M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-12-06
Newspapers and Education.

late at school," "DO you cross the
river 10 60 to school" mo, sir, but
] have been to my aunt's on a visit
and am now going back; lm afraid
my mother will not let me 90 again il
am late" "What are you StudyingF
ppm in ancient geography, rhetoric
composition and grammar. 'DC
you not study modern geography 2
mo, sir, but am going to study
physiology geology and metaphysics.
"Are you, indeeG" "Yes, sir, my
mother says they are the fashionable
branches; modern geography an
arithmetic are 80 common, You know
Everybody learns them She wants
ME to learn the higher branches. ~
"Will you take message to your
mother from me 2" eyes, sir. >
TEL her that you met gentleman
on the ferry boat who told you that
ancient geography, and rhetoric, and
physiology are not the studies for
child Of your age, and that modern ge-
ography, arithmetic and . good news
paper are the highest branches. Don't
forget this"
1t would be for us a perilous under
taking to assert that girls, in general, ,
are not equal to boys, and consequent.
Iy that women arc not equal to men.
We assert no such thing. Wo are
afraid to do tive fear almost to put
the case alphabetically. Are girls
equal to boys, and women equal to
men, in tact and ability TO accom-
plish what is equally within the ca
pacity of either sox9 Have they equal
presence Of mind in danger, equal
readiness Of resource, equal knowl-
edge Of passing events, equal power
to seize new art and TO take advantage
Of opportunitiess To sum up in a
word, do they make as much and as
good use Of their faculties as boys and
men
Why notl Is it because master
Bob asserts adivino right to the news
paper OF mornings, SO that Ills sister
poor little soul, is obliged to 60 to
sc;icol to have all the philosophy
thrust down her intellectual threat,
without any knowledge of tho real
matters in life by which they are il.
lustrated and to which they are ap.
plied2 Is it because the poor child
must drink in rhetoric without having
read the fine periods Of Douglas and
Everett, or the glowing eloquonce and
the criticism of the leading columns ?
Is it because she is in the maids
hands TO be "too fixed up" with her
Thoughts and aspirations directed to a
new hoop skirt, and to have her hair
and her mind twisted in;o cnrls, while
Bob is catching die magnetism Of du.
tiful great dee Is, by reading telo-
grams from California, France, Eng.
land, Italy and China?
Ma is going to make herself over
again in her child. she never reads
the papers, excepting the marriages
and fashions, and the horrors, and the
sckening romances, aad the small
gossip, and why should her daughter!
Some judicious families and circles
must be excepted from this note carl.
cature, where we see girls equal to
boys, growing up into women who
will not be inferior to men.
1t is possible that we overrate the
Influence of the newspaper as an edu.
Gator, but we think not. 1t is The
voice Of the living world. 1t is his.
tory, art, philosophy, science, truth
Justice, rhetoric, grammar, and every
thirg else-not unmixeG with false
hood and nonsense, but not more 81
mixed than the home infant schoo
for girls, from which boys break away
before their bones are out Of the girls
tie. Take Grammar, Natural Ilisto
ry, Rhetoric and Composition. Wher,
are these so well taught as in the care
fully edited newspapers What bette
lesson in Rhetoric than to see SOM
popular writer or famous scholar roas
ted alive on the hot Goals of criticism
, Where are better examples of tastetu
composilion9 Where are better ex
amples of tasteful composition!-
Where is better cabinet OF natura
history? What in all the world es
capes the newspaper editor1 And
) he commits blunders in grammar
, logic, or fact, Or philosophy, is he no
forthwith served up on a gridiron b,
another editorG Where, but in tL
newspaper, will be found runnin.
history OF all the literature of the day
!, Where else are you told what book
f you may safely buy, what are no
worth putting on your shelves, ant
= would be as hurtful to the minds o
your children as henbane to thei
boGies9- Century. a..'
.-~---~->---~->.---~->.-~~~>-~,
ELoPEMENr IN AsHTABULA County
, Mrs. Harrington, ,ag4d thirty.tiv'
wears. the mother of three children