Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-03-16
Edncntion through Amusement. for the
Young.

Edncntion through Amusement. for the
Young.
The most important of all social TOPICS, next
to the mere question Of subsistence, relates to
the education Of our children. 1t lies AZ the
very root of society and shapes the desinies of
every State. In The nation or the individual.
knowledge is emphaticaIly and practically u wv
er, while ignorance is nteriori,y and weak ness.
The question of course ari es as to the kind
and quality of knowledge and the methods by
which it is to be impaired TO the youthful mind
And here our doctors on the subject of tuition
disagree, some preferrng quantity to quality,
and others thinking that to know less in super
fetal breadth but more in solid depth is by far
the wiser plan. There are few, in our time,
who dispute the axiom that the mere training
of the head without the discipline of the heart
is, in the bulk OF cases, disastrous mistake,
and that without foundation, on the princi-
pies OF revealed religion embracing the moral
code, the intellectual fabric is built upon the
sand. This admitted. the next natural inquiry
is how we shall best instruct the child with
pleasure as well as profit to itself. This is a
most weighty nay sometimes even vital ques-
ton. There still linger in the world ascetics
to whom nothing is palatable without a due ad-
mixture of gall and vinegar, who quarrel with
the summer sunshine, the song of the bird, the
humming of the bee, and the dyes and fra
ance OF the Hover, it they intrude even by
proximity upon the gloomy recesses in which
they prefer to imprson their pupils and bind
them down to tasks, as though sweet childhood
were felony and learning one OF the Affections
of this "vale of tears" To these Gradgrinds of
the schoolroom there is no hope of successful
appeal. They hold up the Divine Father Of
our lo"s q, as dark s eng morose despot they
spread tne pa" oi nproiu Ianc'es over the oeau-
u'u' wor'u ."at ne mas ulhue us ,or nome
""u '"SS! P"'"I cue 'ut"'e '"a' "eS y'"u ""h
co'oIS iuriu' threatening ana gnaS'Iy: lnese
are Tue INSTRUCTORS WHO are sowing m'sah'hro-
py' somore supers'li9h, ana tragic e%aSgera-
non broadcast through the world lnpy iced
lheir nocK on ol'ler huSkS ana sour Kernels
ana "neh 'he lh'e''ec'ual lhu'SeS'ioh OF aler
years mas come, ascr'oe 'ne symptoms OF mental
ana moral disease 10 the innate Wlckeuness OF
man.
There is stlll another and Tar more numerous
class, who, in lighter way, do nearly as much
harm. These are the fashionable, patent, la
test style Instructors, or destructors, rather,
with which many OF our so called hlgh schools
abound. Their system Is to cram the pupll
with heterogeneous mass OF isms, oiogles, and
les, and call that RAPID advancement. Your 1T
tie one comes nome TO you mounting strange
words OF most portentlous sound ana lenglh
talking b,S,' as the children so often call IL IN
their own SraphIc parlahcc' on', iunaameh'ai'
y, knowing almost no'hinS OF their import OF
1t, indeed trlcked out ana gafnlshed IKE snow
poultry, with all these ou is ana ehds Oh every
'nlng green ana crudc' lar less posted IN 'he
simpiest uSelui OF oe"ut'iu' tn'nsS o' l'e Una"
'he parrot on "hose P''nc'ples VI euuoa''o'
their tutors nave seemed SO s'uu'ouSy 10 mou
ell them ,.r.,
hoy or glrl 10 schooi " feeeNe 'ne ruu''he"'
ct appropriate instruction intended 10 store an an'
n uenne'oPe, Us wen US 10 emoe'llsh Tue ui'nu' ln
on''u ooues ""cA 'o you very per. anu iea',
I" "u'o"i",o" ue'esuhg oooAs, Young schooi
ooTe' ana longing Tor dress or horses.
fortunately along with other advances, there
mas at length, sprung up school OF teacher
with whom common sense is synonymous witt
the real poetry and beauty OF Gods universe
ana their principle based on reason, oOserva
Ton ana experience, Is that all true knowledge
properly communicated is IKE al true an'
"en-auap'eu iaonr' per!ect'y a',r"c'Ne' Ines
aie ''ie 'ue"s Vi '"e 'i'S"teieu '.'en "l,o n"'
introduced ana are ehuea'orihS 10 rehuer UNI
versa! III our cUuu'I! we siNeui o' o1JeG
'eachins, so Called melhod that dlscarus al
text books not absolutely necessary ana au
dresses tsei uirec''y 10 'he Vi'ac'ous cutloS''
anu coWPrehe"s'Uh OF t"e enid INC theor
OF TINS mos' eNce''eht metnou Is 'ha' ,he mo
ment 'he INFANT opens "S eyes upon '''e que
woriu' II Is not merely reauy out most eager :
iea'n' lus' "e " pay 1, -, " oS'',? y
uhe' TO engage III souet"'nS' anu u I.
a"uSuu' Acce!''"e '"'s t!'t NV" ""'v'e' ,, :
us lu''eS! meaning ''e ooJeot 'e"un.'S os'
'Ap.ain'ns .ne uei't"'rou an" Wv y, ent,
oJec' '"a' s"r'o""us ,ne '.''ie PuP", VI
sl'nP'e l"nGuose' ,anl'''ai iu,"s1s, anu p,eas"'
anu easy iHus,ru''ps. g. ihu" ,ne ".se"''on Ut
W e tnau n "oe ON 1ui b;io Ls das;,
u @ HvpI ".'re ann :; "n"e a., ' bnha
daoraa Erner;ron, TO- =, go ;ns,onns >,
D.. suiIed in NOT only comnIe,e snccess bnt in ,r
umnbs ,ha, far exceeded ali tha, the mos, sar
puine beleyer in the system had anticipate,
Uealb enioyment. and rauid. natural. eas
d.yelonmen, of The faculties of thought and OF
ssrya,ion we're found TO 90 hand in hand, an
, the noor dnll over,axed nupils of the crowde
and nvholesome schoolroom were rapidly lie
Tor bahind hv the hrioht ioyous little creature
, Who's very nloys and plavGround itself becau
hv tho NOW systcm additional means of al
,oroaroon, Indoors the ric,ure the diagran
,Ln a,;r,a,a Or ;nanimnta snecimen of The o
. W. w.. '1"s l;san.a;or - rreser,od ,o The ca,
. J.ui ".ue' n,;or " ~ tho nn,ils win such d
aoG ";,,;'na -" ara mos, olInrino vet thorouf
! So'i F,.'Yn, "' h;ia o,,Sids IN Tho omen n
u anu p'"e..u', """., oe nn,,,ro ,ha ear,b 4
! hoaEeons tho animal ,be bird tbe plant. al
= ~" i,os"i aro mrosSod into The service
=, ,bai, d"i;ab,,d ;n,ausc,s
'"1,i ,S,, ,I s,s,,, ha. Ior, bser rroc,is
- 49,, ;',''e'.aI na 1!,LonIs 81 Gornony and S,y
1o,'nj a,'J hos Moan on,nloyhJ hy the Italia
VI.