The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-08-01
EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

y
speaking of those who have charge OF
young children, said Before all things
let the talk of the childs nurses not he
ungrammatical. 1t is this that the child
will have first 1t is these words that
he will try to form by imitation, We
are by nature most tenacious of what
we have imbbed in our infant years.
Let the child then, even while he il
yet an infant, not be accustomed to
phroscology which must be uneurnod."
The advice given by Quntilian to the
Romans eighteen hundred years ago
applies with all its intense force
to the parents Of children in Dallas to,
day. The habit of letting young chill.
drcn receive from the mouths of negro
nurses uncouth uttcrnnces, ungrUmmati-
cal and possibly vulgar provincialisms,
is one that our people are too careless
about, To all parents therefore, TuE
HERALD commonds the advice of the
scholarly Roman rhctoricinn As an.
other evidence of the vast Importance
of correct instruction in the inception
Of childs liIcwc quote from PIutarch,
the Greek biographcr "For childhood
is a tender thing, and easily wrought
into any shape. Yea and the very
souls Of children readily receive the
impressions of those things
that are dropped into them while they
are yet soft but when they grow older,
they will, as all hard things are, be
more difficult to be wrought upon. Nor
are we to omit taking due care, in the
first place that those children who are
appointed to attend upon such
musings and to be bred with them for
plny-Iellows, be wcll,manmcrcd; and
next, that they speak plain natural
Greek lest being constantly used to
converse with persons of barbarous
language and evil manners, they receive
corrupt tincturcs from them. For it is
II true proverh that IF you live with n
lame man, you will learn to halt"
Plutarch's advice has lost none of its
application though covered with the
dust Of ncarl y twenty centuries, and
the mothers and fathers of Dallas should
treasure up this learned old Greek 4
words Of wisdom. We are entirely too
careless IN permitting dangerous, and
oitimcs fatal impressions to be made
upon the pure mind of the child, and
too much caution cannot he manifested
in warding oil false, prurient, and I'M
healthy suggestions and ideas that any
moment may be instilled, like Il subtle
and blighting poison, in the childs
mind marring, ifnot wrecking his life
RESPECTING SCHOOLS.
TO enlarge the mind of u child and
impress upon it the great laws of hui
man life; to endow that child with the
power OF II clear and forciblc expression
OF his thoughts to 10 school him that
those thoughts come and 90 smoothly
and we'll under the domination of A
Uained will to give him mastery in
argument that only skilled 10 gicians
WELD, is to carefully educate him under
teachers fully competent to compel
these results, Have we such teachers
IN Texas? And are parents using any
endeayor to bring them here? As our
school system is now organized, il is
certainly not an inviting field in which
an educated man can satisfactorily
labor SO temporary and unccr.
tain are the best Of our schools
thits.no inducement is extended to
able men to accept positions
IN them. If they do, it is because dire
necessity forces. them into distastefnl
and thankless occupation as an ex-
pedient TO obtain temporary liyeli.
hood.
The HERALD does not desire for n
moment to disparage any man or wo-
man now in charge of the children of
this State, but it will undertake to
aver that not one teacher out OF five, if
taken up without previous warning can
answer satisfactorily the most pertinent
questions in reading, photography, geo
graphy, history, grammar, mathematics
physiology or hygiene, For instance
suppose in reference to reading the fol-
lowing questions We're asked What are
the principal faults to be guarded
against in reading What are articula.
ton, accent and emphasis : ..
Or i'll photography: Define the terms
"consonant, vowel" "dipthong," and
"daeresis"2
Or in geography: Prove the rotund.
ity of the earth, Why are the Polar
Circles located twenty-tnree and half
degrees from the poleP
Or in history: What were the causes
OF the Mexican war? OF the war of
1872 ? Name the three first Presidents,
and tell when their terms of office be-
gan and ended.
Or in grammar: To analyae, accent,
punctuate and parse the following:
Sisters and brothers little maid
How many may you be
HOW many seven in all she said
And wondering looked at me
Or in hygiene Show the importance
Of breathing freely and of pure air.
State some important laws of health to
BE- observed in eating, in dress and in
exercise.