Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-02-17
L HE HER AID.
The Best Studies for Farmers Sons.

The Best Studies for Farmers Sons.
The sons of American farmers can
pursue no studies that will rebound
to higher educational advantages TO
them in future lite than the study of
their own mother tongue, and the
sciences taught in the English Ian
guage. 1t is prevailing fashion in
nearly all high schools and seminaries
to require young misses to study
French. Italian, music and drawing
before they know anything at all, as
they should know. of their own Ian
guage, in which they always expect
to speak and 10 write. A similar
practice is true concerning the educa-
ton Of lads, boys and young men.
Long before they can spell correctly
one half OF the words in common use
when speaking or writing the English
language, long before they have ac-
quired even a superficial knowledge
OF the English grammar and of rhe-
toric, they are required to pour over
Latin, Greek or the German Ian
| gua9e. After a student has required
a fair knowledge of English grammar
and has become moderately versed
IN rhetoric, in the geography of his
own country and some of the sciences
that are taught in the English Ian
guage, he then desires the study of
Latin, Greek or German he would be
able to make much more satisfactory
progress than it would be possible
to make before acquiring a fair
knowledge of the English studies
alluded 10. 1t is always better for q
babe to creep before the little thing
is encouraged to walk. 1t will be
far better for lad or g young miss
to learn TO read words in mon0sylla
bles before he or she is encouraged
TO read short and easy sentences. 1t
| will be infinitely better in every re-
spect for young people who have a
great desire to travel in Europe to
spend a year or more in visiting dit
ferent parts of America that are as
famous in tho Eastern Continents as
are the great sights and marvellous
wonders of America in the estlma
ton of the devotees of pleasure resid-
ing in Europe. 1t is far more be
nevolent TO educate the numerous
heather all about US than to reach
out the hand OF beneticence to the
unenlightened East Indiaman. We
have in mind young man Eyes,
several such) who persued SIX
years course of study in a famed
university of this country. When
these young men appeared before the
authorities for admission, they were
so deficient in the study of English
grammar, in rhetoric, in orthog'
raphy, in the geography of their own
State, and in their general knowledge
Of men and commercial affairs, that
the examining committee "condi-
toned them" by advising them tC
study for a few weeks some of the
common English branches of educa-
ton, after which they were admitted
into the Freshman class of the uni.
versity. Well, after devoting six
years, they have been honored with
the cheering title of ga. NJ" or "B
A." They have studied drawing
German, French, some of the higher
mathematics, and they cannot com
j pute interest correctly on note with
dozen endorsements, nor measure
a tapering stick of timber, without
looking up the rules of some book
Even then, after the measurement has
been made they feel in doubt as tC
the correctness OF the figures.
Let young people commence with
the rudiments and master suct
studies as will be attended with prac
tice advantage to them in social
domestic and commercial life. Alge
bra is an excellent study for some
persons. But of what service il
algebra to a farmer who always keeps
his accounts in arithmetical numbers
Of what advantage is algebra to al
architect who is not q arlthmetclar
of fair abilities How much aid viii
a knowledge of algebra render sur
veyor of land who is required to dc
all his figuring in chains and links, oil
IN feet and inches OF what use ii
a fair knowledge in German to any
one when he is required to talk and
write always in the English language
even when he cannot prepare cor
srectly q communication Of 800 words
| for publication
| The practice of requiring young
people to pursue studies that will give
them no definite ideas of the great
duties of life, that will not prepare
them to fill stations with efficiency,
is one that should be deprecated, and
should receive no sympathy from the
people. Let lad be taught some
thing that will prove Of practical ad-
vantage to him when he has become
a man and let girls be taught TO
feed and clothe the body, which is
one of the most important lessons a
young miss can learn. Let young
people OF both sexes be taught to
speak and to write the English Ian
guage with correctness then learn the
names of plants, flowers rocks and soils
all about them and let them exercise
their faculties in the geography OF
their own State, and they will be far
more estimable citizens than if these
studies were neglected for a knowl-
edge of German or algebra. -New
York Herald.