any more, there were some remarks upon "idle words." After it was over, he asked those who had been interested in this conversation, to hold up their hands; they all agreed that it was very interesting, and that they should be influenced by it in future.

After recess I went into the anti-room to give the Latin lesson; while Mr. Alcott gave arithmetic lessons to each of the two younger divisions of the school. After the arithmetic, they took their Franks, and when I came in, I found Mr. Alcott putting down their analysis of a passage, in the scale, on the black board.

January 3rd. As it was Saturday, the day when Mr. Alcott generally reads from the Bible, the spelling lesson was put off until after recess; and they were arranged in their chairs, in two semi-circles around him. He then commenced :

Do any look forward to the ensuing hour with pleasure? One boy said-be did not. You may go and coast,-Will any other boy go? Another boy said-he would. Mr. Alcott told them to go; but neither stirred. He told them they might go into the anti-room, which was warm; but neither of them went. And without farther notice of them Mr. Alcott turned to his reading, and asked one of the youngest boys, what he was going to read? The Bible, said he. Are there any stories in the Bible? No. What is there? Plain reading. What do I mean by stories? I do not know how to express it. Well, I shall read,—and you must endeavor to see in your mind what it is-whether a story or plain reading." Once there was a man named Elijah"- Have any of you heard of him before? They all held up their hands. He continued :—the time came when Elijah's turn for leaving the world was come—see in what a beautiful way the Bible expresses that; and he read," And it came to pass when the Lord would take Elijah into Heaven by a whirlwind"-he made a gesture with his hand describing a spiral ascent.

It is impossible for me to describe how this story was read. Sometimes Mr Alcott would say over, in modern terms, what was going to be read, and afterwards read the Scripture expression;-and sometimes he would read the Scripture expression first, and then give a paraphrase.—

When he came to Elijah's saying, "Hold your peace," to those who said, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy Master from thy head to day?"-he illustrated Elijah's feeling, by supposing the sick bed of one of their brothers and sisters, where every one was feeling that there was death near, but none wished to speak of it in words. When it came to Elijah's question, "What shall I do for thee?-he stopped and asked them, what they thought Elisha would answer?-Would he ask for money, riches? No-he continued,—but for more love,-more wisdom,more goodness, more power of doing good than even Elijah had possessed:-"Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. Was that a wise wish? They all agreed it was the wisest. But what did Elijah say to it? read-" Thou hast asked a hard thing! Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so." What did that mean? did it not mean that if Elisha's mind would exert itself to keep the spirit of Elijah, when his body was not there, Elisha should have all the wisdom, love, and power of Elijah? At any rate, it was plain that Elisha was to do something himself, in order to get what he wanted;—it depended on himself. No person can get more spirit except they exert themselves;-"To them that have shall be given."

Let us

When Mr. Alcott had got thus far in the conversation, he was interrupted by seeing a boy, who was a new scholar, make a sign to another. He stopped, and said to him: Three months ago, about twenty children came into this school-room prepared to hear instruction; they were all prepared; so they all sat down and listened, and were instructed. A few others came at the same time who were not prepared to listen; who did not seem to understand what they came for; who were even angry and vexed at the means taken to give them some understanding and feeling of what they came for. For a time, we had a great deal of trouble with these unprepared persons. They are improved now, but are not yet quite equal to those who came prepared in the first place. Do you understand how this could be? Perhaps you can understand it and also this sentence from the Bible,— "To him that hath shall be given, but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath."

Do you

understand that? Almost all held up their hands. Yes said Mr. Alcott, you can easily see, that all those who had attention and faith, have received knowledge, and much improvement; but these benefits could not be given to those who did not have attention and faith to begin with. Do you understand that? I do not, Sir, said one of the little boys. Suppose you should go to your mother when she was speaking to you, said Mr. Alcott, and stop your ears, and say what, what? would you ever find out what she was saying? No. Well, some boys came here with their fingers in their ears, and how could we make them hear? They all laughed. They came with their eyes closed; I mean the eyes of the-Mind! they all exclaimed, interrupting him. I wonder how many have their eyes open now; said Mr. Alcott, looking round. They all held up their hands, and he said, just so many have their eyes and ears open, as have faith in their instructors. Have you any faith in your mother, little boy? The child hesitated, and seemed not to understand. Do you believe she loves you? Yes, said he. Do you think she likes to have you happy? Yes. Do you think she is sorry to have you unhappy? Yes. Do you go to her when you are in trouble, and expect she will make you glad? Yes. Do you go to her when you are glad, and expect she will be glad too? Yes. Do you think she is kind to you? Yes. Do you think she is kindest when she punishes you?-say, all of you do you think your mothers are the kindest to you when they punish you? They all held up their hands. Then you have faith in your mothers. But are you sure you feel that they are kindest when they punish you? when they give you pain? It may be pain of the mind or pain of the body. Sometimes it is necessary to give pain to the body, in order to get at the mind. Is it not better to hurt the body than to let the mind go neglected? They all said yes. And I hope, then, that when I shall give pain, whether to your mind or body, you will not lose your faith in me, and think I do not love your mind and body, for I love them both; but the mind most, for it is of more worth, and so I would sometimes hurt the body, rather than not reach the mind, when it is necessary to reach the mind and put thoughts into it.

During this conversation, the new scholar again played,

and Mr. Alcott sent him out of the room, saying, if he had been longer in this school, he would not behave so. When he had gone out, Mr. Alcott said, that boy is not a bad one, but he has not thought; he does not know ;-his fingers are in his ears, his eyes are shut ;-he needs this conversation more than any person else in the room, and yet he hath not enough, to have that given him which he most needs. I have sent him out in order that he may get by thought, that which is necessary, to enable him to receive what he needs. One opportunity of learning, it has been necessary to take away from him.

But let me return to a question I want to ask. Do you know what pulp means? Several said, Yes. He continued, it is the part of the fruit round the seed; and its use is to cherish the seed, and give it life, and make it fit to become the beginning of a new tree or plant. Well, do you understand my figure when I say, that the body is a pulp, and that its use is to cherish and protect the spiritual seed? Many of them said yes. Well, suppose that we take the seed of a plant, and put it into the ground; what happens to it? They were silent, and he added: It bursts, and some parts shoot down into the earth, and some parts shoot up towards the light. Now can you understand this,—that the soul is a seed placed in the midst of the world, represented by the ground; and that the shoots which go down into the earth, to fasten the plant in the earth awhile, are the bodily feelings and appetites;-and that the shoots which go upward towards the light, are the affections and better feelings that seek Heaven? They said yes. Well, suppose that more of the seed shoots downward than is necessary; and that no shoots go upward; would there be any flower and fruit? No. It would all be root; all would be under the earth. Well, can you understand that if the soul loves the body only, and only uses its animal appetites, and does not seek the light and Heaven, it will have no beauty nor fruit; but will be an earthly, dark thing, a root? Yes, they understood that. Well, said he, now you know why I wish to check your animal appetites; your love of the body, when that interferes with the mind's growth. It is right to love your body in a degree;-the body has its uses; but it is one thing to take care of your body, and

another to indulge it. The plant must have root enough to make it stand steady in the earth; but that is enough.

And now we will go back to Elijah-perhaps we have wandered too far away from our subject. Go, and ask that boy to come back. He came back, and Mr. Alcott went on to read about the disappearance of Elijah's body, when the chariot and horses of fire appeared. A good deal of conversation arose as to how this thing was ;-and it was suggested, that perhaps the vision of Heaven, the thoughts and feelings, the flame of love, kindled up in Elijah's mind, immediately overcame his body, perhaps annihilated it,-or made it invisible, so that his mind instantly went into Heaven, became all spirit, and was seen no more. This possibility was illustrated by a conversation, referring to that power of the mind of which all persons have enough to move their bodies, and to make their countenances look beautiful and expressive. A greater degree of this same power could be easily imagined; enough to produce the effect that is described in the story of Elijah.

he

He went on reading, and read the story of Elijah's sweetening the springs of water. He showed that this might teach us how to begin to change a character; you must change its sources. And he said that was the way began to educate this school. He did not begin by teaching them to read and study;-but he went to the sources, he began by trying to make the feelings and way of thinking, right; he put salt into the spring,—not table salt, but the salt of instruction. They all looked pleased.

He then read the story of the raising of the Shunamite's son, which led to a consideration of the continued life of the soul,-whether in the body or out of the body.

There was a great deal of conversation this morning, which I could not record, its changes were so abrupt. The reading and conversation took an hour and a half; and the children expressed great astonishment at finding that so much time had passed. Some said it did not seem half an hour. Recess came, and the boy who had been sent out, was now kept in, as a punishment.

After the recess was over, many interesting words were defined and illustrated, but I must omit this. My hand was too tired to keep pace with it.