San Andreas independent., 1858-02-13
The American Girls Education.

tue uduuS VI tHeSe Two INDIVIDUALS the
whole school, as general thing, is desired
TO pass by teachers and parents. French
is studied as an accomplishment. The
result usually is that when young lady
is finished off, she can play six tunes on
the piano, has executed three pieces of
drawing, or painting, which papa buys
frames for and hangs up in a parlor for
exhibition to visitors; has done 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 comprehended,
and she has in her hands nothing, not
even the instruments for winning the ac-
complishments which she and her friends
imagine she possesses.
We have seen such finished off young
women by hundreds. They are picked
up by the hundred by infatuated young
men, and made into wives and house
keepers. Our readers call upon such wives
every fair day. They will see the school
girls efforts in drawing transplanted from
the old home where papa placed them, to
bloom upon the walls of the husband S
house, an evidence that she was once "ac-
complished." There stands the piano.
You ask her to play She sits down re-
luctantly, and gives you one of the I'M
mortal six that she made you sick of when
she returned from school. She has not
learned tune since Her husband says,
with a sigh, that she hasn't played any
since she was married. She cannot even
play simple piece of sacred music at
sight, to accommodate company of sing
ing friends who happen in upon Sabbath
evening. You toss her French BON mot,
and she stares; or you ask her to render
French quotation against which you
stumble in review, bat she has forgot
ten her French" You meet at an assem-
bly,, and she walks quadrille like an au-
tomaton or stumbles at every turn in 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
system of female education is, the making
of accomplishments, as they are called,
practical. Music, drawing and language
are sciences. Therefore, thorough induc-
tion into the principles of these should be
the first object, and not the simple manu-
al or lingual practice that may be neces-
sary to show results that have been arrived
at without passage through the legiti-
mate channel. How many girls can
sketch from nature? How many are
taught to sketch thus? How many who
yeturn home accomplished" can sketch
even the old domicil in which they were
reared !? How many can paint the tiger
lily that occupiesa cornerof the door-yard?
How many can take simple piece of
music and play or sing it at sight How
many go on from the foothold they have
achieved and become mistresses of the de-
hghtful art, soothing the husband when
weary and alone, or entertaining his friends
when they call upon him? We suppose
not one in fifty. Their accomplishments
are a gilded cheat. The money spent to
obtain them IS dead loss, and the time
sohich they hare occupied should haze
been deuoted to more solid studies, IN
phich three .fourths are deficient, from
the simple fact that their time has been
10 unproftably occupied
We can think of nothing more charm
ing in married woman, after pleasant
temper and true heart, than the ability
to amuse herself and cultivate her own
tastes and powers in the pursuit of orna-
mental art, and charm her friends by the
production of her pencil or the music of
her voice. Yes, we mistake--there is one
thing better than this the ability to
write sensible letter, crossing her ct S,
and dotting her ssi's," and obeying the
rules of syntax But then we can't ex-
pect everything, particularly if woman
be accomplished.
The above remarks are very true, and
are applicable to much of the superficial
knowledge now being disseminated in the
various " institution" of high renown and
elegant extravaganza, which are so liber-
ally advertised in the eastern papers, with
high-sounding references and host of
Principals and Professors Of Nothing
to do" Californians should give their
children a California education; it is bet
ter and cheaper than any other-and as
all the benefits and happiness of sound
education comes from home" children
should be taught "to look at home" to
get it. In many counties, primary schools
have reached perfection even superior
to those of the eastern States. Even in
the mines is this the case, and it affords
us great pleasure to know that Tuolumne
is far in advance of her neighbors in this
respect, as evidenced by the following,
written by Mr.. James O'Sullivan, editor
of the Sonora Herald, and published in
his paper of the 9th inst:
VISIT TO THE SCHOOL Room. = On
Tuesday afternoon, having an hour to spare