The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-12-03

ed much knowledge which had since bee
lost, but he did not, therefore, conside
that his time was thrown away. He ha
learned the discipline of mind which wa
carried into the busy walks of every da
life. He did not wish to be understoo
as holding that specific points were of N
use. They were. That was not to b
denied but there was no doubt that tn
pupil always learned much more outsid
of the school house than within it. The,
there came up the question of trainin,
children too young.
The question was always asked. ''Hoy
are you going to teach mere baby % I
had been related of John Stuart Nil
that his father had made him learn Greel
at very early age, and people held tina
If young Mill had not been gifted with al
extraordinary strong mind be would hav,
been rendered an idiot by his early edu
cation. 1t was just as rational to hoIC
that the brain of an American baby who
could speak German would be DESTROYED
The child was apt to learn from the yer,
earliest dawn Of its reason, and could
grad ally be brought along without
strain or excitement to learn more and
more.
In some the perceptive faculty was
much more developed than in others.
This could be seen by the excellence in
detail Of some. One person could look
upon tree and not be able to describe it.
because he was unacquainted with vege-
table laws, while another, who had been
trained, could tell all about it. a lady
could meet another lady in the street.
and afterward, would be able not alone to
tell what she wore, but also, by singular
process of the mind, might be able to
correctly estimate the cost Of the material.
Laughter. 1t was pity that so much
natural intelligence could not be devoted
to better uses. Fathers and mothers
should cultivate the perceptiveness of
their children. They should answer their
childish questions in regard to al proper
objects that present themselves. This
method of education was mutually benef-
cial. Fathers, mothers brothers and sisters
in thus training the infant, also train their
own mind.
Having taken the infant out of the first
stage,
THE SCHOOL AGE
WAS next approached How was the
school education to be nationally carried
on? The lecturer said that there were
some customs in schools which were inim-
zeal to intelligence. Astronomy, mental
philosophy, and other text books of pom
derous names, were placed in the hands
of pupils, and strange to say, the pupil
who recited his lesson most literally cor
rect, never using any language of his own
was considered the best scholar. No sys-
tenn could be better devised to foster and
cultivate human stupidity. Laugh
ter. The boy or girl forgot all about
what cost 80 much trouble. For example,
there might he question as to what a
cloud was. One boy, on the day Of eX-
animation, might be able to tell all about
it from the words of the text book. An
other boy might not remember a word of
text, but could tell the vaporous nature
of cloud. Ask these two a few days
further the same questions and it would
be found that the specific urchin had a
good chance TO become a first class Ounce,
Laughter, while the unspecifc boy, al
though somewhat awkward at first, might
develop a very brilliant man. This
reminded him of an anecdOte in one of
the works of Goethe, where he introduced
a boy so full of learning that he had
really forgotten who his own father war,
laughter, and his sire, in wrath,
sent him to a monastery, where it was
not needed to learn anything that was
useful.
The lecturer then proceeded to deal
with other branches of specific educa-
ton.
Following one peculiar line of educa-
ton was to be deplored. knowledge
should be made as general as possible.
Fortunately for the masses of the nine
teenth century, popular books were so
common that all could be supplied at
little cost, and the grand opportunity
should not be neglected by the rising
generation. Such knowledge might be
useful when the boy might develop, by
political evolution, into ali alderman, or,
perhaps, a member OF Congress. APP
plause and laughter. The lecturer ad-
vocated the founding OF popular Libraries
whenever and wherever possible. Moth
ing could be rauder in the way of educa-
tinn, and he dld nor believe that there
would be any opposition to such spread
of knowledge.
Mr.. Schulz then proceeded to deal
with the question of female education
All branches of knowledge should be open
to them, and they should be encouraged
to be self reliant in their battle Of life,
not alone in teaching but in medicine,
law, or whatever other profession the
the lady might choose to follow. APP
plause.
In one thing, however, he could not
agree with the more advanced female
thinkers of the age, and at the risk Of
being considered old fogy, he would say
that he believed it was not good for
woman to be alone. Laughter and
cheers. Her natural destiny was to get
married and become a mother. Any
other destiny was simply unnatural. In
this he believed not alone every young
lady but every young man in the audience
would agree with him. Laughter.
But 1t might be asked, ''Would he have
woman simply educated for the purpose
of being a household drudge ?" Not at all.
He would have woman as he had said,
we'll educated, to fit her all the more for
her duties as wife and mother. Loud
applause Some of the fastidious might
find fault with him for saying ''our girls;
but he much preferred the fresh unsophis-
tieated, noble, blooming, natural girl to
the painted, powdered and be-curled
modern young lady. Long continued
applause. One of the greatest curses OF
modern society was the pernicious habit
of having married couples board at a no
/ /