Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1857-04-24

when we are silcnt--ovn when we are not
IN action, there is something in our AIR md
manner which expresses what is elevated or
what is low. what ishumane aud bcnignaut,
or what is coarse and harsh.
al am a little afraid that q great many
people in this country are rather prone Ia
uhdcr,aluo this part of education. Ger
tainly We have no admiration Of anything
inical or affected in manners. We don't
want the manners Of village dancing
school. But genuine good breeding, gentle
manners, case, molcsty and propricty Of
bearing, we do exceedingly value. When
shall we cease 10 be described ~ a splitting
nation rs lounslng peoplc' When shall
we cease to bc known by our slovcnly speech,
by our practice Of sitting with our feet
higher than our heads2 Daring An e1cur-
zion Of several months 10 Europe last year I
met hundreds Of English, at home and on
the Continent, in every SORT Of situation. |
never saw one spit cannot remember
that | ever saw one, however fiigued,
loungins or sitting IN an unbccomins man
ncr. 50 long as the State shall feel itsolf
obliged To provide spittoons for is lssis-
latiyc halls-so long as the directors OF our
railroads shall find occasion to attach to the
inside Of thcir carriages printed requests to
the passengers To usc the spittoons and
not tho Iloor, and not ~ put their lcct upon
the scats--so long rs we shall continue to
Gll our conversation and our political ha-
ranguc, with the slang Of The ish market,
let us not be surprised nor angry II iorcisn-
crs make themselves witty ut our expense.
And in the meantime. let all or thoso who
are entrusted with the care Of the young,
~, tlcir utmost efforts 10 correct these ma
tional barhari.ms, and To form the manners
Of the rising generation after a model moro
elevated aud moro refined.
" In the second place, le, me cyhort you
to cultivate in yourselves and in your pu-
pills q taste for fine writing, whether in
verse or rrosc. Beware of a
liking Cor cztavagan,, mcrctrici,us orna-
mcnt, which /, always indicative Of q rude,
imperfect culture, but ON your minds and
your hearts with such simple, c.a',c, touch
Ing things as Gmy's Elcgy, and other poems
-Gold'mi,h'. Traveller and Dc,ertel VII.
laso Cowper, Thompson, Young, Camp
bell, Wordsworth, and Milton, u YOU can
relish him aud little OF tile b,st English
prosc-as Goldsmith's Essays, the Spectator,
the Rambler, Ra-.slas.
Read few things over and over again
pause over them ponder thtm feed upon
them, until their very spirit is tran.fasci
into your own minds not that YOU may
make Gnc 'pccche, about them and indulge
IN lilly parade Of mawkish and uuiimcly
sentiment but that YOU may learn to love
them, and be- refined by them, and that you
may teach Others to love them. q, Tor less
talk, and a!Iectation and show and more
inward taste aud feeling, aud dclcacy and
reserve, aud honesty Of mind q, ryoung
men and women, who love 10 take their
Goldsmith OF their Gray out quite alone to
some cool grove, beside some babbling brook
mot that they NAV tell Of it afterwards and
b. admired, butt that they may suck into
their hearts the honcyoi sweetness, and lose
themselves in the world Of beauty and su-
chantment' q, fora race oftcachcrs. who
while they instruct well in other things,
love 20 imprrgnate the souls Of their pupil,
with the beautiful and the good Hang ~
m y'ur schools orcry dag or hro AalC dOseH
hH0 Of i,aghfW poetry. encourage the
scholars to copy and to commit them 70
memory, try II you can point out what i.
iclIcitou' IN language, in thought, in scnti.
ment. frequently cause to b. read aloud
some Of those beautiful allcsorics and vision,
which are to be found in the Spectator
and elsewhere, and make the whole school
listen to them, - will You relieve the
monotony Of your ordinary lessons. and con-
tribute 70 on many an artle,s mind with
beautiful imagery and thought"