The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1859-09-23
MODERN FINISH.

ougmy lInoued with the lever Oh the
street is TO acquire wealth and take It
all with him to some underlined shadow
in the time to come, and sit down there
and enjoy it. Others have fretted their
three score and ten away after this
fashion, and others no doubt viii, as
time advances. until fashion puts on
another shift. How common is the
expression "All I desire to do, is to
give my children good education"
This is the apology for a life of ftfal
fevers. What is understood by "a good
education % 1t is ornament and finish
fiummery and glided trippings. Chill
dren are brought up in idleness, are
taught to avoid anything like perma-
nent honest calling, become effeminaie
and weak mentally as well as physi
cally, and go to seed without becoming
to maturity. They are finished when
fit for nothing. The boys are .expec-
ted to live by thy wits and when they
find the learned profession all crowded
to overlooking they apply for diplomas
as gentlemen of leisure and take a seat
at the card table. A good moral char
acter is of no worth-smartness is what
is wanted. That is most expr essive
word as applied to rising young men.
1t means the knowledge of how to OBJ
tain something for nothing, and do it
in such way asto shave all the cor
ners of criminal law and move about
scotfree, whilst the less smart are
caught in traps set for them. 1t is
fashionable to throw away the best
half of life In the school-room. The
New York Sun gives US a good arti-
Gle on this subject;
"This is an age in which the schol
master is abroad In this country es-
pecially, he appears in every phase Of
his divested character. The State pat
ronizes him; the city is most liberal
in the provision which it makes for
him. The school-room, the lecture
room, rhe church, the bar, the forum
and that mighties of all agene les, the
printing press, are freely used by him
in bis great beneficial work of educat
ing the people. Newspapers, almos
infinite in their variety; books with
out end pamphlets, tracts and essay:
without number, are spread eaptivat
ingly before those who hunger aud
thirst after knowledge. Even dumt
walls, board fences and and gate post
are made to blszon forth exciting in
duoenents to the multitude TO enlarge
the range of their information.
No one has marked or studied tbs
characteristics of this wonderful age
this nineteenth century of light ant
knowledge and human progfess-eal
have failed to be convinced that unu
sual and extraordinary efforts are be
ing made to invent and apply forcing
processes by which all the faculties Q
the mind can be brought TO the high
est state of perfection at the earlies
possible period in life. We mourn th
decline Of intellectual power and phys
cal yigor among our public men, hu
to compensate for this, We have nun
berless prodigies Of learning anon
our infant population. Our boys fror
ten to twelve struggle with algebra
quantities and the hard problems (
Euclid. Our girls are miracles {
musical skill at seven, and before the
are fourteen, their lingual and otht
! accomplishments defy description.
Fond papas and manlas regard wit
proud admiration the mental growt
), of their children under the forcin
!. process, and fail to observe until tc
i late, its DISASTROUS effect upon Il
!. physical powers of the moral chara
ter. No more than the teachers who
they employ, do they estimate right
the importance Of "a sound body
3 This fast age, and they think til
# their children must be men and "
d men, and have finished their eduet
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