Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-03-11

is this power amenable to its creator? 1t is fair
to infer that anything, or power lent for time
ought to be returned at the required time; il
not with interest, at least unabulterated, unpOl-
luted, to the hands of its Maker; as did the
martyr Stephen, when his great soul (power of
thOughtl said, Lord Jesus, receive NV spirit. .
How many have, like Hamlet, read words, y
but the power within sufficient to electrify these
words and mgke them really live again." was
not there. Yet words are immortal, because
God-given thought (of which the forms are but
the winding sheets) is immortal.
Still there must be food for thought add books
have their place; but one must live on cold
Vlctuals, AhO will eat only what has been cook
ed and digested for him by some book-maker.
With the living soul words are SO MANY SER
wants. ready to run at the bidding, or stay till
you choose which shall go.
| Practical difficulties in the wayl Who ever
made one great mind7 Did Daniel Webster's
teachers make his2 If they did, why didn't
Ithey make another2 Jesus Christ, that teacher
who taught as never man taught, never had any
disciple like Hmm or were any two alike
There were twelve distinct characters in those
twelve men taught by him. and one of those
was a hypbcrite and traitor. In my own lit
tie family l have endeayored to study three lit
tie minds, and they are three different ones, and
with the same teaching, so far as | am able,
have never found any two children alike
have your They are so created that they are
different, and yet humanity is the same They
have an individuality. We may eat the same
flood, bring the same influences to bear upon us:
but we cannot be made to think alike or act
alike in everything, yet in the great essentials
1.-THE main points-we agree. Let us learn
first what true minds will not dispute about
land let us look for the pure gold in each indi-
vlduality. How shall We get at it? Here comes
our I'd question again. How shall we educe the
pure gold from each mind2 If we try all WAYS
much time must be lost. Let us have a system
by which we can collect the experiences of
practical men, the the grand army can begin to
go forward. But, alas if we strive never so
earnestly, there always have been cases whereby
some avalanche OF passion, some flaw of wind
beyond our control, our @dish" has been unset.
and the precious contents upon which we have
bestowed much labor is lost to US forever; and
here lies the foundation of all the difficulties in
the way. Now, what man has the right to set
himself up as the measure of other men? or
what set of men have the rightto make the con-
science for others? But let the author of that
conscience be its teacher.
Is there living God2 l submit that it would
be harder 10 show why the idea of a God has
always been so universal among all the sons of
men, than it would be to show that man was not
the ultimate fact, not the first source from which
all good or knowledge of good must come; and
now propose lst, Union Convention of men
of all creeds to give Us what laws they all wish
taught in schools-( 1t is to be hoped all wish
some laws taught there;) I'd, l propose Ma
tiOnal Bureau of Election-a system of record
Ofresults, or the educational experiences of our
teaches, touching the moral physical and men,
tai condition Of the children and yocnths, for
most certainly the State is interested in these
matters and why not make systematic enqui-
ry into them all? My next proposition is this:
That our Primary school children be confined to
school discipline Just one half of the time, daily
that they now are. l would have our tender
est, youngest ones go to school half of each day.
Just divide Primary school in two classes or
each large class into two parts and have one part
go id the A. N. one term, while the other part
remains at home In the P. u. let the second
part go to school and the first remain at home.
What shall we gainf Much every way. In
cities not as many houses half as many Prima-
Iry school teachers and the little tender limbs
not oVerworked. These little ones will uot be
obliged to sit still and wait for their turn, half
as long as any day, learn to kill time by near
ly or quite killing themselves Has not our
stufing process in school something to do with
the alarming mortality of our children between
the ages of five and fifteen? / say freely in nv
little children, from five to eight years old to sit
day, for four and five hours, or even three hours,
to hear even an angelfrom Heaven speak Why.
if we go to church on Sunday and sit an hour
and a hG5f We are so tired that the second SER
mon don't do US any good, or the first one Ell
ther, generally. Now this is only one half as
long-and once week-as / would propose to
pin dOloR their muscular activity, for fue DAYS
per week, and go with you to church on Sun-
day, besides. Think of it. Custom is every
thing we know, but. Just suppose for moment |
that it was not custom, and came here and re-
commended that we should oblige the youngest
children, who, when left to themselves, cannot
keep still five minutes at time; | say, if /
should seriously recommend the combining them
twice as long for five days per week as you are |
in church, or at lecture, say once week-and |
this is ten times long each week for the schol-
60 and bear your fatigue with you on |
Sunday besides, would you not call me cruel? |
And yet parents are to-day doubling this dose. |
Strange Secondly, on this subject we should |
give the large boys and young men, (and why |
not the girls, also?) who are obliged to leave
school, and work for living, we should give |
these some educational advantages; for, as / |
have previously shown, every one is personally |
in the character of every one with |
whom their son or daughtrr, OF brother or SIS
ter may come in contact Therefore, without |
much more, if any more outlay of money. | |
would have for the higher grades-as Seconda-
ry, intermediate and Grammar-a morning ses-
sion for the whole school, including the oldest /
and strongest, with certain course of study.
And, one half of the school year, during the |
long evenings, Iwould have an evening session
in the cities, for the oldest and strongest, to-
gether with all those who work in the day time
and wish to go to school. Two sessions per
day, morning and evening, and, let this even
ing session have separate course of study.-I
BY these means many poor boy could get a
common school education and trade together
And, would have the girls, in the afternoon,
earn to cook and sew, and cut and make their |
own clothes, / would have the boys learn a
trade or begin TO prepare themselves for the oc-
,upation of their own choice. We make no
provision for particular trades in the public
schools.
An old Jewish maxim runs thus: '.He who |
eacheth not his son trade, teacheth him to be
thief. =" The wise Solon made law excusing
every son who was not taught trade by his fa-
hee, from supporting him in his old age Now,
S this plan for division of time and classes,
&C.. mOonshine, or is there good in it?
Next, every man and woman should notice
md encourage by a kind word, every gentle
manly boy and lady like girl of their acquaint-
nee, and caution the wayward, instead of
peaking against them. A word fifty spoken;
low good is it.
Again; it is the duty and should be the privi-
ege of parents to provide suitable amusements
or their children. They viii provide for them
elves, if we do not for them. These should be
ctive sports, or sights and sounds-sound and
ense. The love of all the sciences can be
aught by suitable amusements. Let US do
hat we can to make children happy,
And will state here, that for several years,
ave treasured the idea that the sun was per-
ectly willing to paint in his best style, any
hing in nature seeable, to place under the pow
r of the Magic Lantern, and to-day | know it
an be done; and unless am little insane on
hat point as an educational agency it cannot
7ell be overrated
l propose to teach Natural History and the
physical sciences better, quicker, much more
more eattractive-by the help
f Photography and the Magic Lantern. Every
hing that the sun PAINS is perfect. Not0 edu- :
ate or exercise the eye to observe correctly, and
re have perfect conception of the particular {
hing we are studying; so better and quicker, {
nd more generally-because the man who has 6
force the