The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1827-11-15
FOR THE COUNTY POST,

FOR THE COUNTY POST
Train up n child IN tie tcny he should co. and
aohen he is Oid he DiH not depart from it"
A brief sketch of our means of education has been
attempted in few Of the preceding numbers.
1t was proposed to enquire in the next place how
these means applied in relation to the object in
view.
To how great an extent favourable maternal inflr-
cnce is exerted, may learn from the author whom
we have already SO often quoted
"Tmid in adopting any systematic course of early
education lest it should be wrong and anxious to do
something lest their children should suffer from their
neglect, they commonly adopt and revoke, trace and
rctrace, do and undo; till amidst all these conradic-
tons and conflicting principles the whole period OF
life which is committed almost exclusively to their
care, is wasted 10 doing nothing eectuay. Yet how
ever insufficient this fuctuating and often entirely
wrong course Of discipline may be, the infancy and
childhood Of comparatively few Of any generation
blessed it'll maternal socitude to their edu-
cation. BY far the greater part Of children Of every
age and Of almost every nation, grow up without any
instruction from their parents except little aid in the
development of such instincts to preserve
their existence. "--Carter on Popular Education.
The fact that maternal resources for the deveope.
ment Of mind, in our own country particularly, are
ample has already been alluded to. 1t will be the OBJ
ject the writer in what follows the subject Of in
FAINT education, to suggest improvements in this highly
important department. and this by reference to facts
by showing what has already been done.
That, in the department parliamentary education al
SO there is great room for improvement any one con-
with district Schools, will be ready to al
low. We have colleges aud high schools, and female
schools, ofthc first order. The march Of improve
ment in these seminarics is already onward. All this
is should be, and credit to the character Of
tho age. But elementary schools which, from their
very nature lie the foundation all others-whatis
their character? In these has already been
ked, the mass Of our citizens are educated comse-
quenty these will continue to give decided
to the character of the community than any other
One reason probably why elementary schools are so
far outsipped by other semnaries, to be found in
the fact that mankind in general have little inclination
to reflect on the period of their own infancyand child
hood Whenever they revert to tins period, they sell
dom dwell upon long enough inquire into the pro-
priety Of this that method fschoo discipline. That
it right they to take it for granted, and
are barely taught we'll as their fathers. Yeti
enough that the artists which they employ know bare
y as much those living century ago. They must
be thoroughly versed in all the improvements made in
their various occupations since that perod-in other
words, they be fashionable wOrknen they are
no workmen for them. They will not employ at
toruey who knows merely as much as his predeces-
sors. who lived thirty years ago. They cannot be sat
listed with the physician, who, to what was known in
"days ofyore," adds no knowledge Of the discoveries
that modern practice has made in the highly import
ant science Of medicine To these remarks it may be
cooy replied, that it obvious that improvements
SO loudly called for in the arts, would be made that
the laws and civil institutions Of the land are contnu-
ally changing, and that attorney be deemed able
who does not mako advances in knowledge answered.
bic to these changes-that modern refinement has
tailed upon our citizens complication Of diseases
known in the days Of our hardy and rustic fathers;
and that is evident to common that the physi
clan must be skilled 10 the management Of these mod
era complaints But the principles Of the human mind
undergo no change. Why no; then pursue the same
course in developing its powers That course has al
ready laid the foundation Of future greatness in multi
tudes Of instances. Why then abandon method Of
discipline which has so often proved successful In
reply il may be remarked tina, some minds with little
foreign aid, rise 70 the highest pitch Of cultivation
Y4,ile errN 20 Rttan - Ordinary vgcur, require the