The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-07-10
THE DAILY DISPATCH
Fs.sIo.abIe Femaie Education.
. CULINARY COLLEGE.

A CULINARY 6OLLkoE-
We are among those cid fashioned people "h'
A, mot consider the female education OF the p'e
,eu, day any great improvement upon the aAs' "
o.r grsndrao,hsrs The French and m"s'' WIN
which everything in petticoats Is nova "Ass 'AN'
I.r,zed are poor substitutes for the neat ana CUM
Portable heusewifery of those blessed o'a Games
who have gone TO their reward in iano whose
,.,,r., like that OF the birds and where
xxa,.h IA b.pnily unknown Instead of prepar.
i've orr women TO become intelligent and practca al
hssas ri families, we put them through certain
e formula of what we call education Heaven save
,ha mark which has about as much to do with
their failure duties in this life 1t has with the
arts of ship-building the whale fishery. With
ont reference to individual tastes, capacities,
they are all subjected TO the routine of learn
Ing French. &c., drumming on the piano and other
unoffsndng instruments. and, having thus spent
number OF the best years Of their existence, they
finish off, it Ia called, at some great boarding
school, and are, for the rest of their days, pro-
nounced accomplished! oh, Minerva
Is it not the dictate of common sense that peo'
pie. both male and female, ought II be educated
with reference to their faculties and ineiins'
tions, whatever these may be learning, for ex'
ample languages, music, mathematics, as the
tastes aud talents of each individual mind may
suggest; and, above all, that their education
should prepare them for the duties of their future
careerf All ladies should be thoroughly instructed
In English, and as much of accomplishments as
they can master, without interfering with the &C
quirement of those branches Of household know
ledge which essential to the position of wife
and mother. The present system however, nei
ther makes scholars nor housewives. They are
never taught to become good housekeepers, and,
in two years after they leave school, they forget
all their accomplishments Half an hour of vigor-
Gus counting in the English tongue will naturally
put out Of a womans head all the French she has
ever learned, aud the music of crying babes Will
drown the best echo OF that horrible piano
It's all very pretty to talk about the mission OF
woman being more noble, more Intellectual more
ethereal than housekeeping When females de-
claim after this manner, we put them down among
the strong minded, and pray that they may 60 and
fulfill their mission whatever it may be, only
hoping it may be to the Chinese, Or Africans, or
some remote people, whoswll keep them as far
away from the United States as possible. If men,
they ought to be united in matrimony with wo'
men of the class they desiderate, whose mission it
should be- when they come home hungry to din
ner, 10 stop iheir mouths with a charming French
phrase, aud to regale them when sleepy with all
sorts of airs upon the complaining keys of ILL
used instrument Mission of Woman indeed
Give the sort of woman who is a missionary of
cheerfulness and common sense, who is contented
TO stay at home and manage her household affairs,
and leave gadding, gossipping, and accomplish
lnents, to the butterf les, whose mission it is to
fiutter in gaudy colors for an hour, and succunb
TO the first rude grasp of misfortune.
The London Punch has an excellent suggestion,
Interested. Having brought itself to the sad con.
elusion that the examination of a faAhionably edu
Gated female head reveals nothing but faculties
unemployed, and valuable materials wasted ON
what is not ateral at ALL il expresses wish that
Ladies Preparatory Schools could be established,
in which the pupils might be fitted for the useful
we'll the ornam entail parts of life, and where
the fact Of there being kitchen, well as a draw
ing room, to every house would not be altogether
lost sight of. la this Preparatory School there
should be regular series of instruction, from the
Smelling of pea by the smallest class, to the high
est branches of cookery by the more advanced
scholars! 1t is the deliberate opinion of Punch
that this culinary college for young ladies would
furnish quite valuable food for their minds as a
great deal of that that is now put into them 4; and
that 1t would tit women to get through the world
with men, instead of merely getting through their