Smyrna times., 1871-10-04
Educational Veneering,

:. 'eneerlng IS great art. 1t makes things
90 20 much farther, and there is nothing an
economist likes so much as to make things
hOd out. Our ancestors were so fnnlish as 10
Dulid solid mllo&any tables, bureaus, and
sldeboardS. We know better. We have
FOUND out that piece Of wood sixteenth oi
an inch thick will transform the commonest
wood into mahogany or rosewood. And 20 the
honest Od tables ard SidebOarls have given
place TO sleek veneered ones, which look Just
as well.
A monument should be built to the man
VINO discovered this wonderful art-fnr its sp-
pllcatlohs are so numerous The crockery men
sell Imitation china; they have learned the art
OF veneerlng. The rogue veneers him elf with
the dress and manners of u gentleman. The
cook veneels her dishes. The shaky broker
we veneers his credit by keeping up appearances.
The parsOn, alas sometimes veneers his SER
mon with thin layers of learning. The doctor
VeneerS his conversation with sounding phra
se!. The politician veneers his thieving by
thin patriotism. The fortune hunter v"neers
hls cupldlty with professions OF love. What
wonderful art 1t is How bad we should fe, |
II the veneerlng were taken off and all our
purposes, requirements and pretensions, ap-
peared the naked pine and poplar that they
are
But when it comes to education. we wish
veneenng bad never teen invented. And
now that George and Maria are about to be
gin school, let US enter our protest against the
veneerlng establishments. There are schools
for boys and hundreds of schools for girls
where the whole business transacted is the
putting on OF thin layer Of outward appear
| anceS. Everything Is taught from a com.
pend. History Is boiled down to a strong de
cOction of facts and dates, and Ann Matilda is
required to swallow it. There were five
thousand on one side, commanded by General
| brown. There were seven thousand on the
other, commanded by General Smith. Gener.
| al Smith was surprised on Sunday morning,
and driven back with loss of FIVE hundred
men and three pieces of artillery" This Ann
Matilda, aud Ann Matldas parents and Ann
Matilda s friends, fOndly believe is history. II
IS paid for as history, labeled history, and must
be history. But whatever there is of philoso.
ply, OF poetry, OF culture, of mental discipline
in history is gone. This dessicated extract has
no nOurishment whatever. OF the peculiari
ties OF race, of the domestic lite, Of the under
lying causes Of history, Ann Matilda learn.
nothing. She has swallowed register, 9
gazetteer, but not history. But she has pass
ed her examination and "graduated. Hei
education is all right. 1t has the seal Of the
proper authorities on it, and she can 90 in
nrace.
Engl: Sh literature is worse taught than his
tory. 1t is a thing that cannot be learned iron
a compeud. The very essence of the highes
culture for people who speak the English Ian
guage is in English literature. But no one
can learn English literature at second hand
A good, thorough knowledge of :he author,
themselves in their works is the only road tc
this culture Aud all short cuts are only deu
slOns.
The great mistake in the education of girls
| and for that matter of houS 10 fhaf fhat, N, @
, ter nothing. A little here and little there i.
the plan. The object seems to be to enable
the pupil to give long catalogue of thing.
studied. And tor this chsrlatanism the par
ents who demand it are chiAy responsible
There are schools which are thorough. 1t i.
not for US to point them out, but for parent,
10 be sure that they are no: caught with
the chaff of an empty pretence In educ ,tion
vene .ring will peel nff. Hearth and Home.