The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-13

Il has been tried elsewhere with gratifying
results. and we have more than once ex-
pressed ourselves in favor of trying it here,
But it must be remembered, at the same
time, that this is q radical remedy, and must
be handled with the utmost delicacy and eau
ton to secure its true benefits At first sight
it certainly looks like an objectionable in
fripgement on the liberty of the subject, and
although in case like this individual right
must give way to the public good, the
arbitrariness of the encroachment need
not be so insisted on as to make
naturally unpopular law doubly obnox-
ious. Every pains, at least should be
taken to concilate in its favor the feelings
of that more cultivated class of the commu-
nifty on whose suffrges it must depend al
most entirely for its support. Ignorance hugs
its errors as the owl, SO oddly miscalled the
bird of wisdom, clipgs to its native darkness
and the example of that resolute lghoramus
in one of the Eastern States, who threatens
to resist with violence any attempt to educate
his children, is apt to be contagious. In
framing any such act, the utmost care should
be had to avoid giving unnecessary offense to
the prejudices or convictions of any class,
but more especially of the enlightened
few who alone can be counted on as probable
supporters of the system.
Such caution does not seem to have been
exercised in preparing the bill lately intro
duced into the Pennsylvania Legislature,
which requires the attendance at school dur
ing six months of the year of all children
between the ages of seven aud fourteen
years. This rigid limitation seems unneces-
sarily arbitrary, and in other respects un-
wise. 1t is doubtful whether, in our climate
at least, children are not more hurt than
benefited by being put to books at so tender
an age as seven, and many competent OBJ
servers have declared their conviction that
the tasks which child is forced to learn
before its mind is tolerably mature, add
nothing to its mental growth, but tend rather
to retard its physical powers. Unhealthy
precocity is so common, and so frequently
fatal among American children, that our
efforts should be directed rather to set back
than to anticipate the period of mental ma
turity. Most children with us, of any bright
ness, teach themselves to read and other
wise astonish their fond parents by pheno-
menal intellectual activity which is too often
followed and explained by an early decay.
Precisely at what age childs mind becomes
strong enough to bear the strain of cultiva-
ton it is not easy to fix. Perhaps it is safe
to say that up to the age of ten years, at
least, the little learner should be put to only
the Hghtest and most desultory tasks.
Doubtless this will seem an extraordinary
view to many, who have so long been used
to the cramming and forcing system of edu-
cation in vogue among US, as to believe it
the only true one. But waving this point,
there is another objection to the Pennsylva-
MIA bill which is equally strong, and which
will strike most parents with even greater
force. The question of the comparative ad-
vantages of home and school education, dis
cussed as long ago as Quintiliau's time, has
been practically decided, so far, at least, as
boys in their teens are concerned, in favor of
the schools. But for some years after the
age of seven, the child is probably best aud
most safely instructed at home. His moral
character is then in process of formation,
and that no teacher can mould so we'll or so
wisely as tender and pious mother and a
prudent father. TO be sure, many children
are unhappily not blessed with such parents
as these, and many more again have no
homes. For these, at least for the latter,
the school at any age is undoubtedly better
than the streets, though good reformatory
institution, wisely modelled and carefully
conducted, would be better still. But for
children whose home influences are salutary
and happy, the law should make some dis
elimination. The laws of Pennsylvania do
not directly concern us, but each success
or failure of the compulsory education sys-
tenn does. Whenever il is tested, we should
like to see it tested on its merits, and not
weighted with needlessly offensive restric-
tionS.