Prof. Allan's Address.
for Harvard. After graduating with hon
or lit Harvard, twonty-livo yours ago, Prof.
Alien spoilt sonio years in Europe, master,
ing several modern languages and making
himself proficient in their Literature.
Since then his attention has been devoted
chietly to history and antiquity, making
comparative philology the basis of all
his studies. In this line, he is an enthusi
ast and an authority. His contributions
to the jy((oi,the Xortlt American 7YrVwr,
and other periodicals, have evinced not
only perfect knowledge of his subject but
rare power of condensed expression as
well. Hut what could this delver in the
antiquities have to say upon Practical Ed
ucation, the chosen theme for his address
before our University? It is popularly
supposed that the study of the ancient
classics and the antiquities of the race, un
lit the mind to deal with the practical in
terests and issues of the day. Let us sue.
ITis definition of practical education ar
rests our attention at once.
"Hy practical, in education, we moan
having onds outside of itself."
Hut all irainiivj is practical. The test
of the practical is capability of vne.
Again the dryest and most unodifying (lis
cussion that ever wearied the brains of
the schoolmen may aid incidentally in
throwing some matter of real concern and
so oc in 11 sense practical. The real de
mand therefore 'is not that an education be
practical, for all education is more or less
so. " The real controversy is" as to what
the practical ends should be. Probing
still further the popular demand foi prae
tioal education, we find it to mean "an ed.
ucation with purely material ends." In
plain terms, it is an education such as can
bo made immediately and directly avail
able in the great business of money male
ing. Hence it follows that by this test
not only linguistic and historical studies
but nearly all those of a mathematical and
scientific character must be ruled out. In
other words, the higher education can bo
largely dispensed with, provided it be set-
.r-iakiuir is the chief busi
ness of man. Hut though wc dismiss this
view of education as narrow and one
sided and unworthy, we need not rush to
the iiier extreme and claim that all edu
cation should aim at culture only, hav'ng
no ends outside or beyond itolf. The
world needs men, not educated fops.
In the large sense a practical education
isone that shall lit its subject to act well
his several parts in all the exigences of
life, in furtherance of the great interests
of society and of the race. And since the
"most perfect manhood and womanhood,
the best thinking and most thorough schol
arship, are the stull to make citizens out
of," it follows that there is hardly a limit
to bo set to the range of practical educa
tion. Xow then, our stale educational system
finds no plaee for so called religious train
ing. Hy very necessity, the condition of
a slate's educating at all is that it con
fine itself to si cular education. Any wort
of a tcligious ceremy or observance in an
institution supported in whole or even in
pail by ail (lie people of a state would be
a gross vio'fluion of personal rights and u
most unwarrantable misuse of public
property No possible excuse could even
palliate much less justify it. What then
Mustm education furnished by the state
he nifty-jiarrow and one-sided? Not so.
Nothing more can be desiied as the result
of any system of education than a well
lounded and perfectly upright character.
Give us this, and wo ask nothing more.
Hut to secure this, bo it never forgotten,
nothing is requisite beyond a thorough
course of secular education. Thorough
for "thoroughness is impossible without
faithfulness." And, " Faithfulness," says
Prof. Allen. the words should be graven
deep on the hearts of every teacher of the
state 'Faithfulness is the highest and
noblest of all human qualities; for with
it all other excellencies are sure to spring
up, and without it no other virtue is possi
ble." And this crown of virtues is the pecul
iar virtue of the schoolroom. There is
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