Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-09-23

more, without possessing one tithe of the iu.
terest with which they have clothed them
| Slavery has been painted in truth aud fiction
for ages, but none of the works produce in the
reader the intense excitement and absorbing
interest that does Uncle Tom.
! But when the attractions of style have gain
ed attention to the subject, dress becomes sub
ordinate, and truth is drunk 10 with eagerness
and delight regardless of the colors in which
/ it is clothed. To make this subject practical,
! the person who would commence a course of
mental culture, and who has little or no taste
/ for study, will do well to observe first what
/ subjects are most pleasing to him, then attrac-
! tive works should be procured, and soon such
a love for study will be acquired that the SCUM
dest works, on the most abstrnse subjects, will
be eagerly sought after A taste or disgust
Tor education is, however generally acquired
before the person has sufficient age to exercise
his own Judgment 1t then becomes the duty
of the parent and teacher to give the needed
direction. And 0 how many thousands of
promising youth have been turned from the
right path just at this point The parent
pinching his sixpence sends his child where it
will cost least, bnys him a cast off edition Of
some old book, or gets him none at all, keeps
him at home half the time, and then boasts of
the great advantages he has given him. or
course the young mind soon concludes. and
that rightly too, that if this is the way to edu-
cation, it is hard road to travel. and having
no interest soon casts it aside The teacher.
because he gets five dollars for teaching Latin
and only two for primary branches, puts the
little fellow, as soon as he can read into the
dry and 10 him nOnSenSical paradigms of La
tin grammar. The child pores over his penna,
peRHg, peHRam, bonus, mcllor, op'imus, until
his little soul Ioaths it, and he says away with
it. if this be education | want none of it
While the sanctimOniouS teacher pocketing
his Y, consoles himself and amuSes Others
with the great efforts he has made for the
Youngsters advancement. Efforts, indeed
just such efforts as hanging mistones abont
his neck would have been. Since We are as.
sembled here for mutual improvement as teach
ers, you will pardon me for suggesting a meth
cd that will perhaps be useful in awakening
an interest in pupils We all know how much
mere pleasing a subject becomes when we hear
il from the lips of a speaker, than when We
read OF it. The attention of any one eau be
gained by the relation of facts. while the same
might lie about him in books from year TO wear
and he would never think of looking at them.
Let questions that are well calculated TO ava
ken the mind be introduced hv the teacher.
and discussed orally before the scholars. Let
inquiries be made OF them, aud subjects he
given upon which they can reflect. and seek
information from Others Let these he again
brought up the various opinions given, the
wrong Of each shown and the right maintain
q yvh -r,H
iects TO introduce ? The world Is full of them.
There is not q nook or corner of creation. when
understood, that does not furnish q suitable
theme. Every blade of grass. every rock,
each drop OF water, each cloud the rain. the
hail, the neecy snow, the rolling thunder the
lightning that darts its Zig-Zag course along
the >ky. each Of these every thing from the
miuutest animalcula brought to light by the
most powerfu microscope, TO the farthest spot
OF creation brought near by the Leviathan
telescope. will furnish q theme Of interest We
do not say that all these nav be brought with
success before the young unframed mind, but
under such a course il will soon become old in
/ thought, and capable OF gra>pjng any subject.
We venture TO say that if Snch a course. or
one similar be pursued, its effect in awaking
. aud putting the mind into action. will be viSi
ble And when the mind is oace Interest etI in
education ii can not be prevented from obtain
ing H. Will a8y say, have neither time or
means to educate myself? Such an excuse is
false, aud only made 10 conceal want Of energy
Every observing man will hear Us out in the
assertion that there i not one person in a hun
dred who in the course OF ten years. does not
absolutely waste time and means which. If pro
perIy uSIG, would place him in = respectable
position rs al educated maa. The history Of
earlh.s great ones tells Us cOnciuS.veiY that al
tendance AZ school Is not absolutely necessary;
We NAV open oHr eyes 10 what ) about Us. and
drink IN wledce Is the OK driuketh in water
/ And we are not left to struggle here alone
. Every one possessing humanity has deep and
abiding interest in vnateTer tends to cultivate
/ and improve his fellow men. or ameiiorate his
/ coalition Though our nature he fallen far
I from It's original purity and woefully depraved,
vet il contains sufficient OF that element of lis
former archetype. which pToclsimed peace on
I earth and good will 10 all men, to cause every
/ ere 10 sparkle and every heart 10 palpitate,
when the cauSe OF human advance nent Is
brought forward Every phianthropic mind
aud geLerOus hand earnestly engages 10 its pro-
motion. aud even the most selfish and uufeeiiug
acknowledge it in Importance.
/ Man in possession of the powers that God
has given him. is without excuse for not cult
waiting them. Let Hs glance at some OF the re-
. suits Of education. The greater wages Of edG-
Gated wOrkmen, and the swarlns OF be-gars
F that iufest those countries where the education
. Of the masses Is neglected. show that it pre-
vents poverty. Ii lessons crime in all It's forms
by giving pleasing AMI profitable employment
F for leisure hoRrs II has been well said The
idler's head is the devils workshop and il IS
. most true that the old fellow will a'wavs sug-
gesg some OF his work 20 those whom he finds
doing nothing Trace the history Of our drunk.
ards, gamblers, robbers, Wanderers, and fel,
/ lows OF every grade, trace them back TO the
{ years OF their innOcency, mark their 6rst steps