poorest father may give to his son, and which the
richest should regard as more valuable than gold.

Now what kind of education is necessary for a tradesman to carry on
business successfully? Only a plain, practical education; that is to
say, that kind and amount of knowledge of daily ordinary use and
appreciation. It is reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, and
geography, and possibly a knowledge of the German language, sufficient
to speak it.

If we look around we will see that all the important and every-day
duties of life are carried on by the use of industry, common sense,
reading, writing, and arithmetic.

And it might almost be said that the failures are to be ascribed, in
part, if not to over-education, at least to the common misdirection of
acquirements, accompanied with the vague ambition and desires which they
invariably excite, but rarely serve to satisfy. Why, I could find, for
instance, in the history, management, and success of every newspaper
editor, a living proof of my proposition. Not that I leave it to be
inferred that there is not, in these newspapers, the evidences of every
kind of acquirements and ability; but that the founders within my
knowledge, and those who have made it the _power_ and _success_ that it
is, have worked with these ordinary instruments. But why give one
instance when there are so many on every side--so much so that the
success of what is called the learned class is so rare, that it must be
put among the exceptions.

As to those who are able, and desire further information, they can have
it to any extent at the colleges, convents, academies and higher
schools.

Many of our "dissenting brethren," of the various denominations, are
equally diligent, according to the measure of grace and light given
them, to bring their children up in Christian morals and education. They
have their own schools, and support them, or they send their children to
Catholic institutions, and will not have them tempted or corrupted by
the evil influences, moral, social, and intellectual, that emanate and
surround those "_whited sepulchres_"--the godless schools--as the miasm
emanates and surrounds the pestilent marsh. In all these schools the
children are carefully trained in Christian practices, prayers, and
religious duties, as well as taught a good, plain, practical course of
studies. In fact, they are truly _educated_; while in the Public Schools
they are simply instructed, as you might