Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-09-10
EDUCATIONAL.

Female Teachers for the West.
We have just read with deep interest two Address
SEES the ject of Education from the pen of Miss
CATHERINE f. BEECHER of Cincinnati. They are
published under by the Harpers, forming
pamphlet of 36 pages of double octave, and most hear
tily do wish that they could be read in every fam
ly in our country The first OF these Addresses pre-
scented by the author to meetings of Ladies in Cincn
natl, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York
and other Cities and is designed to set forth "The
Evils suffered by American Women and American
Children; the Causes and the Remedy" These Evils
are shown to be the result of bad imperfect Educa
ton, and the Remedy urged is that to which this la
mentable fact so significantly points.
Miss Beecher has devoted much time to careful in
vestigation ofhe sube which she writes, and the
facts which she presents such may well startle
those whose means of information are less extensive
than hers From the census it appears that there are
in our country nearly million adults who canna read
and write and more than two millions of children who
are utterly ierate and entirely without schools Ohio
and Kentucky the best supplied of the Western States,
demand at this moment fUe thousand Teachers each to
supply them in the same ratio as Massachusetts, is sup
Piled.
In connection with this sad picureof Children grow
ing up in ignorance, Miss Beecher takes occasion to
point out the causes which have exerted depressing
influence upon the Women of the country; and she
shows how the evils which have depressed her sex may
be removed by the measures best adapted to secure
for children the Education which all admit to be neces-
soy for their own good and the welfare ofhc STATE
1t is certainly happy thought which thus blends in
one the interests of Women and Children and opens
before the prospect of intellectual and moral eeva
ton to both The which operate to the dsad-
vantage of Women are presented with great ceaness
and force and briefly these: l. The principle of
Caste arayed against healthful and productive Labor
q The of Female population in the older States
caused by the disproporonae emigration to the West
Of the other 3 The absence of any Profession for
r Women of Education and high POSITION which, like
law, medicine and theology, opens the way to compc-
tonce influence and HONOR and presents motives for
exertion A. The contempt neglect or utter indffer-
ence which has befaen the noble profession of Tea
cher. On the subject of Caste opposed to Labor,
her remarks important that we cannot resist the
! temptation to crafty our readers by quoting them:
TO understand the power of the principle, see wha:
sacrifices men and women make, and what tolls they
endure, to themselves from whatever SINKS them
in station and estimation. And this Is a principle
c which is equally powerful N high and low rich and
poor. To observe how it bears against heahful and
produotivo labor, lot any woman who pSeems herself
IN the higher grades Of society, put the as her
own and imagine that her son. or brother is about to
e marry young lady, whose character and education
are every way lovely and uneXceptonabe, but who, it
= appears, Is SedmStreSS, or nurse, domeStic and
how few there, who will not be conscious of the
opposing principle of caste. But suppose the Young
J., lady to be one, who has been earning her livelihood
by writing poetry and love stories who has lived all
her days IN utter ldeneSS, and how suddenly the fee
ings are changed Now, all the comfort and happ-
ness of society depend upon having that work propely
performed, which is done by nurses, seamstresses,
chamber maids, and cooks and so long as this kind
ofwork is held to be degrading, and those who per-
form it are allowed to grow up ignorant and vulgar,
and then are held down by the prejudces of caste,
every woman will use the greatest efforts and under
90 the greatest prVaons, to escape from the degra-
ded and dscredtabe position. And this state of So
cety is now by the natural course of things, bringing
Just retrbution on the classes who cherish it. Do
mess are orsaking the Kitchen and thronging to the
workshop and manutactory, and maialy under the in
fucnce of the principle of caste; while the family
i state suffers keenly from the loss. Meantime the
daughters OF wealth have their inteectu i faculties and
f Their sensibties developed, while all the household
labor, which would equally develop metaphysical pow
ers, and save from l-health is turned off to hired do
. mescs, or shaving mother The only remedy for
this evil is, securing proper education for all clssses
and making productive labor honorable by having all
classes engaged in it.
!, Passing over much that we would like to quote if
we could find room, we will now present passage
containing the germ of Miss Beechers Plan for reno
wing the Evils which she so graphically describes;
Another of depression to our sex is found in
the fact that there is profession for women of edu-
cation and high position, which, like law medicine
and theology opens the way to competence, influence,
and honor, and presents motives for exertion. Wo-
man ought never to be led to married life except I'M
der the promptngs of pure affection To marry for an
establishment for position, for something to do is
S deplorable wrong. But how many women, for want
O OF high and honorable profession to engage their
time, are led to this melancholy course. This is not
because Providence has not provided ample place
for such profession for woman, but because custom
n or prejudice, or low estimate Tits honorable charac-
ter prevents her from entering it. The education Of
- children, that is the true and noble profession of wo-
Il manthat is what is worthy the noblest powers and
i affections OF the noblest minds.
# Another cause which deeply affects the best inter-
b ess of our sex is the contempt utter neglect and
Indifference, which has befaen this only noble profess
u sion open to woman There is employment, how
ever disagreeable however wicked, which custom
and fashion cannot render elegant interesting and en-
Enthusiastically sought. striking proofof this is seen
in the military profession. This is the profession of
killing o, fcloto-creatues and is attended with every
thing low, brutal unchrstlan, and disgusting; and yet
what halos of glory have been hung around it. and
how the young and generous, and enthusiastic have
been drawn intoit If one half the poetry, fiction
atory and taste thus missempoyed had been used to
It embellish and elevate the employment of training the
mind of childhood in what altered position should
e we find this noblest of all professions
As it is the employment of teaching children is
garded as the most wearying drudgey, and few re-
sort to it except from necessity and very reason
able cause of this aversion is the utter neglect of any
arrangements Tor preparing teachers for this arduous
and difficult profession The mind of young child
is like curious instrument capable of exquisite har-
lie mony when touched by a skillfu hand but sending
y forth only annoying harshness when unskully ad-