Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-07-21
Tor the Fayetteville Observer
Educational.

ton to be answered, in the inter
i'm, with many is +: "Where shall
! endmy child, children or ward 2"
as the case may be. The writer
has no such momentous questions
to be determined-no interest be-
yond a desire to see a radically
sound system adopted for the ed
ucation of those, in whose hands
the future of the world will soon
be placed. From a disinterested
standpoint it is not difficult to rem
der a disinterested judgment. II
is time that parents were realiz-
ing the worth of the money paid
out for educational purposes. Ev-
cry dollar should bring its guam
tum of real benefit to their chill
dren. need not say where this
will not be done, but | can safely
suggest where it can be effected,
and thorough building up Of all
educational fabric obtained-not
"from turret to foundation stone" "
or-as some Englishman was
pleased to remark of the Ameri-
con system of education--begin-
hing at the top, or ornamental,
and going do'onaoard toward the
bottom, or rudiments-but up, up
from foundation to turret--from
the first step up the hill, to the
temple upon its summit, where
the student may look back, and
recognise every inch of ground he
mas gone over.
Truly, "what a great fire a lit
tie spark kindleth;" but there be
many sparks that die out and kim
die nothing, awkwardly applied.
1t takes q dexterous hand to en-
fire that delicate thing, the "young
idea" Children have not equal
capacities, nor like sensibilities.
Teachers, as well as parents, must
hold council and debate in their
own minds, how they may best
reach the latch key of the under
standing of each-each perhaps
by a different route. Tact alone
can effect it, united to a conscien-
tious desire to discharge duty to
God, or the principle of Right as
we'll as a noble pride in the per-
fected work OF their own hands.
Not every man or woman, who
comes recommended as thorough
ly educated themselves, will act
from these notions and, not only
instruct pupils in the various
branches of education proper, but
endeavor to lead their tastes and
minds to take hold on whatever
may have refining and purifying
influence when they are done
with the school room-and to re-
ject with disgust every thing con-
trary to good sense and the high
behests of immortal mind. If
this were SO, many follies that en-
cumber social life would disap
pear. Good sense would rule,
where now a dearth of reason,
and stagnation of soul make the
details of life irrational and I'M
satisfactory. Inordinate worship
of fashion, wax-chewing, snuf-dip-
ping, and the enticements to which
young men are subjected even
sterner evils, are the result of ennni
--ennui, of that neglect, for which
those are accountable who should
have trained their minds, and d.
rected their tastes toward pursuits
worthy of rational beings. Some
teachers are found who conscien-
tiously discharge this duty. Those
of this order, generally, have as
much to uado as would take ses-
sion to accomplish, before they
can begin the advancement OF
scholar. Some pupils require to
be taught how much they have been
learning, all awry, and bow little
they do know, before they can be
taught how much they can know;
in short, must be led back before
they can be put in the right path
forward. A teacher can have but
little influence, comparatively, in
one, or even two, sessions, but