Mr. Gladstone made a very good educational speech at Mill-
Hill School on Wednesday, in one part of which he illustrated the difference between filling boys' minds with information and educating those minds, by the difference between packing a portmanteau and developing organic powers. The portmanteau, lie said, is not the better for the things which are stuffed into it, —often, it may be, the worse. But true teaching does make the mind sensible of its ow-n functions, and does not tend to impair, but to strengthen the memory which it is said to fill. In another part of his speech, he commented on the preference which used to be, and doubtless still is, felt at most schools for idle, stupid boys over diligent, stupid boys. "An idle boy who knows how to show off his idleness is a great deal esteemed by a very con- siderable portion of the world; and not only an idle boy, but what is a great deal worse, an idle man, is often esteemed because of his idleness." No doubt there is no place like a school for ad- miring self-will, and especially self-will which defeats the efforts of lawful authority ; but we somewhat doubt whether part of the respect apt to be lavished in schools on indolence, is not, in its way, respect for capacity, and not for the absence of it. The power of idling well, is a great power, and not only quite consistent with the power of working well, but oftenest found in 'conjunction with it. But then the power of idling well is quite distinct from the habit of idleness, and is rather one which implies, at least the capacity for strenuous work. For it consists in the capacity for relaxation, and genuine relaxation implies genuine work,—though those who possess great powers of work are often strangely deficient in the capacity to relax.
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