Pyramids, 443

PECCADILLOES AND PUNCTILIOUSNESS.--Extract--Sir Humphrey Davy--Tribute to Religion, 446