Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-09-29

The AtaEtic Monthly for the current month las a
fine essay in which the practice of overtaskiog the
minds of children with study is denOminated 'Ihe
murder Of the innOcents" And not only oyertask-
ing the minds, but spelling the bodies too, of the
boys and girls who have such mental labor to per-
f0rm that there is no vitality left for the
development of the body. The Cincinnati Gd=ste
says e-sf-.
We know little girl not yet in her teens who ia be
iug efectusy killed Of b. this HerOGian method Of
education SAe attends of the best of the Female
Seminares here, and is, we believe, regarded az a
good student. She comes home from schoolst Two o.
clock every afternoon, and from that time till nine
in the evening ia busy studying with such intervals
only as are given to swallowing her meals And at
nine O'Clock, she says, she has to go 10 bed, being
thoroughly tired and sick. From nine o'clock
AI till Two p NJ. in school, from two o'clock P. NJ
till nine o'clock A. N, studying A liberal allow
snce for recesses and meals will make the total
number of hours mental work per day, for this
little girl, nine hours. And We venture say that
no man can stand that much less little girl, whose
constitution is naturally weak, and whose frame is
not yet consolidated
Only think of it Walter Scott found Eve hours
Of mental work per day, IS much as he could bear,
and Waller Scott was as tough as the crab stick he
walked with. BulWer the novelist has lately said
that he has only devoted an average of three hours
day 20 study. reading aud writing, and how much
he has accomplished in that time.
The elder Pitt recommended to his soR daily
hour Of historical reading, thinking evidently that
one hours reading every day would ground him
thoroughly in history.
The late Mr.. Choaie in q letter to the writer of
this article, recommended ''One sacred hour day
to be given 10 the study of those great masters OF
1hoaght snd style whose 6Titings make the English
and the classical languages. The other hours,
he added "nsy be devoted TO duty in any form, but
that solsce and lTeasue, literal culture will be
yours"
Is il not trausI Iarently evident that WheR the
out eide limit Of man daily meLtal work is act at
1ye hours by Sir Walter Scott, thai when BulWer
finds thr, hours out of each twenty four for the
preparation and mpositon OF has brilliant novels,
that when Pitt comm nds an hours daily historical
reading as sufficient TO educate has son. and that
when ChoAte promises young man liberal culture
who will study The great masters an hour days
it rot We say, lransparently evident that aR IN
groHn grl rot yet arrived a. puberty, ought not to
have nine hours mental work thurst upon her eve
ry day, Sundays and Saturdays he latter only par
tally excepted? Any physlOogist knows that such
mental labor is certain death 10 the child as the
daily use OF arsenic. Nor - II much slower IN ITS
operations. The numbtr Of interesting youths and
misses who die before they come of age, is somC-
thing fearful to reflect on
And if Death 60 not come to their relief, what
miserable painful life do they live though boys
lare better than girls. Boys will be boys" thank
Gud You can't keep them absolutely still Aud
they will play truant But girls Why they viii
sit all day as mOtionless q earystid, fearing TO
disturb their dresses and they will 90 to school,
day after day, with as much regularity IS time
piece
And SO, though the boys may, by the greater
strength Of theIr instincts, be saved from absolute
death or inyalidism the poor girls are untitled to
,. toI fo ,STF IA 4oo otha
The education Of children technically speak
ing, is almost always begun too soon. The boy or
gic of four or five years, is taught that unphilo-
sophicsl and arbitrary system OF signs known as
the English Alphabet, and then set to spelling and
reading And fond parents boast that little Willie or
Nellie had read the Bib before he OF she was seVen
wears old Just as if it did the child any good be
iakened spy strength of intellect' 1t may show
pyscoeiV-qnite different thing, though, from
strength.
Another mistake Is made in teaching children so
mueh from books Books are the wise mans tools.
They are not the chids store houses from which to
draw unlimited supplies Of wisdom.
The trde way to teach child is by the mouth.
Answer his questions Make every thing as plain
and clear TO him as possible. He will see and hear
enough that is strange, to him. at least, to supply
him with enough questions, and to give you work
enough in answering them
Wsat have been called sc feet lessons" are the
most useful leschings young child receives laey
are indeed the only lessons he should learn IN
primary school. By and by his curiosity will be
awakened to know what books are, and what they
contain; and when put to the alphabet he will mas
ter it with the greater ease and pleasure because
he knows il is the hey to something pleasant ana
valuable.
But we have no purpose to pursue the subject oil
Educational methods further.
What we DO wish to impress on the minds Of parents
"a tha ima nd al of
minds st the expense of the body. Nature will not
allow her laws TO be disregarded with imPunity !;
and no fees TO lawyers, nor bribes TO jufies can
avert the punishment that follows upon transgres
sio0. @ .-. 80,
Aad another fact deserves the attention Of teach
ers aud parents. No mind thus forced and stImu-
lated can be healthy and strong Il may break
down into idioey-it may lie driven into insanity
and if it escapes these, il will still be inferior IN
power aud capacity to the mind which was educated
With Cue regard 10 physiological laws, and grew
slowly Aeslthily and surely.