Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-10-29
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FEMAIE FDUckTIoN..
By MISS S. ). HALE. :.

4 Since TIE time, now many years ago, when
benevolent but daring theorizers boldly as,
serted and maintained, that Hiptellectnal
cultivation were good for one half. the spe,
.cies it was SO also for the other;;ssthat the
mind of woman. was as; susceptible Of i'm
proyenient as that of the man, and that The
harmonious developments Of the, human race
required that both; should be carried on Sc
multaneously and proportionately, the great
cause Of female education has been urged
forward With an impetuosity, as feserish as
I tits Irrational In their haste to prove the
tputhsef their theory, they have fallen into
the gravest possible error There has sprung
upgsss system of superficial teaching dlearn-
ling, of sall systems: the Herst that could be
devised sS&s s:,= - 1. -
- Not only have girls been made to study
|:all that boys attempt, but their, powers are
taxed in a much higher degree; To;acoom-
plish all that is marked outSfor them, they
must be pressed on, for though their broth
ers can study until they are twenty-one or
two, they must. finish by eighteen. They
have the. same work to doi and three years
less to do at in; SO. that they are put to
studying algebra while boys are working pa
tiently over their arithmetic; they carry a
dozen books to and from school, while two
Or three. are thought enough for their broth
.ers. AndGin excuse for this we hear plead.
ed the quickness and early development of
the female mind 80 s:
There is some little reason in this, but on
| ly a little. The seed sown in thin soil
springs up quickly we all know, butts its
fruit worth the'reapipg; sLight;eome, light
CO. is not truer of silver and gold than of
our other possessions 1t is this very prone
ness to hold the ideas and facts they acquire
upon the surface of their minds, rejecting
them, brightly for q moment, aud then letting
them pass away forever, that thosewho have
Ethe training Of girls should guard against.
To require, as some teachers do, a young
girl to pursuea at the same: time great varie-
ty of studies,.a to expect that her mind
will be enlarged and improvedby knowledge
thus poured into. lit, is as wise asit.would be
to turn. river into a;garden to- water it. II
.Eisnot the: food we eat, but that whieh: we di.
sgest, that nourishes us.
. The adyocates of this system Of teaching
girls alittle Of everything, and consequent.
y, nothing thoroughly-for schoollife is moi
Hong enough for the comprehensive and the
thorough to go on together-say that it ex,
pands the mind, and gives to itliveliness and
brilliancy; and so they give little Of. the
classics, a. little mathematics, an imperfect
outline of all the ologtes and isms,a dash Of
French, German, Italian, music; drawing
and the other accomplishments, and then cal
their pupils educated, when in all. l.probabili
\ ty they would be unable to analyses sen,
|tence Of their own Language, and are butim
perfectly acquainted with the geography and
history of their native country, and, after the
lapse of few months, might not be able ;tc
tell the meaning of the names even Of those
sciences in which their diplomas declare them
profcients. Young ladies let their eyes rest
listl.ssly on thepages Of Newton s Prinoipia
and call i. studying, who would be unable tc
solve, unassisted, sum in simple interest.
I THERE'S great falsehood underlying this
whole system. Girls sare allowed to think
themselves learned, J: when intact they know
nothing; for this vague idea of = subject is