Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-10-08
A Word on Education,

We attach a wrong and very limited mean
ing to the term education, when we conclude
that because an individual is college gradu-
ate Ne is necessarily an educated man. 1t is
quite possible for him to leave college almost
wholly untitled properly to discharge any of
the active duties Of lifo.
We would not speak again't colleges, or
Gle mental trairing youn. man should
there receive, bat in our opinion education
comprises much more than the mere book
knowledge thus acquired. In fact, to be
recipient Of knowledge, is, rather. to receive
the means Of becoming educated. Educ;l-
t'on should embrace everything which tends
so'the full Development, in the greatest pos
sible perfection, Of the whole man.
Onr system Of education, especially in New
England, scarcely recognizes development Of
the whole man at all; but looks merely to the
storing the mind with knowledge, and ,g-
norcs the great fact in mental hygiene, that
for mind to be developed, to receive nour-
ishment and strength from knowledge, tlat
knowledge must be diyested must be made IN
to bran-blood, if may So speak, and assim-
Hated with the mind.
Now, then, It's not SO much the amount
Of knowledge man possesses, as the Use he
makes Of it, the digesting, the limiting he
does with it, which educates the man.
When our educators, our faculties of COL
leges, and superintendents of schools will
take this idea into account, and introduce
new element into our Institutions of learn
ing-a sort of ,corking element-which shall
make every pupil apply to practical life the
principles and truths he there receives, we
shall not have SO many distorted characters,
~ many unbalanced men aud women who,
like worm-caten arplts, grvw all on one side
Of the stem,
A prominent defect in our system OF edu-
cation is orer-e,lucating The Intellectual part
Of man, to the great neglect Of the moral
and especially the physical part. \ UNI
Ermity and harmony Of the rhole should be
sustained. II a man should tightly bandAgt
one limb. and make no use of it, he woult
soon become lame, because the free leg would
outgrow the other. So with the whole man
if any part is cramped, he becomes unbal
anced, and something worse than a short lee
may be expected.
Young children are sent to school when
they are but few removes from babies
when all the vital power they possess need'
to be concentrated ON the growth of the ply
steal system; and their minds are weariec
with arithmetic, grammer, and other studie
equally as abstruse, which they can not un
derstand, and in which. Of course, they take
no interest. No wonder We have so many
dull, muddy-headed pupils, and 50 many
fretful, inpatient teachers!
five would have knowledge serve to edu
cate and develops child, We must give him
such knowledge as is suited to his menta
palate, such as he will relish, and in u man.
ner that he Can comprehend and understand
it. Another defect lies in the want of RICH,
ssorsl training.
Children should be taught to think riyd'
and act right. taught to fear to violate any
INV of God or any just law of man. This
light mo.al trimming of the young underlies
all cur happiness and prosperity as nation.
We may cultivate the intellect us much as
we please, bat so long as the physicist moral
part is neglecrod, we need hope for no better
state fs9eie'y.
HELEN Mar.