Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-09-11
Defective Education.

Ihr View -ug4,- ,-tcd iu th, following
eNtra.t .rc worthy the m,., ,crlou, Al
trntiHu. We quote from Az able article
ia tbs BOSTON Trausrrtrt. ". Ccn. OH
Ncr:-
car -t-trm trains boy F, not To- become
better craftsmen, but tu Nv ANY illlnu 10
br pa. tp any Kind ut craft. such oiI,ht
not % De- tile effect ID education. under
stood II IT. relation 20 our pyoule. Rut
very small proportion can become OF
the learned professions, and most ot Us
must bc oi the productive, toiling clas, :;
anu while mind should be justly cult.
waited, that the future workman may be
able 10 read understa staudingly, to think
wisely, and TO express his thoughts well. g..
knowledge Of the science OF form, to be
guided BY the laws OF Christian morali-
~, the mann business Of his coming lie
should receive at least some degree OF
attention But our school graduates re-
volt at the idea OF entering upon lives
wherein manual labor j. 10 be the means
OF living. To be clerks, not carpenters.
l. the ambition Of those whose knowl-
edge ot the Jack-planc or OF iig-sawing
Is derived from the soilcd clothes or the
mutilatcd hand, of their fathers. About
the "dlgnity OF labor OF which they
hear from the platform and pulpit, they
have doubts and mls2iviugs when they
/ look At the sWarthy face OF the man al
the Jorge, or when they shrink from the
smcarcd OveralIs of mason or painter.
They have been 80 educated that '.thcv
don't see it," The actual influence of
our method OF education is to make our
youth IN reality revolt from manual la
Dor; and this feeling is cngendercd IL
the very reading lessons OF the school
room. These are OF the achievements of
I glory: OF warriors, OF power, Of wealth.
not OF the wonderful manipulations to
| which tcchnlc art has subjected cotton
and wool, metals and wood Aud vet
what vast field OF instruction is there
III waiting to be explored and to be util-
| lied; how deaf and blind are we to lis
varied sounds and sights, and how read.
4 lily and steadily are our youth drawn
| into other elnploymentS than those
/ which, while they make the hand skill
iul, are most encouraging aud renumcr-
alive wnen that same hand is re-entorccd
/ by the educated brain. And speaking
OF our prevailing pressure OF brain cul-
ture, Is ii not one cause, and the leading
argument assigned, for the gl M,
| heightened vacations of these later.
On quarter part OF the yeal is nyN .iy-
en- TO holidays. because it is sand that
both teachers and children become eX-
hausted by pressure Of study, that being
performed both at school and at home.
In my Judgment, for children less than
/ twelve years Of age, three or four hours
OF brain work a day are enough, and
| the results of the half-time schools in
England Tor factory children have fully
prov ed that as much pIogres. is made
as in whole-time schools, the children
studying three honrs and working about
! five.
Now is there not here a suggestive
hint that by incorpor ating a method OF
technic instruction and work upon our
present exclusively mental system, we
should vastly benefit our children, and
render these lCn ng vacations unnecessary !!
Would not the time given daily to tech
nical employment be avery positive and
health-bringing relaxation, relieving
both scholar and teacher, and bv its very
diversity in the using of wholly diffey-
ent set OF nerves and muscles, alternate
ly recruiting both mind and body.