The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-12-01
From the Hartford COua ant.
EDUCATION

EDUCATION.
.nessrS. Editors,-I was glad to see the re.
marks from the Worcester Spy, published
| in your last paper. The course pursued ir
some OF our common schools, where the
first rudlments are passed over slightly
and children are carried forward to Chem
lstry, Mineralogy, and even to Geology, is
to the last degree, absurd. With regard to
such philosophical subjects, people who are
destined to labor can never obtain more
than mere SmatteTRg of them-and a
smdttering OF science never does a person
any good, but often harm. Quackery, in
any science, rather degrades than exalts
Character. But besides that, every person
advanced IN life knows that learning which
person does not want to use, is soon for
gotten. Females of twelve, fourteen. or
fifteen years of age, are set TO study diff
cult sciences, whir@ they do not want be-
cause they can never use them; sometimes
they lose their health in abstruse studies
and if not, they forget all they have learn
ed as soon as they leave their books. Men
do not seek female Geometricians. and
Chemists, and Biologists, for wives-They
seek females OF good education in the
learning which they want to use-and good
housekeepers. | would as soon set bow
to learn clear-starching, as to set my ,laugh-
ter to study trlgonometry or comic sections.
Small children are often put forward
much too fast. have seen boys offve wears
Old able to read nine or ten figures, who
could not spell the most easy words. There
is no use in this precocity, for such persons
can make no use of figures; but if they
were put to treasure up in the mind The
photography of words which they want to
use all their lives, their time would be en-
ployed to advantage. Children have good
memories, and it seems to be the design of
the Creator that the memory should he
very retentive in the first years of life. that
this faculty may be usefully employed in
learning what does not require much bower
or eXerton of intellect. Children shonld
spend great part of the first of their
schooling in learning to spell our very diff
cult ianguage-lfthey get the spelling book
by heart, especially the anomalous words. so
much the better. After they are well adj.
vanced, in this part of education, thee will
read to more advantage; and their first
lessons should be easy to the understanding.
and should be well understood.
Pictures are of some use in enablinp
children TO understand things; but wbv use
pictures of things which they do under
stand This business of picture making ia
carried to a ridiculous excess. In deyisino
plans for improving schools, it is important
that men should distinguish between what
is useful to the pupils, and what is usefnI
only TO bookmakeEs and booksellers. ABB.
TEMPERANCE. We have heard the following
facts recently The E.st =
our State; the second relates to town in
Maine.
Last fall, in cold weather, Just rs the flakes
OF snow began to descend, a miserable man. scan.
my covered with rags, presented himself to a
farmer and wanted work. He had no particu-
lar employment for him, and besides, his appear-
ance was against him he did not want him
The poor fellow begged hard to STAY till he
could earn pair of shoes, and pointed to his
bare feet TO strengthen his caNse. The farmer
pIiied him and agreed to take him-but he
must drink no rum. This was hard condj
lion; but cold and hunger compelled him to
assent, and he began his work though for the
first two or three days Z" he thought he should
die" By the time he had earned his shoes, he
found out that he was better off without rum
ne lived with the temperance man through the
winter, and in the spring went home to his wife.
his father and his friends, decently clothed, and
to all appearance reformed man.
In one town, of 5000 inhabitants. where.
year or two ago, they used to spend $4,000
year for strong drink, last year they spent only
1000. The same people used to raise $1,000
for their schools, with great difficulty but this
year they voted cheerfully to raise $780, So
much does the temperance of the fathers tend
to the intelligence Of children.
Portsmouth Journal.