The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-11-05

which impatirntly seeks. bnt never
finds. any lasting reality. Unfer such
circumstances, what wonder that the
health suffers? There must he Il health
ful mental action to nSur" II sound
physical condition. and nothing mikes
Il woman grow old so fast rs narrow
and shallow thinking. while nothin"
keeps her young and fresh so long as
broad and deep mental activity. We
seek afar for the fountain Of youth,
while it waits to spring within us
Since our girls have very mitch to ar-
"0mpliSll in fewer years than is allotted
to the eduration of our boys. if i, evil
dent that great economy of time must
be used, ami therefore that they must,
from their earliest years. have the best
teaching. There is no mistake more
fatal than to suppose that it makes no
very great difference about the first
years OF teaching; for it is just then
hat those false habits are acquired
which prove afterwarl perpetual
stumbling block, both in them selves
and in the di>taSte for labor in ll,cr,l hy
tide endless rrp'titions inevitable when
ever the whole study is not syStrml-
TIED. The amount Of time often spent
now over the study of grammar, arith-
metic aud geography is sufficient to
Learn all the important facts in those
studies Il hundred times over, whil,t the
mental confusion created is lnmrntahlr
to contemplate, and our girls spend
years in cneavoring to commit to MEM
DRY the contradictions and ahSurdlirS
of English grammar, losing thus the
very valuable mental training, properly
taught, brings with it. And " hen
their geography is simply Il list of
names and diSconnecttd facts. what,
wonder that they are glad to escape
from them?
The study of language affords the best
mental training, and also that which
in its simplest forms, thu child can
most readily grasp. /; should, th"re-
fore. be begun very early, AMI most
certainly with the Latin. Not con>ii-
ering the value of Latin as Il mental
discipline-ior in larg' school one
can almost invariably distinguish, in
any class by their great power those
who have studied Laiin--it Is iupos>i
bic to appreciate our own language
without it. For the lan-laS" OF com
mon conversation. pcrilpS. we could
dispense with acknowledge O! it, but th,:
moment we rise to the level Of >cicicr,
all the terms which express general
ideas are inevitably Latin in origin
And that mind must be iparaiively
narrowed which does not comprrI,en.
them. 1t is Il matter for rejoicing that
the German language is dcmandln.
| more and more Of the time which was
/ formerly monopolized by French
language which, for purposes OF men
tal discipline, bears about the same re-
lation to Germany that botany does tc
history. French we must learn, but
after we have learned it, of what use il
it as key to unlock any valuable liter.
allure? while, with German ut com.
mand, whole treaSure-lluu>t'S OF science
and of art, of learning and OF beauty
| fly open ut our bidding. After som,
acquaintance has been gained OF t!lrS,
languages it is time enough, no N 'tUrr
how late it may be, to attempt any log
zeal study of he English language
which has been so llospitahle TO ttI"u
all. And when, after such pr''para.
ton. TIL: English begins to uliol. its
riches OF strength and beauty to the
consciousness, no mind can tail to r..
cOynizr that it possesses rs its birth.
u right in English literature Il bounI"s,
field OF enjoyment for all the future
ami perpetual city of refuge from the
petty cares Of daily life.
The question may be very earnestl,
asked, it the hours spent by those girl,
who have no special talrnt for n'lsir ii
practicing upon the piano bal been
given to the study of English litrra
tnre, whether the general level OF ot,l
women would not have been apprecia
lily raised. We do not uuil rvalIr ma
sic, but in view of the general results
attained after years of practice, ami thu
expenditure involved, is the profit a
all commensurate to t h e outlaw
Would not the same amount OF tim,
and patience, if turned into other chan
nels. produce more valu,,le results OF
the majority of our girls:
f The one-si,led training o. mlthemat
les we must also have, aud the dislike
so often expressed for it by girls doe
not arise SO much from any in!leren
want of capacity as from want OF tho
rOughncsS in the first teaching, AMI I'll!
) reckless way in which they are driver
, through arithmetic into algebra an.
geometry, until at last the arcnmui:,
: ton of confusion becomes too great fu
/, the forcing power of the teacher, an
; the books are closed forever. There i
= nothing more sad than unused pos<ib.l
= titles AMI to hear. as We often do, tn
f dislike of all mlsh 'maticS forribly ex