The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-29
Democracy or selenee-Ho. Q
BY JOSIAH HoLBRooK.

/. Di""HE oPOuho . uulVoIohl ldDKudgo, G8qv To
be read and understood by all tongues and peo.
ple 1t is hence ready in action and mighty IN
power for spreading knowledge among nations.
Like most useful subjects and powerful agents
Of knowledge, it is wisely, bountifully, indeed
wonderfully provided for by the Creator in the
constitution of young minds, young eyes, and
young hands. Children at a year old probably
recognise objects in their pictures certainly
before they can enunciate words What the
mind and the eye are quick to recognise, the
hand IS eager to grasp or to initiate Pro-
ductlon and instruction, two objects of eager
and ceaseless pursuits in early childhood, are
abundantly furnished in drawing, added to their
peculiar fitness for young eyes and young minds,
almost at their incipicnt action as eyes and
minds. Hence the peculiar appropriateness of
drawing exercises for very young children, and
the correctness and Importance Of The motto.
DRAWING BEFORE WRITING"
1t is, however, delightful, because natural
entrance to writing, and with ii reading; greatly
to the relief of thousands and millions Of limo.
cent young sufferers, in their unnatural, irksome.
painful, long continued, almost unreenting
spelling book drills, now passing rapidly into
disuse; resulting almost uniformly in bad, be.
cause unnatural, readers. Production, instruc-
ton, pleasure, good writer's, natural readers, and
eagerncss for "PRoGREss," are among the
natural, if not inevitable, results of drawing ex-
ercises in early childhood, if properly and judi.
ciously varied, applied, and extended
But all is not drawing which is called drawing.
Mere shading from copies is not drawing Pu.
pills, after spending years in such supposed draw
ings, are less ready to attempt original pieces
from objects than young beginners. Hence
deception. though practiced unintentialy and
unconsciously, is practiced extensively and most
unfortunately. The subject is coming, however,
to be generally understood; and the error cor
rected. Long continued and greatly varied ex.
ercises in mathematical lines, and other linear
drawings, preceding standings, and drawings
from objects more than copies, are now consid-
cred indispensable for any substantial improve.
ment in the elegant accomplishment and useful
art of sketchng by perspective views the objects
of nature and Of art. Written descriptions
added to natural sketches, furnish, probably, the
very best exercises for correctness, elegance
beauty, and freedom of language, both written
and spoken
For promoting the DEMOCRACY OF SCIENCE
drawing has no bounds. If permitted certainly
if encouraged, every young member of the
hundred thousand schools and six millions of
familiesin our Union would engage in it ardently
and successfully. Animated by the productions
of their hands md the instruction of their
minds, they would go on to multiply in number
and improve in character, in a constantly in.
creasing ratio. BY SCIENTIFIC ExcHAno ESP
between families, schools, villages cities States,
and countries, the productions thus increasing,
and the knowledge thus extending, might be
scattered over all lands, and reach the darkest
spot in the darkest country upon our globe.
They would also be to the nations of the earth
a surer, happier defence against each other than
the thousands of war ships upon the sea and
the millions Of armed forces upon the land.