, 1874-04-04
LITERATURE,


TIE EDUCATION or AMERICAN GIRLS: Con-
srpxnEr IN 4 aEn1Es OF EssAyg. Etitod by ANNA
g. nnAeKEFr vo T. Gan NO., 4ol pp. s1.7d. Now
Moro than ever will tho thoughtful women OF
Amortcn bo glad Of tho impulse which loi DR..
Clarke to publish bis opinions on q sox in Edu-
cetion,'' now that this second volume haB been
drawn out In roply to him. Tho anxious, oar
nest inquiry which bis work started In evory d.
roction has ]loro received an cinborote expoel-
ton. Tho two topics which most vitality concern
womon. yiz, thoir hoalth and their education,
have through this timely and gorioua agitation,
boon widely and oxhauBttyolJ discussed.
All who read tho several books connected with
tho controversy will fool glad and proud to loarn,
from their testimony how many noblo clear
sighted, and cool-hcaded women thoro nro in
our country, who hnvo informed themselves
thoroughly on all matters touching tho wclfaro
Of their sox, who arc capable Of entertaining
broad, aud wiHc, Ind impartial viowa upon them,
md who arc competent to sustain an argument
with tho best thinkers and writors Of tho oppo-
site BOZ, on any question sppertaining to their
affairs. Ono must inevitably feel his respect
and reverence for American womon, and his
faith In thoir powcrs and possibilities, groat1y
strengthened by the knowledge tlat has tl,us
boeu brought bofore him. In f1no, ono is loft, at
tho oloso Of tic argument, with 4 definite Bus-
piclon that It Is not, aftor all 80 disastrous a
thing to DO born wonan as tile world has
heretofore imagined.
Tho opening essay OF tho present volume,
written by tho editor, Ia mastery in thought
and statement. Wo do not romembor when VIC
have Beon, from q woman's hand, 80 strong.
sound, and solid piece Of literary work. lthas
evidently proceeded from o mind trained In the
Bovorost schools OF acionco and Philosophy. To
profound study, Miss Brackett hus added long
experience In toaching; and t]loae, together,
give her opinions upon woman's physical and
psychical nature high authority. sho con-
s,dera her subject, "Tho Education Of American
Girls" under three divisions: Culture Of
tho Body, Of the Intellect aud Of tho
Wul. Not because OF its Importance,
but becauso It is tho most universally neglected,
Bhe giyes much more space to the tlrBt Of these
divisions than to the other two. 1t tB nanifost-
" impossible to treat within the limits pro-
sc1bed, either part Of the subject with elaborate
fullness; but, in each, the min points aro
all which ia left unsaid. We may rcmark, horc,
that In this, us In tho other essays In the vol
unle, there iB nh exquisite refinement mNintain-
cd, and The delicate subjects that cannot be
avoided aro indicated by glance or gesture,
rs 1t woro, that noods not to be supplemented by
Undor tho head of Physical Culture, Miss
Brackett writes Of woman's Hpecialtios, snch MS
sowing, cooking, etc., with sagacity which
comes from 2, mastorship Of tho crafts. Ex.
disdain to tako hints from her. sho wisely nd.
vises that no attempt DO mado to instruct tho
child in these arts until she las reached at least
tho ago OF II or IL, aud has boom prepared to
practice them with skill and judgment, by tho
previous careful training OF the mind md hund
acquired in good schools. The formation Of Il
healthy appetite, and Of regular habits Of sloop,
sho deems proper subjects Of education. Plain
and nourishing food at appointed intervals rig
| idly adhered to, md M abundance of sloop, arc
insisted upon rs essential to tho well-being ol
| the growing girl.
AS to dreas, sho prescribes no rules regarding
| itR outward cut or form, but urges that 1t shall
bo loose, suspended from the shoulders, and
| sufficiently warm to prevent tho heat generated
BY tho body from being too. rapidly dlHspated
In tho mattor Of exercise, dancing, frood from
| it's almost inevitable accomplishments Of late
hours, thin dresses, and irregular food, is pro
ing is. Of all exercises, tho most practical ent
| judicious. Like Bloop, food, and clothing, it be-
| longs to education; and q girl should bo taught
to enjoy and demand datly walk Of two or thret
miles, as invariably as sho doos her dinner.
As tho girl grows from childhood to woman
hood, sho passca through three distinct stages
of intellectual activity. In the first, sho is oc
cupied in the perception Of objects; in the sec
en1, she 10 dominated BY the Imagination; and
| of logical rational thought. During this frs
period, any from to Is, 1t is al1~important TIM
| she should bo placed under tho nioBt competen
tonchers. IA failure to properly train her at
tention hero, and tue whole Of her nftcr~work il
| lnvalldatod." In tho second stage, 1t is, above
all, necessary to provide hcr with plenty Of goot
reading. No matter what kind of books shl
rcada they must bo tho best Of their kind. TIL:
stories Of tho Old Testament and Of Homer ar
recommended, Don Quixote aud Gul!yer' ns
fails TO read tho Arabian Nights must miss Tor
ever most valuable nart OF hor education.
Amous novels, tho works Of Dickens ehoult
come before those Of TAackeray, as tho forme
dwell IN tllo imagination, while the latter moY'
10 to the spheres Of emotion aud reflection.
III her remarks on tho culture Of tho will, Mis-
BracAott quotes definition of politencss Hhicl
should DO transcribed upon every memory; ~
consists, as wiser than has said, in treating
| every person as II slo were wlat she might bo
instead OF What she actually IL.
III addition to the assay by Miss Brachett
there arc included In this volnme five other pa
pcrs. writton rospectiyoly. by Edna D. Cheney
Caroline II. Dali, Lucinda Il. Stone, Mary J
Bccdy, and mary Putnam Jacobi, M. D. Thesa
uro also reporta from Michigan University
Mount Holyoke Seminary, 0berlin, Yaasar, All
Antioch Colleges; o letter from n Gorman wo
nau; md revicw Of Box il Education," b
tho editor. Tho evidence Of these articles il
CUIlCllleHb us W t1lo 1fHNaA EApHS!b1 " tAaAua4
can women to acquire m education idontica
with that OF their brothers.
Mrs. Cheney makes notable point with re-
gard to the deloterious influence Of the study o
1nnsio upon tho nervous system Of young girls
10 listen to beautiful, eleyating. or soothing
music. Is ono thing; md tho dreary drill necos
aary to perform the Hamo III quite anoshor. TIL
pursuit of no accomplishment costs 10 mucl
time money, and nerve force, md, in nlnc caao
out Of ton, amounts to 30 little. The fow VIII
have good cars aud facile fingers may becom
satisfactory performers, aud enjoy q conpon
sation for the trouble aud expense the cnltiya
tion Of their talent has cost them but, with th
multitude, who haye no decided tasto for th
art, tho study Of music Is worse than folly
is d popitiye injury. II Nature has not boo'
exceptionally niggardiy, each girl has taste o
talens pointing in some Mnmiatakab!e direction
which, II she cultivate diligently, will yield ho
fur more comfort aud profit than sho could do
rive from IN ondless study Of an art for whicl
sho has no natural preference. I
Tho essay by Mrs. L: H. stono, OF Kalamazoo
isono Of tho most able and interesting Of th
whole number. It contains tho fruitB Of th
-f rJtstn