Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-11-05
Education.

HuZlitt sfirms that if youth shows no
aptitude for languages, but dances well,
that it were better to give up all ideas of
cholarship Tor him, and hand him over 10
the dancing-master. We, who lay claim
to consistency, cannot go TO that length
As long as there is certain associated rank
rttached to the professor of postures by the
conventional ideas of society considerations
of like kind must affect the Judgment
equally with those we favor, and in such
case, we should say, select for your son that
profession which accords most nearly with
his inclination, ard which he eau embrace
without com promise Of social standing.
How much wiser was the dominic of the
parish school, Vho rePuied d vid Wilkle
"much ton ser Of drawing than reading,
could paint better Than he could rite" than
if, possessed of The insane idea that Greek
&L.atin could only mske man, he had been
d. ilied and whipped until the youthful spir-
it had becume suured, and inca apacitated Tor
its themes of humor! Ii the Toy Carnot,
who cried out his disapprobatioR of some
poor tactics in military show on the stage,
had been sent into mine, we might never
have known OF the man vino could direct,
at the same time, the movements of four
teen armies. But this natural fitness of the
youth is not always So clearly manifested;
but it is not the less strong, however, for be-
ing latent. How to probe the mind, then,
is the question most importent Tor tutor.
With the skill OF chemist, he must apply
n ha
Sometimes it is better te watch the unre-
strained seekingS, than to bring of the
worlds stores, and place them at lis feet
for its choice. Although Bulwer made the
head of the CaXtons secluded student, he
gives HIN good discrimination when he
makes him the director of his sons studies,
when philosoph:z :zing one day upcn the point
he bethiuks himse f that he had read, in a
certain Greek writer, how some man, to
save his bees a troublesome flight to Hy-
mettus, cut their wings, and placed before
| them the finest flowers he could select; but
the poor bees made no honey; so he deter
mined that young Pisstra,us should search
for his own honey. There is another sens-
Bile thought. for which We must give Mr.
Caxton credit. and he dvulges il thus:
"We students and abstract thinkers are
apt, too much, in our first youth, to look to
| the depth of mans mind or know ledge ,anJ
Rot enough TO the surface it may cover
There may be more water in flowing
stream, only four feet deep, and certainly
more force and health, ;han IN sullen pool,
thirty yards to the bottom" And this in
wolves what certain scholastics are, in such
set-saiisfied manner, prone to stigmaiize
as a SmGtterin9, style of acquisition we
are forced to believe best adapted to make
every gentleman more pleasant and useful
to himself and neighbours; while we admit it
would not become proiessor-and we are
not all Lf that ilk. This cant about prufun-
diIy has received some biting sarcasm from
Macauay, who remarks, moreover, that it
has never yet been his fortune to prevail
upon any person who prunounces superficial
knowledge a curse, and profound knowledge
blessing, to tell him what makes the stan
dard of pru:undily. There was a time when
the branches OF know ledge were So few that
constant application produced necessarily
depth OF learning; bat it must not be forgot
ten thai in an age when school boy knows
more than the sage of those times, that
pro'undity in one or two depart nents in
vul.es, in tho nature of things, neglect of
very many others, that it would not be be-
coming in man Of education to be ignu-
rant Of. while we might pardon it in a pro-
lessor that proiessedly applies himself to but
Il SINGLE branch.
NV, sin, e lit e knowledge is not the
dIngerUus thing it may once have been,-
when We have that Httie ul many hings, it
would seem to be a necessity, that to the
mind Of youth great variety should be pre-
senled. Let no; III al rm those who hold
to the cant, that boy bad better know
little thoroughly; for we ant cipale that
among III S diver,i'y there will be some one
thing that strikes at once the chord thrt is
waiting to vibratc, and when once the glow
Of satisfaction is telt that comes from cor.
dial interest in a genial pursuit. We think
that the danger will lie in his pursuing too
deeply favorite study, till he becomes no
longer scholar, but Il professor The dai-
ger, however, no longer exists, If the bent
of his mind, thus discovered, leads u what
was desired-a fit sphere for h;s tale 80
CrayCn.
&U! a wom'n OF the world was orco
ne"ru u say; The state of widowbood i j.,
'"'''' silent; for one mus: assume all the
"-'deSty OF young girl, without being ab c