ponsibility of its reputation upon others; in short, whether the institution flourishes or declines, his income is the same and his pay is sure.

If an officer should exert himself beyond his associates, or has health and mental energics which enable him to tower above the rest, he has not only no adequate compensation for his services, but he often has the mortification of secing others in comparative idleness living upon the credit of his labors; under such circumstances it can scarcely be expected that any great enthusiasm would be excited to keep up the credit of a college, or advance the interests of education in the inferior seminaries of learning. If men are actuated by the love of science or are impelled by pure benevolence, neither nor both of these influences can induce them to make extra exertions for the world when the merits of those exertions are consumed by their incompetent or unenterprising associates.

It is probably owing to some or all of these causes, both in England and America, that there is less enterprise in the colleges than out of them. While the Universities of France, of Germany, and Scotland, have been contributing largely to the literary and scientific wealth of the day, what has been done for a half century in the Universities of England or America?

They have in some cases abridged, compiled, and translated, but what have they added to the original stock?-Their citizens have enterprise, but, with a few honorable exceptions, they shew it every where else more than in their colleges and Universities. This is not the result of accident, there must be causes; and these causes should be removed. If what we have just been noticing be the causes, the remedy is plain. Human minds need excitements to action, and daily this is evident, not only from experience,

but also from the course pursued by the all-wise Governor of the Universe, in the economy of nature, of Providence, and of grace.-He has made it for the interest of man to obey his laws, and to perform painful and laborious duties.Now the perfection of philosophy is to carry out into all the departments of human life, the economy of God.-In all human enterprises therefore, we should shew our wisdom by doing as God does,-make it for the interest of those employed to be vigorous and faithful,-let their gifts make way for them, so that they shall receive a remuneration to themselves, and produce advantageous influences upon the community, commensurate with their talents and exertions. To be more specific in reference to the case before us.-Let the common schools be conducted by those who require and employ them-Let our higher seminaries be equally free-Let our faculties have a voice in the choice of men to fill vacancies in their board-Let suitable provision be made to remove inefficient men from office;-Stated and thorough examinations of the classes shonld be had under the direction of an impartial examining committee; and the proficiency of the students should be noted in direct reference to the competency of their instructors, as well as to determine the standing of students.-A college corporation ought to have a committee to examine into the standing of their officers of instruction, as regularly as one to audit the account of their Treasurer,-And to do this it is not necessary to examine these officers, their official character will be written on the mind of their pupils, and may be known and read of all men. It has been well said, that he "who cannot put his mark upon a student is not fit to have one." Examine this mark, and by its dimensions and character you will

judge of the hand that made it. Let it therefore be well understood as a condition of office that when a teacher's pupils are deficient he must give place to another.

That each instructer may have the credit and avails of his own labour, let his permanent salary be fixed at a bare competency for his own support, and let all beyond depend upon the general prosperity of the institution, and especially upon the extent and success of his own labors.

These general principles, if judiciously applied in the first organization of all our Provin cial literary institutions, would be a great improvement.

Was it not that my report is swelling in size much beyond what I intended it should have been, I should have made some remarks upon the course of study to be pursued in the various classes of common schools, from the infant schools to the first class of those schools as well as to our high schools, District schools, (if continued) Grammar schools, Colleges, and University, comprehending the character and order of the studies, the text books and modes of instruction. But this would lead me into detail that would not be interesting, and I fear prevent the reading of what I deem important, and especially as I have already remarked upon the most important of those points, in my view of the character of the knowledge to be imparted to youth.

The government, classification, and graduation of students.

The government of a well regulated literary seminary is not a monarchy, an aristocracy, or a republic, but it is patriarchal. The nearer it approaches to this character, the more perfect itts.

Like a household, a literary institution should have but one head, and that head should have ability to govern, or he is unfit for his office. In this government, it is true, he ought to be assisted by the subordinate officers, but the government itself should be a unit, and receive its direction and influence from a common head.

The government of a seminary of learning, like a household, admits of no interference from abroad. A code of statute laws from a board of trustees, for the othcers to execute among the students, will never be respected. Such a course, had not custom sanctioned it, would be deemed an insult to the immediate government and an outrage upon its authority. The student should feel that he is offending against his father and friend, and against the peace and prosperity of the community in which he has a common interest. Like a family, the intercourse between a student and the President and Professors should be of an affectionate and familiar character. Faculty meetings before whom the young transgressor is arraigned wth all the sternness of a public prosecution on the one hand, and with all the cunning duplicity of a studied defence on the other, should be avoided.

I cannot feel justified to close my remarks on the subject of Government without giving my decided testimony in favor of a moral and religious influence to aid in the government of youth. This is of paramount importance.With such an influence government is easy; without it, good government is impossible.

On the subject of classification there has, of late, been much said, and much to the purpose; but there are still different opinions.The question in dispute is simply this:-Ought scholars to be classed by the year as they now are in most colleges; or ought they to be class

ed according to their advancement in their respective studies, without reference to time?— The arguments in favor of the latter method, in my opinion, abundantly preponderate. Indeed I know of no plausible argument in favor of the prevailing course except it be the lessening of the labor of instruction. And this method was originally adopted, doubtless, not for the good of the pupil, but for the ease of his instructor. But what reason is there why college teachers should not labor as much as others? In high schools and academies, as also in primary schools, Teachers labor six and seven hours in the day, but in colleges not half that time, even in term time, and yet the officers have vacation one quarter of the year! Is there any good reason forthis? Let him that enters upon the care and education of youth make up his mind for responsibility and labor, and then he will be prepared to adopt a system of classification which, while it only doubles the duties of the teacher, will increase the advantages of the student tenfold.

Yes I believe in many instances it will add to the student's advantages tenfold. He will not be obliged to hasten over his studies without knowing them, in order to keep up with his class, neither will he be retarded in his progress to accommodate the dull or the feeble. If he loses any time by sickness or necessary absence, or if for want of quickness of apprehension in any particular branch he falls in the rear of his class, he will not, as is the case in most colleges either lose a year for the want of a few weeks or months, or what is more common,and still worse for the student, be dragged on to a disadvantage, and carried through in name, without in fact, knowing the science. In the proposed method of classification, the arbitrary and pernici