The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-08-15
Mtsrellanp.
Female Accomplishments.

Every school for Young ladies rcioiccs in
It's teacher of drawing. painting. &C.. as well
as its teacher of music: and under the hands
of these two individuals the whole school. as
a general thing. is desired to pass. bv teach
crs and parents. French is studied as an
accomplishment. Dancing. in Somc schools.
is taught as an accomplishments. The result
usually is that when a Young lady is finished
Oft. she can play six tunes on the piano. has
executed three pieces Of drawing or painting
which papa buys frames for. and hangs up
i'll the parlor for exhibition to visitors. has
done" a little portfolio of water colors in
which the teachers hand is frequently visible
has learned to dance. and has achieved a free
run of nineteen French phrases which she
could not pronounce correctly to save her
life. SO far there is nothing but show
Principles have not been oomprchendcd, and
she has in her hands nothing. not even the
instruments for winning the accomplishments
which she and her friends imagine She pos
ScSscS.
We have seen such finished OF Young wo-
man by hundreds. They are picked up by
the hundred by infatuated Young men. and
made into wives and hou>ckccpers Our
readers call upon such wives every fair day.
They will see the schoolgirl efforts in draw
Ing tran>plantcd from the old home where
papa placed them. to bloom upon the walls
of the husband-an evidence that she was
once accomplished" There stands the pi-
ano. You ask her to play. She sits down
reluctantly. and gives You one of the immor
tai six that she made YOU sick of when she
first returned from school. She has not
learned tune since. Her husband SAYS.
with sigh, that she hasn't played any since
she was married. She cannot even play a
piece of simple sacred music at sight, to ac-
commodatc company of singing friends who
happen in upon a Sabbath evening. You
toss her French Lon mat. and she stareS
or YOU ask her to render a French quotation
against which YOU stumble in Review. but
she has forgotten her French" You meet
her at an assembly, and she walks quadrilic
! like an automaton, or stumblcs at every
change of the dance. SO YOU come to the
conclusion that she was just accomplished
enough to accomplish her marriage. and that
being out Of the market. her accomplishments
could be of no further use.
What we most need in our American sys-
tenn of female education is the making of the
accomplishments as they are called. prac-
teal. Music, drawing and language are sci
ences. Therefore. thorough induction into
the principles of these should be the first OBJ
icct, and not the simple manual or lingual
practice that may be necessary to show re-
suits that have been arrived at without a
passage through the legitimate channel How
many misses can sketch from nature? How
many arc taught to sketch thus? How many.
when they return home " accomplished, can
sketch even the old domicil in which they
were reared? How many can paint the tiger
lilv that occupies the corner Of the door-yard?
How many can take simple piece Of music
and plav or sing it at 81 ight? How many go
on from the foothold they have achieved, and
become miStrcsscS of the delightful art sooth
ing the husband when weary and alone, or
entertaining his friends when they call upon
him? How many read French book, after
leaving school? We suppose not one i'll tif-
tv. Their accomplishments are gilded chest.
The money spent to obtain them is dead
loss. and the time which they have occupied
should have been devoted to more solid stud
les. in which three fourths are deficient from
the simple fact that their time has been so
unproftably occupied.
We can think of nothing more charming
in married woman (after pleasant temper
and a true heart) than the ability to amuse
herself and cultivate her own tastes and pow
ers in the pursuit of ornamental art, and
charm her friends by the productions of her
pencil or the music of her voice. les-we
mistake-thcre is one thing better than this
the ability to write sensible letter. cross
ing her is. and dotting her is, and obeyns
the rules of syntax. But then, we can't ex-
pect everything, particularly if woman be
accomplishcd.-Sprinafe" Republican.