Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-05-29
For BE Patriot.
OUR HEST EDUCATORS.


4 By L VIRGINIA FRENCH.
4 We talk, we write, and consequently Il is pre-
suuabls We think, great deal about EdueatiOn,
Teachers, &c. Do we consider rightly or sufficient
ly our fret, best Instructorsi Who then are theyl
MoTHERs, and NATURE. The task Of the former
commences FIRST, it Is her Influences that are first
felt CAS- we call our first language our mother
tongue, so We may as justly call our first tempers
our mothers tempers.p How lroshfully has been
said of her duty and its reward
"A Mother in her Office holds the key
OF the soul and she it is who stamps the coin
Hcharscteri making the being who would be savage
| But for her gentle cares Christian man =;
Then crown her Queen o the WOrd."i
The great and good ia all ages have borne wit
ness to the nothers influence, and earth's erriug
children too often, and with ressoD plead as THERE
cuse the absence of that moral, and mental train
ing which she alone can bestow. Examples of her
power multiply upon Us. and may be said to con-
stitute multitude which no man can number"
In ancient times take only one, Monica, the mother
Of Augustine. Her son was at one time dissolute,
profigste and addicted to the heresies of the Mani
chees. She laid her sorrows before pious minis
ter of Christ, who, struck With her piety, her an
guish. and her devotion to her child exclaimed With
enthusiasm, cit is impossible that the child OF
such prayers and tears, should be finally lostl"
81 should have been an Atheist" remarks John
Randolph, eff it had not been for one recollection;
and that ives the memory Of the time when my de-
part ID mother used to take my little hands in hers
and caused me upon my knees TO ssy, Our Father
who art in Heaven" John Quincy Adams paid
the following tender tribute to that excellent wo-
man, whom be called mother ut is due to graft
tude, and to nature, that / should scknoWledge,
and avow, that such as have been, whatever it
was,-such as / am, whatever it s,-and such as
hope TO be in all uturity, must be ascribed, under
Providence, to the precepts and example of my
mother" And what shall we say of the mother
of our beloved Washington, the imam without
model, and without shadow" He was but elev-
en- years of eye when she was called upon by mel
anchoy necessity to assume the entire control and
guardianship of her youthful family. And, says
our latest historian "She proved herself worthy of
the trust" He inherited from her high temper,
and spirit of command, but her early precepts
taught him to restrain and govern that temper and
to square his conduct upon the exact principles of
equity and justice" Hermaxims also "Ead great
influence in forming his character. They were
certainly exemp6ed in his conduct throughout life"
And to come down to the very verge Of our own
times,-the memoirs of the late S. S. Prentss, fur
nish striking example Of the effects of maternal
influence. There is scarcely letter addressed to
| his mother in which be does not render some heart
felt and touching tribute to the and early train
ing which she bestowed upon him. ascribing his sue
cess in his profession his increase of property and
also whatever of good there was in his works, or
his nature to her influence and that Of his sweet
sisters" We may here turn to an opposite picture,
and view the life and character OF that brilliant, yet
"wanderiug STAR" George Gordon Byron He was
just such a creature the passions, the caprices
and the inconsistencies of his mother made him.
She educated him with no system, and with no aim,
and he presents to all coming time, the most mel
ancholy spectacle Of powerful soul which on earth
were awsy and wasted itself without purpose
His whole life was fuctuatiug and lurid shadow OF
that eccentric star which hung above his cradle,
and lit with its unsteady briliancy the pathway of
his early years.
Or, turn we to a sadder picture still, Ito richly
freghted barque whose rushing prov" ne'er felt
the guidance of mothers hand which glided over
dark and bitter waters, and sank at last into dead
sea, amid surrounding shadows,-the life-barque
of Southern-born poet, Edgar Allan Poe.
Had mothers angel ministrations soothed that
"soul with sorrow laden" had her early lessons
conducted in wisdom's way this gifted and erring
child, had her WITHDRAWING eyes Of love looked
down into the recesses of that wayward nature,
lighting them up with the holy radiance OF divine
truth, how different in all probability would have
been his fate I We should not then have beheId
him shrinking terrified beneath the fiery eyes of
the "ominous bird of his destiny, should not
have listened to bis narrowing shrek at midnight
his agoniziug cry for the soup Of nepenthe,"
that dread bird plunged fierce besk into his al
ready bleeding heart we should not have seen
him shuddering on the brink Of the Afterward,
strainng eye and to catch some glimpses of the
e distant Alden" some Low -murmur from the 'loss
Lenore." which should be to his troubled soul a
token Of peace and rest beyond the portals OF the
tomb We might have beheld his disfranchised
spirit rising like glad star where call the sons of
God shouted for joy" instead Of wandering
fre-mst "darkling on the verge Of blank in6ni-
tude," and fitting away into the outer Darkness"
dreariy echoing as it 6ed, =" NevermOrs-nsUer-
mOrer'
Trueit is that the influence Of mother is mighty,
but it is not yet what it is one day destined to be-
come. She is not yet the Educator that Heaven
has willed her to be,-because Of her own detective
training. She does not now, in the majority of in
stances realize how broad is her field OF labor, she
does not consider how extended is the sphere Of
her mission The world will never be reformed I'M
I'll Woman is brought to feel and knOo that she must
be its regeneration. As general thing, she does
not yet comprehend her own Importance as re-
Gormer,-she does not understand her position in
this respect, and Rs to her privileges, mesgre as
they are, she persists IN living below them. And
man does not assist her 10 understand herself at
least he does not 60 about il in the right way. Il
is very usual thing for him to repeat to her trite
commonplace respecting her Influences" her
powers" de-, De, but when direct, personal car
yng out Of great works, principles is to be et'
fected he does not show that he sufficiently prizes
that "nhaence," he does not more than taclly adj
NIT that her efforts can be made effective 10 active
y promoting the public good. 1t must be confess
ed also, that she herself is too prone (whether from
incidence OF indifference, know Dot,) to leave to
man the jevising of plans Of progress, as well as
eomprehending and carrying them out. IL is too
much her practice, (whatever be her theOFy,) to Ac
quesce on all great questions of public improve
ment, and then il to excuse her want of energy,
or lack Of interest, che viii strive to comfort her
self with the reflection, swell, can do nothing in
affairs of this nature,-my province is home" The
former clause Of her apology Is false. for every