A new school for law and philosophy was commenced in Lima, a few years ago, by Don Jose Joaquin de Mora, who for some time delivered lectures, and also published a text-book on the Scotch philosophy, which he taught with credit.
Mr. Mora, himself a native of Spain, has thus opened, in Peru and Bolivia, new sources of investigation in the departments of metaphysical and ethical science. As a civilian more especially, this indefatigable individual has acquired transcendent celebrity in those countries. Still, however, the blessing of well-directed instruction is confined to a very few; and the lower classes of dark race, as well as the Indian orders of the Peruvian people, have seldom any education except that which is necessarily acquired in the ordinary intercourse between man and man, without the medium of letters, and in the usual discharge of the common duties of life; for the exercise of which it should be the main object of education to prepare the individual, so as to fit him to act his part in society with dignity and usefulness, becoming a being of immortal nature.
But we need hardly remark, that in Lima the ornamental takes precedence of the useful; because there the chief aim of education is to train the young to please in company, by such accomplishments as music, dancing, and play, with only a very superficial acquaintance with more solid attainments. From what has been already stated in the course of the preceding pages, it may be inferred that female education, especially, is very much of the kind now alluded to; though among the fair sex there is a great abundance of excellent talent, which, if properly directed, could not fail to be productive of the best social results.
But it is not our purpose to speculate on plans of public instruction, or to point out what may be called the philosophy of education; into the secret of which, we think, an English friend, the father of four well-brought-up boys, has pretty well penetrated, when he enjoins, as a sine quâ non of good tuition, absolute obedience, under good example, in early life. How very little philosophy has to do with the present style of training youth in Peru, and Lima in particular, we think the general moral details of this book are well calculated to show; for early indulgence takes the place of obedience, and the influence of example is not always the best: yet upon the whole, when free from civil discord, they are pleased with themselves,
And eat, and sing, and dance away their time,
Fresh as their groves, and happy as their clime.[17]
CHAPTER IX.
General features of the Sierra.—Roads.—Wilds of San Mateo.—Indian’s eyrie.—Mountain curate.—Enterprise of a priest engaged in inland traffic.—Pastoral life of Indians.—Ancient ruins.—Royal road of the Incas.—Tarma, a pretty Sierra town, or pueblo.—Various sorts of bridges.—Balsa, or canoe of rushes.—Ancient aqueducts and terraced gardens of the aborigines.—Pagan edifices among the rocks near the coast.—Vale of Rimac.—Temples of the ancient Sun-worshippers of the land.