Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-08-18
From the Examiner.
REFORM IN FEMALE EDUCATION

REFORM IN FEMALE EDUCATION.
have just been reading the list of stud
les in a female f" college )" it is frightful.-
Why should a girl spend all her precious
time on such studies as she will be sure to
drop in a few years? Why not learn what
she will need to use in active life Why
should not the leading principle on which
the selection of studies is made, by the
conductors OF our female seminaries, be
tins: 10 give the main attention to such
things as cannot be dropped, but will mix
themselves up withthe duties of every day {?
r
secretly dissatisfied with the present s+a+o
OF things; they feel that sometb;n~ :
wrong, they can hardly tell what !. tbev 5avo
not courage to attack the preiudices of a
multitude; their daughters wish 70 he ed.
ucated as other girls are; thew know Of ~
sInooi mat seems to be aiming at the right
thlng; go toschool somewhere thew must
a reform is too large an affair to befbonobt
OF Just now; and SO the evil is endured
IN inc present system there is DOWNRIGHT
cruelty for two reasons one is, a GIRL has
a considerably shorter time for study than
a boy the other is, her physical sf.enoth
is very much less; yet her course is crow
Heo with fashionable studies which REQUIRE
long and hard labor. She gets q verv i'm
perfect knowledge of them; even that poor
Ano"iedge, having no connection with he
business OF life, % fades out while tba
branches that would have been Of solid
oeheht she has learnt little OF, for want Of
SlHle" q girl leaves school stunned and
distracted, but not educated. Hundreds
as they read this article. will saw. at the
1ottom OF their consciences: This is true.
But parents dare not acknowledge # to
daughters, nor daughters to parents. The
young woman would not like to confess TO
herself that she has losther education tho
mother could not bearit: the father wouId
not DC pleased at the loss of SO mucb
money. MUCH
The great principle on which 7 would
select female studies is this First secure
those which are more closely connected
win the business of life, and are involved
10 IL continually. Moral philosophy orthe
science OF duty intellectual philosophy.
or the management of mind a thorouch
Knowledge of the English language-tbese
tnings are never dropped. They are new
y ial1 aside for a single day, from youth
~ olu age; cannot be. General ideas of
natural philosophy are indispensable. not
long treatlses for machinists. The history
u English literature, given in familiar lee
lures is OF much Importance, and a solid
accomplishment. Biblical antiquities. Bib.
neal geography, such studies as throw liobt
on the Blble-it is a shame for oirls to be
aeprlVed OF these; they will be connected
win tneir best consultations when the tri-
ais OF life begin to appear.
Rhetoric, that charming and exciting
study, how miserably is it carried on ;9
some OF our higher schools A nile of
nifty compositions is looked over loosely
a few mlsspelt words arc corrected Int
0 few are the seminaries where the SON
fences and clauses, the SYNONYMS. the mar
hclples, are closely examined; the logical
structure OF the composition, the mode of
presenting the subject, the order of ideas
discussed, and the faults pointed out!A
there Is nothing whatever of which tba
memory Is more tenacious thar spch COR
rectlons. Properly managed. no mental
dlsclpilne Is equal TO that which comes ont
OF a course of Rhetoric so TAUGHT. And
VIA mixes itself more intimately with
daily life afterwards
And HIsToRY-ah, here is a diff cultv. uo
americans are VIGOROUSLY deficient in this
eleVating pursuit the trouble is to find teach.
10 Sin not now talking of dry outline
sy gopy the name of history. Only in IA
nilar lectures, condensed from his W ex-
lensiVe reading, by an enthusiastic teacher
can history be well taught. 1t is then the
most fascinating and improving of all studies
Let a suitably qualified teacher get into tho
mlno OF his class the fundamental idea of
lhouern history, viz: the gradual rise of !
nc" ana better civilization from the settles
tnents OF the barbarians in the Roman En-.
pre-. IN the fifth century and onward. LET tho
pupil seize the grand conception. and oo on
tracing out the process, having an eve nnon
= superlntending Providence let her under.
what was contributed toward Euronean
by each principal event down
tnrVugn the middle ages; let the ebaractar
anu pollcy OF great men be explained To her
now impressive, how TRANSPORTING Thss
are never efEaced from the nil
auo- ne. nc imagination, the conscience I
s; J;y power OF the mind is engaged and dis, s
~ !, tne student is afterwards so sit !
lAecu .nat she can read history; her read;ng
: Ploneaoie' because the general system IS /
iAep 20 ner mind; she has a place to STOW /.