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<p>The  term&nbsp;<em>Mind&nbsp;</em>is often employed to signify all  the faculties of the soul. But I shall use it in application to the&nbsp;<em>intellectual faculties,</em>&nbsp;in distinction from the&nbsp;<em>moral;&nbsp;</em>as I have employed&nbsp;<em>heart&nbsp;</em>to denote the&nbsp;<em>moral,&nbsp;</em>in distinction from the&nbsp;<em>intellectual.</em>&nbsp;I shall not undertake to give a  strictly philosophical distinction of the mental faculties, but shall  comprehend them in the following division, which is sufficient for my purpose,  to wit:&nbsp;<em>Perception, Reason&nbsp;</em>or&nbsp;<em>Understanding, Judgment, Memory,&nbsp;</em>and<em> Imagination</em>. PERCEPTION  is the faculty that receives ideas into the mind; as, when you look at a tree,  immediately the idea of a tree is impressed on the mind through the sense of  sight; or, when you touch an object, the idea of that object is impressed on  your mind through the sense of touch; or, you may receive the idea of a spirit,  from the explanations which you hear or read.<br><br>
  The  REASON or UNDERSTANDING, is the faculty that considers, analyzes, and compares  ideas received into the mind, and forms conclusions concerning them. For  example, suppose you had never seen a watch: one is presented to you, and, as  soon as your eye rests upon it, you form an idea respecting it. Perhaps this  idea is no more than that it is a very curious object. But, immediately, your  understanding is employed in&nbsp;<em>considering&nbsp;</em>what it is, the perceptive faculty  still being occupied in further discoveries. <br><br>
  From  the fact that there is motion, you conclude there must be some&nbsp;<em>power&nbsp;</em>within it; for motion is not  produced without power. Here is&nbsp;<em>consideration&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;<em>conclusion,</em>&nbsp;which is a regular operation of  reason. But, to make further discoveries, you open the watch, to examine its  parts. This is&nbsp;<em>analyzing.</em>&nbsp;You examine all the parts that you can  see, on removing the case. You still see&nbsp;<em>motion</em>—all  the wheels moving in regular order; but the&nbsp;<em>cause&nbsp;</em>of the motion, the&nbsp;<em>power&nbsp;</em>that moves, is yet unseen. You  perceive a chain wound around a wheel, and attached to another wheel, around  which it is slowly winding itself; and this chain appears to regulate the whole  movement. You conclude that the power must be in this last-named wheel. Here is  a conclusion from analyzing, or examining the parts separately.<br><br>
  The  JUDGMENT is the same as what is popularly styled&nbsp;<em>common sense.&nbsp;</em>It is that faculty which  pronounces a decision, in view of all the information before the mind, in any  given case. For example, if you wish to determine what school you will attend,  you first obtain all the information you can respecting the different schools  that claim your attention. You consider and compare the advantages of each; and  you decide according to your impression of their comparative merits. The  faculty which forms this decision is called the&nbsp;<em>judgment.</em>&nbsp;You will readily perceive how very  important this faculty is; for a person may be very learned, and yet a very  great&nbsp;<em>dunce&nbsp;</em>in everything of a practical  nature, if he fails in judgment or common sense. His learning will be of very  little use to him, because he has not sense to use it to advantage.<br><br>
  The  MEMORY is the faculty which&nbsp;<em>retains&nbsp;</em>the knowledge that is received  into the mind. It is a wonderful faculty. It may be compared to an immense  closet, with a countless number and variety of shelves, drawers, and cells, in  which articles are stored away for future use, only one of which can be  examined by the proprietor at the same time, and yet so arranged that he knows  just where to look for the article he wants. It is supposed that no impression,  once made upon the memory, can be obliterated; and yet the impression may not  be called up for years. It lies there, until some association of ideas brings  it up again; the faculty not being able to present more than one object distinctly  before the mind at the same instant.<br><br>
  The  IMAGINATION is that faculty which forms pictures in the mind of real or unreal  scenes. It is the faculty that you exercise in your fanciful plays, and when  your mind runs forward to the time that you expect to be engaged in the busy  scenes of life, and you picture to yourself pleasures and enjoyments in  prospect. It is the faculty chiefly exercised by the poet and the writer of  fiction.<br><br>
  You  will, perhaps, be tired of this explanation; but it was necessary, in order to  prepare the way for what I have to say on the<em> education of the mind.</em>&nbsp;From the definition of education  already given, you will perceive that my ideas differ very much from those  entertained by most young people. Ask a young person what he is going to school  for, and he will answer,&nbsp;<em>&quot;To  learn.&quot;</em>And his idea of learning is, simply, to&nbsp;<em>acquire knowledge.</em>&nbsp;This, however, is but a small part of  the object of education. And this idea often leads youth to judge that much of  what they are required to study is of no value to them; because they think they  shall have no use for the particular science they are studying, in practical  life.&nbsp;<strong>The chief objects of  mental education are, to cultivate and discipline the mind, and to store it  with those great facts and principles which compose the elements of all  knowledge.&nbsp;</strong>The studies to be  pursued, then, are to be chosen with reference to these objects, and not merely  for the purpose of making the mind a vast storehouse of knowledge. This may be  done, and yet leave it a mere lumber-room. <br><br>
  For&nbsp;<strong>without the capacity to analyze,  and turn it to account, all the knowledge in the world is but useless lumber</strong>.  It is of great importance that young people should understand and appreciate  this principle, because it is intimately connected with their success in  acquiring a good education. To this end, it is necessary that they should  cooperate with their parents and teachers. This they will never be ready to do,  if they suppose the only object of study is, to acquire a knowledge of the  particular branches they are set to learn; for they cannot see the use of them.  But, understanding the design of education to be, to discipline the mind, and  furnish it with the elements of knowledge; there is no science, no branch of  learning, but what is useful for these objects; and the only question, where  education cannot be liberal, is, What branches will best secure these ends?<br><br>
  This  understanding of the objects of education is also necessary, to stimulate the  young to prosecute their studies in the most profitable manner. If their object  were merely to acquire knowledge, the more aid they could get from their  teachers the better, because they would thus obtain information the more  rapidly. But the object being to discipline the mind, call forth its energies,  and obtain a thorough knowledge of elementary principles, what is&nbsp;<em>studied out,</em>&nbsp;by the unaided efforts of the pupil,  is worth a hundred times more than that which is communicated by an instructor.  The very effort of the mind which is requisite to study out a sum in  arithmetic, or a difficult sentence in language—is worth more than it costs,  for the increased power which it imparts to the faculties so exercised. The  principles involved in the case will, also, by this effort, be more deeply  impressed upon the mind. Such efforts are also exceedingly valuable, for the  confidence which they inspire in one's power of accomplishment. I do not mean  to commend self-confidence in a bad sense. For anyone to be so confident of his  own power as to think he can do things which he cannot, or to fancy himself  qualified for stations which he is not able to fill, is foolish and vain. But,  to know one's own ability to do, and have confidence in it, is indispensable to  success in any undertaking. And this confidence is inspired by unaided efforts  to overcome difficulties in the process of education.<br><br>
  As  an instance of this, I recollect, when a boy, of encountering a very difficult  sum in arithmetic. After spending a considerable time on it, without success, I  sought the aid of the school teacher, who failed to render me any assistance. I  then applied to several other people, none of whom could give me the desired  information. Thus I was thrown back upon my own resources. I studied upon it  several days without success. After worrying my head with it one evening, I  retired to rest, and&nbsp;<em>dreamed&nbsp;</em>out the whole process. I do not  suppose there was anything supernatural in my dream; but the sum was the  absorbing subject of my thoughts, and when sleep had closed the senses, they  still ran on the same subject. Rising in the morning with a clear head, and  examining the question anew, it all opened up to my mind with perfect  clearness; all difficulty vanished, and in a few moments the problem was  solved. <br><br>
  I  can scarcely point to any single event, which has had more influence upon the  whole course of my life than this. It gave me confidence in my ability to  succeed in any reasonable undertaking. But for this confidence, I should never  have thought of entering upon the most useful undertakings of my life. But for  this, you would never have seen this book, nor any other of the numerous works  which I have been enabled to furnish for the benefit of the young. I mention  this circumstance here, for the purpose of encouraging you to&nbsp;<em>independent mental effort.</em>&nbsp;In prosecuting your studies, endeavour  always, if possible, to overcome every difficulty without the aid of others.  This practice, besides giving you the confidence of which I have spoken, will  give you a much better knowledge of the branches you are pursuing, and enable  you, as you advance, to proceed much more rapidly.&nbsp;<strong>Every difficulty you overcome, by  your own unaided efforts, will make the next difficulty less.&nbsp;</strong>And though at first you will  proceed more slowly, your habit of independent investigation will soon enable  you to outstrip all those who are still held in the leading-strings of their  teachers. A child will learn to walk much sooner by being let alone, than to be  provided with a go-cart. Your studies, pursued in this manner, will be much  more interesting; for you are interested in any study just in proportion to the  effort of mind it costs you.<br><br>
  The&nbsp;<em>perceptive faculty</em>&nbsp;is developed first of all. It begins  to be exercised by the child before it can speak, or even understand language.&nbsp;<em>Reason&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;<em>judgment&nbsp;</em>are more slow in their  development, though they begin to be exercised at a very early period.<em> Memory&nbsp;</em>is exercised as soon  as ideas are received into the mind. The&nbsp;<em>imagination,</em>&nbsp;in the natural course of things, is  developed last of all; but it is often forced out too early, like flowers in a  hot-bed, in which case it works great injury to the mind.<br><br>
  You  will perceive the great importance of bringing out the several faculties of the  mind in their due proportion. If the&nbsp;<em>memory&nbsp;</em>is chiefly cultivated, you will  have a great amount of knowledge floating loosely in your mind, but it will be  of very little use. But the proper cultivation of the memory is indispensable,  in order to render your knowledge available. Nor will it do for you to adopt  the notion that nothing is to be committed to the keeping of the memory which  is not fully understood. The memory is a<em> servant,</em>&nbsp;which must consent to do some things  without knowing the reason why. The&nbsp;<em>imagination&nbsp;</em>is the beautiful flower that  crowns the top of the plant. But if forced out too early, or out of due  proportion, it will cover the stalk with false blossoms, which, in a little  time, will wither, and leave it dry and useless. The&nbsp;<em>perception, reason,</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>judgment,&nbsp;</em>require a long course of vigorous  exercise and severe training, in order to lay a solid foundation of character.<br><br>
  I  shall leave this subject here, without suggesting any particular means of  cultivating the mind, leaving you to apply the principles here laid down to  your ordinary studies. But in several subsequent chapters, I shall have some  reference to what I have said here.</p>

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