Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-03-16
Duty of Parents.

| public schools, seems to be almost wholly
neglected, if not almost wholly misunder-
stood. That duty does not consist alone
IN financial aid and discharge of the
business of districts 1t consists in
personal attention to the schools them
selves, in personal supervision of the
pursuits of study, and the pianner of dis
c'pline. Visits of parents to the school
room should be frequent and unceremoni-
Gus They should often associate with
their children, and with the teacher, and
should show deep interest in all the af
fairs of school. They should observe the
progress and conduct of scholars-should
encourage their hopes and stimulate their
ambition by words and smiles of approv-
al They should consult with the teacher
in regard to the welfare and management
of the school, and should in all ways and
manners render his burden lighter by
sharing it with him.
To leave the duty of visitation and su-
pervision to school officers entirely, is
wrongful neglect. BY them it is too often
performed with chilling and official des-
patch, and their presence is rather an en-
, barrassment to both teacher and scholar.
But parents are moved by different con-
siderations. Their visits are the results
of affection, not made in view of the pen
atty Of an official bond Their interest
is genuine and parental Their presence,
when it becomes habit, scholars will feel
as no restraint, but as a motive to better
exertion. The teacher will feel it as an
aid, an assistance in bearing his burden
of toil-a pledge that his labor is approv-
ed 1t will give encouragement to effort
a new zest in the pursuit of knowledge, a
new interest in the dry details of study
1t will rend er the school house a temple to
affection as well as science, and no less
than the parental dwelling, home to the
child
| Want of familiarity with the branches
of stud and the maxims of modern edu
cation, is not sufficient reason to excuse
the neglect of this duty. Parents may
not be able to judge if answers to 9ues-
tions of science are given with technical
exactness, but they can judge whether
they are given with promptness, with an
appreciation of the subject, with attention,
and respect of manner. They may not
understand the forms of grammatical anal
ysis, or the rules of mensuration but
they understand the forms of school gov
ernment and the rules of good behavior
and good breeding They can learn
whether the scholars love and respect
their teacher, whether they are acquiring
sentiments and habits of virtue or of vice.
and they can evince just and eucourag-
ing solicitude for the welfare of the school
An ignorance of The sciences the chill
dren are pursuing is no sound excuse for
neglecting all the conduct and ali tle af:
fairs of school, With equal force might
our ignorance of mechanical art be urged
against the improperly of personal at
tention to the labors of artizans in our
employ. Because we cannot ourselves
build splendid edifce, shall we exercise
no supervision over the mechanic whom
we engage to erect our dwelling2 Should
we urge our ignorance of the infinite va
riety of columns and arches and archi-
traves with all their graceful or gorgeous
adornments, as reason for neglecting the
advancing structure and for trusting its
tasteful completion to the mercenary skill
of the laborer2 We will rather visit the
scene of labor from day to day and excr-
else care ard vigilance proportionate to
the interest we feel in the object. What
lady gives her ignorance in the researches
of botany as reason for leaving her
plants and flowers to the changeful infu-
ence of sun and air, to be withered BY
drought. choked by weeds, or prostrated
by the Storm She "a ther returns daily
to her beds of flowers, refreshes them with
grateful moisture, supplants the vulgar
herbs that overshadow their verdure and
bloom, watches the swelling bud with in
terest. and halls the bursting flower with
delight. Because she is unacquainted
with the secret processes BY which nature
restores blossoms to the blghted stalk
and produces from the minutest germs
prodigies of beauty and fragrance, she
does not leave the weeds to grow up with
the flowers, the tendrils to trail unsup-
ported on the ground, or to the chances
of sunshine and shower, the nurture of
the delicate herb Yet the parent who
would not trust mechanic to perform his
labor cut of sight-the parent who would
not trust the prosperity of her flower gar
den TO the spontaneous luxuriance of ma
ture. trusts, unmatched and without con-
cern, the erection of fair fabric of vir-
tue. whose foundations shall be in the