parent or teacher wills it or no; and if
the children are not taught to do this _by rule_, as in dancing, they
will do it without rule, and perhaps beyond the proper limit, both as to
time, place, and quantity. Education indeed cannot be expected to
flourish to the extent desired, till the mental labours of the school
can be occasionally relieved by some physical exercise, either within
doors, or in the open air.[35]

The love of pictures and of _Drawing_ is also a boon bestowed upon us by
Nature, and is a desirable acquisition for the young. The art may
generally be acquired with little trouble, and often with great
enjoyment. It is certainly neither so necessary, nor so valuable, as
some of the branches of which we have been speaking; but as it may be
easily attained, and as its future exercise will always be a source of
innocent and refined enjoyment, it ought to occupy a place in every
educational institution. Almost every person is gratified by looking
upon a good picture; and few comparatively are unable to acquire the
rudiments of the art which produces them. It requires but little
teaching, provided good copies be procured;--and even these will be
frequently unnecessary, where the pupils are encouraged to copy from
Nature. The proper methods of doing this, however, must be left to the
circumstances of the school, and to future experiments.

With respect to the teaching of _History_, a little consideration will
convince us, that it does not consist in the mere communication of
historical facts. History is, or ought to be, a science; and the
succession of events is nothing more than the implements employed by the
master in teaching it. The _facts_ of history, like those of chemistry,
agriculture, or mechanics, are taught merely as means to an end.--They
are the elements from which we derive principles, which are to be
practically applied by the learner; and it is _the ability to apply
these_ that constitutes the learning. The facts upon which any science
is based, must no doubt be known before it can be taught;--but they may
be known without the science having ever been mastered: For it is not a
knowledge of the facts, but the capacity to _make use_ of them, that
entitles a man to the appellation of a chemist, an agriculturist, a
mechanic, or a historian.

Viewing the study of history in this light, we at once perceive, that
the teaching which it requires is not a dry detail of dates and
circumstances;--but th