associates of this body, and shall be charged with the interests of Education within their state, responsible to the general Institute for their proceedings, which they shall report to, at the annual meeting. of this body; they shall have power to establish their own by-laws not inconsistent with this Constitution. ARTICLE IV. 1. The stated meeting of this Society shall be held annually on the first Monday in October, in the city of Cincinnati. 2. Special meetings may be convened by order of the Directory, having previously given two months notice. 3. The Board of Directory shall hold their stated meetings during the sitting of the Institute, and shall have power to make rules for their government. ARTICLE V. 1. By-Laws, in accordance with the Constitution, may be made at any meeting. 2. No alteration or amendment to this Constitution shall be made, unless recommended by the Board of Directory, and agreed to by a majority of the members present at an annual meeting. NAMES OF THE MEMBERS.. TIMOTHY ALDEN, C. B. MCKEE, THOS. J. MATTHEWS, A. N. BOALSE, GARAH MARKLAND, DANIEL DRAKE, JOSEPH BUCHANAN, J. N. FARNAHAN, JOHN EBERLE, S. GIBSON, GEO. WELLER, JNO. JENNINGS, S. MERRIL, Life members. JAS. G. EVANS, PROCEEDINGS OF THE COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS. PART II. DISCOURSES AND REPORTS ON EDUCATION. I.-OPENING ADDRESS. BY ALBERT PICKET, SEN., PRESIDENT. ONCE more, an Overruling Providence has permitted us to meet in consultation on the great cause of Education;—to advise in relation to the means of placing man in his proper sphere in the social system, and in the creation of God, for which he received existence. Education, in its true sense, is the instrument appointed by the Supreme Being to mould the moral, intellectual and physical powers into system, strength and beauty; to establish, as far as humanly possible, mind and heart in their original vigor and purity. Were it not so, were there not means adapted to the great end of man's creation, we should have reason to infer, that the human being, when he comes into the world, would be endowed with a fulness of all those faculties, the exercise of which in the progress of life, are constantly necessary for his preservation. The inferior animal creation brings with it the instincts to answer the end of its existence, as perfect at the instant of birth as at death. The wants of the subordinate organizations are circumscribed; their desires few. They look out upon the wonders of creation, the handywork of God, and see and perish. There is no intercourse between spiritual and material existence; no lofty thought, no inspiration. Theirs is mere existence. Not so with man. Feeble longer than any of the irrational creation, he attains maturity slowly; but there are wrapt within him powers high and capacious, and adapted, if improved, to his high destiny. His soul, through its material appendages, looks out upon created matter, and through that intercourse, its powers are taught and disciplined. To the mere animal, matter, in all its diversified forms, is nothing: to man it is everything. Without it, reason could not be, for data would not exist:-memory, there would be none, for there would be nothing to remember; imagination, none, for there would be no reality. It is the mysterious intercourse between mind and matter, and the equally mysterious action of all the moral and intellectual faculties, that constitute the great supremacy of man, that point to the origin of his nature, and declare, that "Thou, O God, hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands." When we use the term education, we do not limit its meaning to a knowledge of reading, writing, and figures. The education, we mean, commences the moment a child can have an idea;-it is the education of circumstances; the most abiding, because the most direct. It goes on every instant of time; it goes on like time; you can neither stop nor retard its course. What these tend to make a child, that he will be. The sensual is superior to the moral and intellectual nature in the young. They are the mere creatures of imitation. Maxims and documents are good, precisely till they are tried, and no longer;-they will teach how to talk, and nothing else. But example in acts as well as words, is like branding with a red-hot iron;—the impression is fixed instantly and forever. From its deep influence over man, individually and collectively, it has been, in all ages, a matter of national consideration. The Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, had each their system; and, so long as it was sound and vigorous, they exhibited in their existence, all that was great and excellent. If we refer to time-shorn Greece and fallen Rome, and view their crownless hills, and the dreary desolation in which they sit, we shall see what education can do, when it is properly or improperly directed. No convulsion in nature is so appalling, or so destructive, as that which springs from corrupt and fiery human passion. From its importance, then, it becomes an object of deep consideration, what are the character and qualifications of those into whose hands youth are committed; how far parents concern themselves in the education of their children; and what the nature is, of the moral and intellectual instruction youth receive. These are three vital points, upon each of which, we shall make a few remarks. In regard to the first, there can be but one opinion. It is acknowledged, that the very nature of the office, demands men of high stamp, men of noble sentiments, Christian principles, and scientific attainments; men who not only know, but can also communicate what they know, and so work it into mind, that it shall become a part, as it were, of the very mind itself. The master teacher is like the master painter; his words," his descriptions, his localities are as clear, as definite, as striking, as the lines and coloring of Raphael or Reubens. Light instead of darkness is demanded in education, especially in our republican country. We have, in all ages, had enough of superficial books and superficial systems, and men who could talk flippantly, and who measured knowledge as you would tape by the yard. But these, it is found, will not do. Something more than mere talk and books is required to light the torch of mind. The people begin to see it, and to demand mind to instruct mind. Their call, we trust, will be obeyed. The academic office is a noble one, and deserves to be filled by noble intellects and hearts. We have already adverted to the glorious career of the Greeks. The Romans shared their laurels. The monuments of their past greatness are imperishable. To what may their greatness be ascribed? Was it not to the ambition for excellence, for everything illustrious, which lived and |