the doctrine was received that, as a public matter, a
man is equally interested in the education of his neighbor's children
as in the education of his own. As parents, we have a special interest
in our children; as citizens, it is this, that they may be honest,
industrious, and effective in their labors. This interest we have in all
children.

The safety of our persons and property demands their honesty; our right
to be exempt from pauper and criminal taxes requires habits of universal
industry; and our part in the general wealth and prosperity is increased
by the intelligent application of manual labor in all the walks of life.

A man may, indeed, be proud of the attainments of his family, as men are
often proud of their ancestry; yet they possess little real value as a
family possession. The pride of ancestry has no value; it

"Is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself
Till, by broad-spreading, it disperse to naught."

I pass from this digression to the statement that the chief means of
self-improvement are five: Observation, Conversation, Reading, Memory,
and Reflection.

It is an art to observe well--to go through the world with our eyes
open--to see what is before us. All men do not see alike, nor see the
same things. Our powers of observation take on the hues of daily life.
The artist, in a strange city or foreign land, observes only the
specimens of taste and beauty or their opposites; the mechanic studies
anew the principles of his science as applied to the purposes of life;
the architect transfers to his own mind the images of churches,
cathedrals, temples, and palaces; while the philanthropist rejoices in
cellars and lanes, that he may know how poverty and misery change the
face and heart of man.

An American artist, following the lead of Mr. Jefferson, has beautifully
illustrated the nature of the power of observation. We do not see even
the faces of our common friends alike. The stranger observes a family
likeness which is invisible to the familiar acquaintance. The former
sees only the few points of agreement, and decides upon them; while the
latter has observed and studied the more numerous points of difference,
until he is blind to all others. Hence a portrait may appear true to a
stranger, which, to an intimate acquaintance, is barren in expression,
and destitute of character. Therefore, the artist wisely and properly
esteemed himself success