Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1856-02-02
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For he Rfgi,ttr.
FOR Ihe RfSttltr.
Defects In the Education Of Children.

Defects In the Education Of Children.
DEAR REGIsTER-At the risk of being
styled an ""ld fogy," i'll this day of Prog
ress and refinement, We will altemp, 10
point out some Of the defects in the edU-
cation Of children, and If we succeed in
saving one child from eTtreme suffering
and prem ature grave, we have our re-
ward. For many of the following thoughts
we are indebted to the U. n. o. Maya
zre. No subject is of more general in
terest to community than the education
of its youth. Thoughtful parents spend
many al anxious hour in considering the
means best adapted to the development OF
and store their minds with useful inror
nation. Learning and ingenuity have
been taxed TO the uttermost to sin. pliry the
difficult, expurgate the useless and derive
plans to cap'ivale the yoN .nrul mind and
lure il OH 10 high intellectual auainments.
The world is hoodeI with books "adapted
10 The cApaciliss OF the young" and SCI
tnce has become a picture gallery for
the amusement OF children, and The boy
Of tocelCe years is introduced to sciences
which his (a,her could scarcely compre-
bend al iarentyto'r. The facilities Of
education in no former period of the
worlds history arc not all comparable to
those OF The present and as the advanta-
ges OF the present system OF instruction Is
10 greater or less extent in the power of
IoD
would DO filled with eloquent Tulles and
philosophical Newtons but alas they
are "few and far between" There must
be some reason for this and we leave it
10 those to solve who so zealousIy advo-
cate the vast superiority of the m0dern
over the ancient arI of instruction. The
ruth is, We have gained more in ShOW
than in substance. 1t is not asserted that
we have made no advances in The art OF
teaching. There have been many and I'M
porianl ones. But errors have kept pace
with them and crept into every improve
ment. Letus notice more particularly
some of these evils, and begin with the
training of the young child. The reryi
early use of books is prejudicial to high
intellectual attainmens in after life
Every rejecting mind can soon satisfy IL
self Of the truth Of this propositions for 1t
is established by the experience OF thou
sands around US and is in accordance with
she law which regulates the development
of every human being. The smart child
often makes a dull boy and stupid man,
simniy because his faculties have been
blunied by the strenuous eXerllons 10 de-
yelop them in early life. This is an evil
of great magnitude and deserves careful
consideration. Parents ought especially
10 seek TO transmit to their pasteI!ly
sound minds in sound bodies, but nine
ont of ten would rather their children were
intellectual than heating, pyecaciops than
lonely. Hence the mental is cultivated
TO the neglect Of The physical. Because
they cannot explore the regions OF mind,
and detect The essence Of matter, they re-
ject the great truth that there is sympa-
thetic connection, mysterious and mex
plcahle though il be, between the one and
The other, and that the body is The UehicIe
by which impressions OF external objects
ere conveyed TO the mind. They forget
that IN early lie an excessive Develop
ment OF any one organ is made al the
risk Of iujurlng all the rest. They are
careful that their children should not eat
as much food as adults, but what ecslacy
would il produce if the dear little ones
should lhink. reason and talk as an intel
lectual giant The brain is more dcR-
cate than Iile stomach, and therefore il IS
more dangerous To overload The former
than the latter. A sensible writer says
"A child three years Of ace with book
IN lis infant hands is a tfGya sight.
This is but TOO true. Books have been
the death acarrGnt of many child that
would otherwise have become an orna-
ment TO society and blessing and COM
for, to It's parent in rocking the cradle OF
declining age. But so great is the desire
of parents for their children TO appear in
telleclual, that they are hardly out of the
nurses arms before they arc mlllaed into
the School room and confined for hours,
breathing an impure atmosphere, when
they ought TO be running about, exelci-
sing their delicate limbs and inhsling the
pure air of heaven. But children at a
very early age frequently make astonlsh-
ing developments of intellect. Their
minds being stimulated fash out with
dazzling brightness, and raise hopes that
are too soon 10 vanish like the early dew.
Let il be remembered that This precocity
is the result OF diseased condition of The
brain, which nearly always terminates in
early death. insanity Oh imhecilIty. We
often hear the remark of child "that it
is too smart to be raised = but very few