Chapter XII: Letter XI: Mental and Moral Education

The Author's Conscious Incapacity--Education within the Power
of All--Americans not Socially Trammelled--The Two Attributes
of Mind essential to Self-Culture--Prospective Discernment--
The most enlightened System of Education--Duty of Cultivating
the Moral as well as the Intellectual Nature--The Acquisition
of Wealth not to be regarded as the highest Human Attainment
--Definition of Self-Culture--Reading for Amusement only,
Unwise--"Aids and Appliances" of Judicious Reading--Example
of a Great Man--Fictitious Literature--Pernicious Effects
often resulting from a Taste for Light Reading--Condemnation
of Licentious Novels--Advantages of Noting Choice Passages
in Reading--Carlyle's Criticism of Public Men--The Study of
History of Great Importance--Benefits resulting from the
Perusal of well-selected Biographies--Enumeration of
celebrated Works of this Character--Newspaper and Magazine
Reading--A Cultivated Taste in Literature and Art the result
of thorough Mental Training--Affectation and Pretention in
this regard to be avoided--Critical Assumption condemned--
Impressions produced upon observing Judges by a Pretentious
Manner--"The World's Dread Laugh"--Advantages of Foreign
Travel--Misuse of this Advantage--Knowledge of Modern
Languages essential to a complete Education--False Impression
prevalent on this point--Philosophic Wisdom--Wise Covetousness
--Tact the Result of General Self-Culture--An Individual Moral
Code of advantage--Example of Washington--Education not
completed by a Knowledge of Books--Definition of True
Education--The Development of the Moral Perceptions promotive
of Intellectual Advancement--Undue Exaltation of Talent over
Virtue--Religious Faith the legitimate Result of
rightly-directed Education--Needful Enlightenment of
Conscience--The Life of Jesus Christ the best Moral
Guide-Book--Charity to the Faults of others the Result of
Self-Knowledge--The Golden Rule of the Great Teacher--The
highest Aim of Humanity--Reverence for the Spiritual Nature
of Man the Result of Self-Culture--Danger of Self-Indulgence
in regard to trifling Errors--Caution against the Infidel
Philosophy of the Times--The establishment of Fixed
Principles of Action--The True Mode of computing Life, 438

The Attainment of Knowledge under Difficulties--Necessity the
Nurse of True Greatness--The Learned Blacksmith--The Wagoner
--The Mill-Boy of the Slashes--Franklin and Webster, 439

A Peep at Passers-by, from the "Loopholes of Retreat," 440

The Force of Genius--A Man about Town--Anecdote--Manly
Indignation, 441

Old-Fashioned Honor, 442

Webster on Biblical Studies, 443

The Young Frenchman and the Pyramids, 443

PECCADILLOES AND PUNCTILIOUSNESS.--Extract--Sir Humphrey
Davy--Tribute to Religion, 446