The Life And Writings of George Washington Doane

eaching of secular things, which made it most important. This was the groundwork of my Father's theories and practice, and wonderful results. He owned education to be, the drawing out of a man, in the fruit of sown seeds, the richness of the soil of his soul and heart, as well as of his mind. The mere rudiments of knowledge, were to him, the thing man sowed, which could not quicken, except it die; which could he quickened only by the Holy Spirit of God ; which, being quickened, brought forth a fruit, governed in kind by the seed planted ; every seed having its own body ; and yet depending for its excellence, and the peculiarity of its character, upon the depth and richness of the soil, prepared by skilful care, kept by constant watchfulness, blessed by Almighty God. Cramming knowledge into people's heads, to draw it out again for mere show, came never into his ideas of education. And he was, in every sense a great Educator. Great, in breadth of principle ; great, in height of motive ; great, in the glory of his object; great, in capacity of adaptation ; great, in unfaltering patience ; great, in most blessed results. His greatness was great enough, not only to be patient with other people's littleness ; spending hours of every week, in careful corrections of school-boys' and school-girls' compositions ; but it was great, in no display of itself; in no overburdening questions with learning; in no effort to puzzle and shame, but always to help and encourage a schola...