Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-05-07
N1umber 3d.
Educating in Haste.

maxim universally acted upon. In every
undertaking our people try to be ahead
Progression is stamped upon everything
We make haste to get rich-we make haste
in our works-we " 60 ahead" in every
scheme. Even in the development Of the in
tellectual stamina Of the young under our
care we adopt a hot-bed system of culture
often %ruinOus in its ultimate effects. Boys
become men, and girls become women much
sooner now than they cid a few years ago,
and parents and guardians, anxious to give
them 9 finished education, adopt means which
are seconded by their tutors, by which they
are erdmmed with a fashionable qIdntdm
sU6ieao Of Mathematics, Latin, French, Music,
Painting, Embroidery, wax-work and a thou
sand and one FOL de lois called accomplish
ments," in the shortest possible time, in or
der that they may be brought out in due
season. We would not be understood as
disclaiming against a finished education, for
we yield to none in our advocacy of n thor
ough system Of education among all classes
Of society but against the hot haste that is
manifested almost in every fashionable cir
Gle to educate the young as quickly as posi-
Bile we do hereby enter our solemn protest.
We do this, because we are we'll assured by
our own observation that n large proportion
OF the constitutional diseases affecting the
Young are engendered in their school days
and firmly fixed upon the vitals by the i'm
polite system Of educating in haste. 1t is
no unusual sight ut this season of the year
10 see school houses crowded with little chill
dren, kept confined two.thirds Of the
day in a room badly ventilated, and vigorous
discipline enforced, that they may learn fast
and the sooner step upon the giddy stage of
fashionable society. This is all wrong-the
mind will not bear too much tension-the
intellectual being must develop itselfstep by
step with the physical neutrality-suspicious.
development Of the one cannot be made ex-
ccpt at the expense Of the other.
God made the little birds and little chill
dren, and lie gave both the blessed heritage
Of breathing the pure air floating DER wood
lands and fields, to enable them to live-to
strengthen them for the tolls of life. Give
little children some Of the same liberty en-
joyed by the birds 'throw physic to the
dogs" and send the little pale creatures to
the fields scatter rhubarb, and jalap, and
vermifuge, and lotions, and p~lasters, and
the village doctors nauseous doses, secunden
drtem, for nervousness and chlOnics, to the
four winds Of heaven and send the little
trembling patients to the m"adows to gather
daisies aad honeysuckles-give them elbow
room, range.-freedom
Did you ever watch IL gardener cultivatinl
celery E? 1t grows up a rank, tough stalk un
fit to eat. The gardener sees it and he says
$50 no Mister Celery, you look green an
strong. | will master you'll will serve yo1
as Mistress Birch and Master Pedagogy
serves the little children--I will Udnch you
Sir" Aud so he heaps up the soil aroun,
the ereen stalk-excludes the air and it
blood renewing oxygen, and soon poor Cele
ry becomes pale, white, tender and deliciou
TO the palate Of the epicure. MEM.-YounI
ladies who keep their rooms for fear a sun
beam should kiss their cheek and perchanc
have n tinge, would do well to look up tn
moral Of the illustration we have Just given.
A reform is loudly called for in the pre-
vailirg hot bed system of education. Civ,
the little children freedom, aye let then
run to the top Of their vent. Better breal
over the picket fence fashionable folly ha
erected than to see a a fondly cherished
child laid in a grave shorter than the othel
graves around. Better postpone the date O
their bringing out. Let them be ignorant o
the uasal twang of the French a little longer
at least, with strong wirey limbs, solid bone,
Of iron and muscles Of brass, with a consti
tuition anchored in health, with sparkling
fire in the eye and rose bloom on their cheeks
than pale, puny, blanched, spiritless
though learned, things, to l~anquish feebly +
nh early grave as a corrollary to the falls
philosophy of schoolroom confinement an
knowledge force upon them in advance Q
their natural Intellectual capacity.
Smash the states and throw inkstands a
black: birds, AMI send the children away t
romp, run and race over the fower-studde
course that the Lover of 'little children
has marked out for them. \