, 1875-02-15

Lecture by Mrs. Elizabeth Cady stan.
lNlss


TOMS lecture on "Our Doys,' whtlc huudrodf
left, unable even to sqncezo insls tho door ol
gain htanding-ruom for single foot.
After eo'uo preliminary remarks, Mrs. Stanton
went on to speak Of tho presont defective sys.
ten Of education, taking tho ground that thern
: waa something radically wrong about IT, Hllc
quoted Agaeslz In regard TO tho matter aa favor
lug her Wow OF tho question. III TO-
verting 10 their scl,ool-dayg, eho suggest
cd that girls never talked Of TIN
lessons thcy had loasncd, or the ideas they had
gained, but tue pranks they had played tho tasks
they avoided, tue lessons OF which they had only
learned D single nnswor which by some fortunate
coincidence or calculation came to tl,om. She
thon spoke OF tho boys, how they looked upon
their sclool-houso as criminal does upon ha
prison and drew graphic picture Of the mai
nor In which tho boys prepared for 1t md
scrambled through Its duties; tho miserable in
ligestblo food le ate In college; the i'll vcntil-
atad rooms, and the hurried prayerai in clapc aud
assumed that no aepslhlo boy Who ran this
gauntlet to learn what Homer aud Virgil aaya
but comes to tho conclusion that CIR ayatom Of
education nccts a radical reconstruction. Tho
oig1t years which arc devoted to college lfo
should be the happeBt and best Of ALL but what
do thaT proEe, and what ia the result Of them
Dad living produces indigestion md disease, and
from that springs crime. From tho present sys-
tom OF crammiug thc mind, ugusing tho aton,-
ach. aud poisoning the lungs, tho speaEor in
fcrred that all tho mistakes, intliscrotions, aud
| vices OF our young men woro evolved
Tho tnost important thing for boy TO know
WAS about tic house lo lives in but Of 40 littlc
| consequence lad this been considered, tho whole
system Of education might DO anld to bo stnbt-
| ing GU tho apex rather tlian the base Which
would be the most Important thing to teacll
boy: that Isonasllus was the founder Ut Rome, Or
tl4at q clnso room was posonouH3 sha
uhould say that tho cloho room was
| poisonous waB the most important fact.
1t reminded her Of tho lawyer who
rounded tho most, wonderful periods and
quoted all the learned men ot every age with tho
| most wonderful fueacy and accuracy, but Of
whom his client grnmbngly rcmarked "IIo
plaeod my chair IN . draft and 1 lost my case
! aud caught a cold"
Nearly all our boys and 4 vast majority Of our
groat men are ignorant Of the tnbst simple pro-
cesses, and here followed tho ludicrouB story Of
Coleridge. Wordsworth, ,!aud acolteasuo attempt-
Isfness Jul ths eos5 Thats ID thoy sy :" could I'D
tic poor horse'a mock OF, but iinaily can,o
to tho conclusion thai TUG horRo bad become hy-
country laHa, rasuing ly md hcelpg their diff
Guilty, soon srt them right BY turning tie collar
around; aud slipping IL OF.
:. sl1o drow othce instances Of tho yaluo Of prac-
locomotive during tho last WIZ, and lie mipos-
combined knowledge Of tho officers until mi Ia
tra .sncd no Aaa 5ar, heped tpld the oc0o
war 3 bridge vas s buried aud aud ''Ssat = Wost
Point man declared IL would raquiro four days to
rebuild 80! structure That the troops could pass
OF aoo nof. to build bridge before tho noxt
morning. "Of Whnt uto would an army Of
Greek Professors or English poets have boon at
such time? ?" querled flo lecturer
she quoted Herbert Spcnccr that the studies
OF primary importance arc those which involyo
self preservation. and then wont on to describe
Thst Tlnhsa 1a meant She aaid sto wont to hear
suffering from an inhalation OF vltiatot air iii
tue evening, asked the Sage OF Concu.d, after
u was ever, boz" lilo could endure |
i: IT, no o. replied THAT ho lived IN tho ideal md
thoughs fow Eeople had reached that sublime |
height, and at loaBt admitted that Aho had mt.
sl.e Y m ,quoted ffof. Mann, who thought that,
-. WIZ A. nas OF pure atmosphere encircling
ub, IL was nsoleEn economy to breathe it moro
tlan once. and tilnted upon our ntgEartllinoss
in respect to pure air, Of which there waa 40
macn ana our wastefu} extravaganza n regard
70 ltle and health, OF which We bad 30 little.
Hundreds Of young men graduate utterly iEuor.
anS or thlS knowledge Of Be!f-prcscryntiou,
Nhas we need is practical thinking and skilled
laoor: Mon have yet to learn how to be- born,
t' ' ts.o' 1!IcP' W i'HPPf, alc anu be but11u Af-
forward; Hero she gayo extracts from yuupg
lawyers diary showing why ho became tawyer'
ile bad much mechanical skill, and himself be-.
novSd av;,aoh ho might hare made good carpenter,
Designed BY his family for profcaaion, liza
wouldn't oo q minister because he likoil balls'
dancing, billiards, etc., nor physician, becal,sn
IL , vas so unpleasant aud dsagrsable, aud tliioJ
ls dectded to become lawyer. Iio lad somo
nigh theories regarding tho moral aspect OF thjH
and bow ho had only to argue for thc
t1sht cause aud succeed. He found thu ways Of
City of Now Yorl. 1t totug In this tlayB Of Barnard
ara alcCann. 6ho quoted Lord EIdou, to tho
elect thas no statltc could be made that
ouaahang at isnn .awyef could not tna way to eyao
o1 iaffnine. assuring them that It could 10 mado
pom prosperous aud profitable, ln spite Of ali
sile o,. many evlla thoEe vero to combat sho
spon. spoke o. IL, her own son. who went West four
ils hopes for good crop we're yory exalted
when the grassl,oppers arrived, and his homes
1a WIN .hels dora5ture He wrote to er
day. yet have lived long cnougL to nna tic M {
sue iHdorsed Qreeleys "Go West younp
uu ,t i, 1no taoagt there WAS great doat In it,
nan Knew about advanced ideas in regard tn cu.
|aga'4n M ana aasnlng implements tho more cor
o psosrsss of tbo en wo sha t1er
Fantage9 Size thought tho Grange moye1nant
had done mneh good, swRkinn naan's :
70 a. realization Of their ueeda in TIC slape Of =
1u1ns anu suoh mat1eIs y was doing much for
'phcro Of lilo. ." 9"' o'uef
Nezs she alludad to the subject OF fa.hsrbooa I
md how little boys were taught rerar1nn IT, =
lntles. II Has recognized to curtaIn derroo i.
omc Of our colleges. through tic prasohtesian III ~,
u silver cup to graduate who tlrat arrived A. ;.