Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-03-06
For the New. York Observer.
DR.. HUMPHREYS THOUGHTS ON EEucATI


DR.. HUMPHREYS THOUGHTS ON EEucATloN.
Family Reading.
I have said, that in my judgment, tho
children Of pious families have by far loo
many religious story books put their
hands. and are kept too long upon milk.
essences and high.seasoneJ condiments.
The same objection lies against almost oil
the family reading Of the present day. !,
is light, exceedingly ligh-conssling Of
stories, nursery dialogues, scraps extracts.
anecdot:s, &c. sc. The objection here,
lies not agains, the qualify, but the qaan!ay.
A certain amount Of such easy and familiar
reading, in childhood, is very useful. We
could hardly DO withou, it. To have it all
swept off, would be a great loss. But as II
| was with the volumes ofthe ancient Sybi!,
enc third CT the number would be worth
| more than ,ho whole. Dr.. 3. cf c. once
shrewdly remarked, respe' ting q sermon
which lie L:l just heard, A few flowers
will do very well, but who wants whole
bushcl of dande!ions!' So in this case
there is incomparably too much baby liter
ature upon our booksellers counters and
flying abroad, like the locusts, gl'tlerinS IN
the sun, in their sep,enn;al ,ransmgra,ons.
These little books are so new, SO we'll COZ
up, so amusing and 50 cheapthat our chill.
drcn cannot hell teasing US for them, and
we casnot help buying them. If childhood
~as the only period Of human life, it would
do perhaps and it must be owned, that
no.hing is better calculated than this kind
of family reading, TO prolong and perpctuate
the lisping period Of intellectual babylood.
This IS my objection. In the reading
which we sanction and recommend, we
ought to keep up with The years, as they roll,
on, and to provide such aliment as will
minister to mental growth and maturity.
We cannot keep our children always in the
nurseries and trucklebed, If We would.
They will grow up and become men and
women, both in age and stature, in spite CT
US. As parents, we are debtors" both to
the church and ths state, and we have no
right to turn them of, with race ofintellcc.
'ual plsmies.
love TO see the dear little ptatlers with
their picture books and infante quarots /;
and am quite willing they should prat:!e a
year or two longer, than some Of my friends
would think either manly, or womanly but
! I do no. ike to see them thumbing and
devouring Robinson Crusoe and books Of
that class, when they ough, to be reading
the best standard authors in the language.
It is doing them and the pubic great injus.
tice to allow t.
Now if you wish to avoid this great evil,
take the matter into your own hands, and
keep the early reading Of your children as
much as possible, under your own eye
| You cannot, lam aware, reduce the existing
plethora in juvenile literature. Authors will
deluge the markets, and mul,itudes will
continue to purchase. But you can make
your selections. You can allure your chill.
dren 10 the love Of reading, by putting fev
books suited to their tender age into their
hands. As soon, however, as they have &C.
quired the taste, and are old enough 10 FIX
their attention longer upon what they read,
it is of the highest importance, that you
should lead them on, step, by step. as fast as
their growing strength will enable them TO
follow you. lfyou leave them to luxuriate
among snow.drops and butterflies. under
the notion tha, they ere acquiring a taste
for graver application, you will find your.
selves mistaken. You mus. gently and al.
mos, impercep'ibly remove the favorite
story.books out of their sight, and subst:.
tute larger and more instructive volumes.
Begin, for example, with some interesting
book of'ravels. Gather as many Of the
blooming circle around you, as are ola suit.
able age, in winters evening. The first
question is, where did the traveller 60
what countries did he visit = Spread out
your map upon the table, and sit down with
your children as to banquet. Where there
are several Of them, let them read by turns.
Show by your attention, how deeply inter.
es,ed you feel yourself. Explain whatever
you apprehend they may no, fully under
stand refer often to the map, aud point
out the situation and bearings of oil the
more important places. Ask them tn mean.
ing ofdificuIt words, aud encourage them
to pause end ask just as many questions as
they please. 10 this way they will soon be.
come deeply in,erestcd-quite as much 80,
as they ever were in the tales ofthe nur.
sery.-whereas, If you had merely put tho
same book into their hands, and lef, them
70 read II, ou' of the sunshine ofyour smiles,
and without the aid of your questions and
explanations, it might have been an rksome
and profil!cs task. Never continue tho ex.