American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-23
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STUMBLING BLOCKS.

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Men often neglect their, best interests
from motives of avarice, appetite, and
other selfish and short-sighted considera-
tions; but quite different cause of
apathy in reference to this subject will be
considered and scarcely know with
what words to designate this cause. DIR,
johnson, the great English lexicograph-
er, so remarkable for the extent of his
literary culture, and for his conversation
al powers, sometimes announced his dc
totne, in manner which was characterized
more by decision and blunt force, than
by elegance and suavity. For instance,
1t is said that being, "One evening, in
campany, he was descanting on the misery
of human life, and maintaining that no
one, in whatever situation, could be hap
py in this world when an old maiden
lady, remarkable for her eheerfulness and
resignation, observed: must be allowed
sir, to differ from you, for, thank Heaven,
| am extremely happy. Madam It's i'm
possible cried johnson sternly, for yon
are old, ugly. sichly, and poor." This is
what Some people call speaking their
mind right out" No doubt Dr.Johnson,
when in such mood, would have express
sed his idea of the cause of the indiffer-
ence to education which ! have in mind,
by the words Inaccessible ignorance. But
DR.. johnson was great leader ofpubdc
opinion and could speak out his thoughts
and be listened to with Difference. 1t
becomes an obscure and insignificant
scribbler to offer his crude opinion less
forcibly; so let the matter be bolstered
up in this shape: prominent cause OF a
want of interest in education are Uague
and confused ideas on the subject Some
people say: Education is good thing"
but they do not try to promote the well
fare of that good thing by lending their
assistance in the great work of elevating
and improving our common schools, and
thus their faith in the great thing is shown
to be dead faith Others believe that
schools twill do" as places where their
children can learn "to read, write, and
cipher," and have their brains filed with
lot of modern tom-foolery, all of which
combined make awful high taxes. =
These two classes of people are undoubt-
edly afflicted with vague and confused
ideas on the subject of education, altho'
there are, no doubt, many thrifty and
really excellent people among them. Let
us look at two stumbling blocks in their
way. .....
LIST. They mistake knowledge-the bald
facts of arithmetic, grammar and other
sciences, for education. According to
this idea, the mind represents a store box !;
into it knowledge can be stuffed and
iammed until it is full. The fortunate
recipient then supposed to be absolutely
" ousge1rent mo use to go to school any
longer such course would only crack
the already filled brains. They forget
no not forget, for they have never known
that education means not only the tor
ing of the mind with knowledge, thus
dispelling ignorance, but also the devel-
oping of the capability of seeing and ap-
preeiating the wisdom, power and good
ness of God, as displayed above around
and within us, thus opening up new fields
of thought; also training in correct hab
its, imbuing with lofty principles, cult
waiting the. manners, refining the taste
imparting skill and efficiency, in sho,t
education is the handmade of Christiani-
ty in raising up man from ignorance.
weakness, and wickedness, to live a life
worthy Of. a being created in the image Of
God, with powers and capabilities but
little inferior TO those of angels.
End. They mistake routine for educa-
tion. "A young man spends sisted time
in going over fixed course at high
school, an academy, or college; some
mysterious, magical, educating influence
is supposed to be in the name, the place,
the apparatus and the professor and SO
at the end of the prescribed time, the
young man is expected to be turned out
of the mill, his education finished, and
like certain graduated boarding school
miss, he may at once set about burning
his books. Chance throws lazy and
worthless scamp of student in their way
so they very sagely argue themselves in
to the belief that all students are lazy and
worthless. OF course, if such folks had
never seen any sheep and were to see a
black one they would conclude that
because one sheep is black therefore all
sheep are black. And you couldn't per
suade them to be otherwise, no not them,
for didn't they see the sheep, and wasn't