YOUTH SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO THINK.
By R. K. Slosson
The world is indebted for nine-tenths of its valuable knowledge, its improvements and progress generally, to men and women who have trained themselves to think in a systematic and consecutive manner. No man has ever become eminent in science, art, literature, or farming, who was not a profound thinker—who did not thoroughly examine and compare all the items pertaining to the subject—to know whether in their various relations, they sustain the principle which public opinion upholds as being true. It is not a very uncommon thing that a principle has been enunciated by men who have pet theories to support, and where it is plain to a thinking, unbiased mind, that some of the important items of the theory are in direct antagonism to the principle, and therefore false; or otherwise, the principle itself has no foundation in truth. This is strikingly true in politics and religion. A great principle is potent, and all give their undivided assent to its truth, and now come a dozen theories, any one of which, if true, would utterly demolish the principle. There is shown a looseness of thought detrimental to man's best interests, or a selfish purpose incompatible with truth, and exerting an unwholesome influence on the community. Causes, relations, and consequences, cannot be thrown aside without involving us in grave errors and gross absurdities, and therefore, an educated habit of looking things squarely in the face—of tracing out all the relations, the causes, and effects—is absolutely necessary if we would logically anchor ourselves on the firm seat of truth, and have an abiding trust in the perfect ordinances from on high. The ability to analyze the causes, and effects; to put them together so that each fact harmonizes with every other fact, constituting a compact, beautiful, and solid structure impervious to sophistry or the shafts of slander, can never be too thoroughly acquired or carefully used. The earlier, consistent with health, that youth learn to think, the more massive and powerful will be the brain in maturity—the better prepared will be the mind to shed a glow of interest and happiness on all around, and fill itself with an intense sense of enjoyment unknown to the undisciplined mind. This process of thinking should be systematized, so that the mind can bend its energies in full force on one point at a time, and after having examined in this manner the whole ground, the facts elicited can be classified, managed, and put in a position to be easily understood and appreciated, because they are forcibly and logically brought to bear. If you once acquire the ability to concentrate the mind, so as not to be diverted from the main question, or object in view, you have made a long stride in the right direction, and the vigorous use of individuality, comparison, and causality will be pretty certain to enable you to reach satisfactory and demonstrable conclusions. For instance, you find a new flower, that is, new to you. Being already familiar with the mode of scientific analysis, you succeed in finding the precise position it occupies in the flora of the State in which it grows, and of course the peculiar marks that distinguish it from all other plants. But this is not enough. You inquire what are its properties, its uses. Why should one plant be different from another? Why do plants exist at all? What are the peculiar functions they perform in the economy of nature, and why? When you have answered these questions as nearly as the limited and fallible mind can, you are at the footstool of Omnipotence; and every pulsation of your heart sends forth praise and thanksgiving, and your spirit in love, affiliates with its divine Author. The more perfect your knowledge of the natural objects that surround you, the better are you able to appreciate the exceeding wisdom and unchangeable love shadowed forth in the inimitable laws which govern all things. It will assist you very materially specially to cultivate memory; and we believe this can best be done by the association of things and ideas. If you wish to retain an idea, you have only to specify in your mind a familiar idea, analogous in some particular to the one you wish to remember; so all you have to do is to recall the familiar idea, and the new one immediately pops into mind. A little practice in this way will convince you of its utility; and remember the longer you practice a thorough analysis of the subjects submitted to your investigation, the more speedy, perfect, and satisfactory, will be your work. We believe, therefore, that all high schools should have a professor whose business shall be to learn pupils to think, and even our common school law should require elementary instruction in the science of thinking.—R. K. Slosson.