The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1872-08-23

s Schools, Colleges, to guide Alright
= this sweeping tide Of our advancing
e civilization. In this formative and
n transition period of our society there
: is place and a part for all. Every
r one has something to do.
It has been the tendency of cul-
: ture of late to become more practical
and to seek the adaptation of our &C
quirements to present uses. We are
not of those who would ignore the
aesthetic value of knowledge the
minds satisfaction and delight in
rising to the heights of comprehen-
sion of some grander intelligence
the soul-satisfying sweetness of large
ideas and lofty thought but we
live in a practical age and country,
and thousands Of men and women
have found, in their experience. the
practical knowledge they have ac-
quired Of more value than the high
er range of studies. An old writer
of the thirteenth century has said
that "the right education of woman
was to teach them to pray TO God, 10
love man, to knit and to sew" And
there are those who say now with a
keen sense Of the practical though
with little sentiment, that it is better
to know how $50 bake than TO read
Bacon" or $40 seq than TO scan pee-
try"
Happy are they who know how
wisely to combine the ideal and the
practical. Happy will it be, if sci
ence and the invention Of man, or
woman, shall rescue our race at last
from this iron age of toll and remit it
to another golden period of senti
ment and poetry. Until then, it will
tighten the burthen of age to have
learned in youth TO mingle the useful
with the ornamental, the "Utjle c,tH,
duyce.",
1t is toe much cur practice to re
gard the termination Of the collegiate
course as the completion Of our stu
dies Foreign travellers, have re-
marked that "there are no such
idlers in The civilized world as young
American ladies and gentlemen in
easy circumstances who have just
graduated" 1t seems a severe criti-
cism and perhaps is not fully deserv-
ed, but it cannot be doubted that
the custom prevalent in Europe by
young gentlemen and ladies Of con-
tinuing with the aid of tutors OF
without, the study Of languages, of
history, general literature or the
fine arts, provides rich resources for
leisure hours, and is worthy of imi-
tation everywhere. 1t is rare abroad
to find young men or women not en-
gagged in the trades and practical
business of life, who do not give two
or three hours day to some fixed
plan of study or reading.
The culture of schools and col
leges is merely preliminary, and the
idea should be more constantly inn
pressed that we ought always to learn
and never cease study. How noble
Baron Humboldt appeared of late,
pursuing the studious and enquiring
habits of his youth, when he had
reached more than eighty years of
age 1t is simply the privilege of
those who have graduated and retir-
ed from class studies to pursue those
which accord directly with the bent
of Their own minds, and to which
they naturally incline, The various
fields of action to which woman is
destined, and to which | have allud-
ed, suggest the preparation that is
needed for success in each, la all
of them the great essentials are fred
plans of action and industrious pur-
suit of these.
| prefer to call this preparation,
study; for mere desultory reading
or pursuit of any plan is attended
with little advantage and the earnest
application of the mind to the inves-
tigation of any subject j. study
This, when directed to the object OF
our preference, is relieved of all that
is disagreeable in the term, and be-
comes a positive pleasure.
To those who propose lives aeso-
ciated with literary or educational
interests, few words from me will be
necessary, since these will be drawn
to study by the love of it. may
congratulate such that the promi-
nence now given to the subject of
education in all parts Of cur country
is every day enlarging woman's OPP
portunities Of usefulness and i'm
provement.
There are many more who will
seek to find pleasure and occupation
in society, nor need this necessarily |
be a mere retreat for idleness and |
pleasure. The idea Of society as
we understand it is modern. There |
was no society in our sense of free
aud graceful interchange of thought
and sentiment when there were no
qeutlemen and no educated women.
The polished Athenian ranging idly
through the streets and market
places for the aeloS-the Roman
gloating over the gladiatorial slaugh
ter, sauntering around the spacious
Baths gourmandizing for days at his
Banquets-betray the social wants
of antiquity. The mutual confidence,