The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-02-20
10 recover.
For the Voice Of Freedom.

For the Voice of Freedom.
Mr. EDITOR you will CRAFTY friend
of Freedom by giving few lines place in
the Voice on the subject Of common school
education. We propose TO notice briefly
some of the difficulties the teacher has to
encounter, and some ofthe pernicious prac-
tees which obtain a standing too general.
y in our community. In the first place,
he has all ages to deal with, from the
child Of three or four years, TO those Of
ripper years, and even the parents and
grand parents whose heads are silvered
DER with age. He has the amiable and
dutiful child, who not only possesses an
amiabe disposition, but having been sub
ject 10 a good discipline, wins the afec,
| tions of his teacher and all who know
him. He has another class, who with the
one just mentioned forms perfect antilh-
esis.-The snivellng, whining, ungovern.
ed urchn of four or five, and the impu-
dent saucebox of twelve or fifteen, not to
say twenty years He has, too, the pa
rents who are ready 10 stay up his hands
in his arduous work, and those who are
ready to crush him under foot. or hunt
him out of breath for the least violation of
their mercurial consciences. Children
who have their own way at home are apt
10 be troublesome at school. What ex>
perienced teacher has not had these un>
comfortable characters to deal with2 He
either finds them fractions ard unreenting,
or sullen and unyielding; it being ex-
ceedingIy hard for him who was his own
master at five and his parents master at
Ten, 10 become subject to discipline at II
or fifteen. Often is the instructor not only
perpexed with having 10 do with such a
character, but for the crime OF infictiug
deserved correction, when "forbearance
has ceased to be virtne," is doomed TO
suffer the unreIenting vengeance of those
who look only on one side OF the question.
The passions of men being let loose 10 run
without control, gossipiog, SANDER and
backbiting are of every days occurrence,
and even the sabbath is desecraled in car
ryinc on this condemnable mission of Sa.
tan.
The question now arises, What must be
done2 We answer, a great moral reform
must be brough, about, or much will be
lost But how is it to be accomplished ?
This we are inclined TO think would puz-
zle Scion or Cadmus Hercules could
destroy the hydra that guarded the en-
trance 10 the internal regions, and cleanse
the Eugean Stables, but what were his
labors to task like lhisl His twelve
month race to catch the stag with golden
horns would be but a pleasant morning
walk compared with this. But muscular
strength can never accomplish the work.
A power that can touch the secret spring
that vbrates through mems souls alone
can do the work. We want moral Her.
cules 10 scar as he goes, and prevent other
heads arising from the old trunk, and not
like Perseus suffer the blood to fall from
the reeking victim and fill the earth with
venomous reptiles. But some may judge
from these remarks that we would favor
the decapiIa.ing or guillotin system. but
we mean nothing more than the moral
guilolin. If passion can be dethroned,
and made to give place to reason, and these
foul serpent spirits that hiss foul frenzy at
the innocent, can be destroyed, we venture
10 say that greater victory would be a.