Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-08-07

! "' oPo". III weaving the richest anC
brightest webs that are worn by the love
hest and the wealthiest of their land, is tc
De allowed to Ianguish out tho remainde,
| OF lie, ut home, on weekly stipend from
the parish, instead of being slowed ava,
by families in work-house.
Where men labour sixteen hours day
women must labour as much. or more
since they have their houses to watct
over, the cooking to do, the children e
take care of, and every bodys clothes tc
mend. Where the loss of one day to :
iather IS very sore calamity, the loss O
an hour every day--perhaps of two OF
three hours every day, cannot be otbe
than grievous interruption to wife
whose duty at the best, and every where
is to be occupied forever, and a real dis.
enlargement for mother, whose duties in
every station are always additional to those
oil wife,
l. was in this neighbourhood that Tn.
liant Schools were first established, on
scale proportioned to the necessities OF
the public. The idea may be said to
owe Its origin chiefly to the wrong-headed
philanthropist of Lanark-Robert Owen.
who tor more than 80 years had been occu.
pied with proving the reverse of the adage
Tor 1t as an adage now that "men are
but children Of larger growth" Bell
and Lancaster we're but followers and CO.
workers with him, and even PestaIozz;
may be regarded as one of the firm. The
object was to make babies happy, as men
are made happy-by employment. And
as among the poor, children are the heay.
lest OF burthens, till they arrive at an age
when they may be substituted for machi-
merry, for cords, pulIeys, cranks, levers
and spinning jenneys, it occurred to We
~ humble Creature, that more good might
be done by relieving poor mothers of their
charge, when it was nothing but charge,
than by taking it away after it had become
source OF profit and pleasure. The ex-
pertinent was tried and succeeded. The
mothers were relieved, the children happy.
and the best groundwork for future useful
ness and goodness of every sort, was laid
IN. their improved tempers, their habits of
cheerful attention, their love of order and
cleanliness. They did not know thew
were at school. They studied, as they
breathed, or grew-without perceivipg it.
They learnt arithmetic and geometry,
grammar and writing, reading and spelling,
as the plays of childhood are learned. il
was play, altogether play. They were
happy, and they delighted in making each
other happy. What wonder if the purify.
ing spirit flew abroad-if the sweet in
tiuerce went forth like moral atmosphere
from every side of these little and cheap.
though magnificent nurseries Of nation
The School that 1 saw contained from
two to three hundred of these babes and
stockings" of every age, from two, two
and-a-half and three, up to six, seven and
eight.
never saw so happy a collection OF
human creatures-from the smallest child
OF two or two-and-a-half, toddIing about
and trying to keep time with its white fat
hands, up to the largest: they all appeared
to be strangers. utter strangers to SUFFERING
and ill-humor. They were happy from
sympathy, as we see children cry or make
mouths, or men cape or shout, or women
laug or weep from sympathy. 1 talked
with some of the little ones, and asked
them how they liked being there. The
answer was always the same, not in words
but IN spirit; nor was there any appear.
ance OF trick or preparation. Study was
play; and learning to read or spell proper
good iun with every body. am OBLIGED
to stop here; for find among my memo
randa, made on the spot, or copied from
others that were made on the spot a f.
cure drawn after the idea suggested by
Rousseau, or MarmonteI Il forget which !
one straight line for the body two Others
diverging below, for the legs, with two
more at the sides, for the arms, fringed at
the extre'nities with fingers and toes. and
surmounted with big o for head bay-
ing three round O's in it, for ewes and
mouth. Seeing it where did, i am led
to Imagine, that in this way, the children
OF the school were led on, step to step, in
their drawing, as recommended by the
french author. If so, it was an admira.
bic contrivance and if not. the more the
pity and the sooner it is introduced the
better, Tor children love to be drawing with
bits OF chalk, as much as men do to be
cyphering about with crow-bars aboard
ship"
They were all able 10 sing, and I was
rather curious to know whether any Of the
whole had been discovered TO possess no
ear. The answer | received correspond
ed exactly with what Robert Owen of La.
mark had previously told me. All the chill
dren he knew, had ears alike in power,
just as often as they had eyes alike and
other organs alike. Some difference might
be found to be sure; but no such differ
ence in ear, as professional singers who
love to make mystery of their trade are al.
ways trying to persuade you they were born
with. Why do not painters--the poets do
try to play off the same trick one has
an eye Tor shape. another for hue, just as