Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-01-03

fCOrnelius Hedges in Missoulian I

the gain or decline, whether we appreciate
education little or much, every year and
every day is bringing duties in connection
Herewith that require present performance
or they can never be done, and the conse.
quent loss will never end. Those who
think that present neglect can be compen.
sated by future increased advantages are
hugging delusion. The mind of a child
early acquires the tastes that are decisive
for life. The climbing vine will mount a
tottering wall and share in its overthrow
if no better support is near at the critical
moment. So a childs mind. neglected
when it is reaching cut for proper direc-
ton and support, will lay hold on some
thing and adapt itself to whatever is near.
There are comparatively few minds that
receive so strong an impression from the
Creators hands, that they can mould and
bend circumstances to their purpose. The
great majority are of that negative type
that take the impress of the more positive
influences about them. 1t is as true OF
children us of men and women, that there
is "a tide within their tastes which taken
at the ebb'' will surely and easily lead to
honor and success, but negative, then their
whole future life will abound in shoals and
q,icksanls.
Iris much has been said to answer the
ordinary plea that depression in business
and depression of property as well as other
difficulties and obstacles will justify a neg
lect in educating our children. 1t may ex-
plain, but nothing can justify the neglect.
No amount of future care and expense will
correct the perverted taste and ambition
when the golden opportunity has passed.
Some things we can well defer to more
convenient season. but the education of our
children is not one of them. 1t is not one
of the luXuries that we can indulge in and
enjoy in days OF prosperity, to be dispensed
with when adversely comes. but should be
regarded as our highest duty under all cir
cumstances, to be secured at whatever cost
or sacrifice to ourselves. Every right
thinking parent will regard the life OF a
child as continuance of its own, and
when ambition for anything higher or bet
ter for self is extinct. new life with all its
grand possibilities yet opens before anyone
to whom God has given that greatest of all
gifts next to his or her immortal spirit, a
child. Parents ought to educate thcmsel-
YES in order to educate or superintend the
education Of their children. 1t is not
enough to send children to school, to see
that school houses and teachers are pro-
| 1-s.1nJ hot fho oI,iIlrar an1
regular in attendance, that they have prop
er books, but every parent ought to know
whether for any neglect on the part of the
teacher or fault of the child. proper ad-
vancement fails to be made. 1t may be as
serted as !: general fact that the failure of
that means having higher ambition in
life and grea.c~ resources to insure success,
is the f'ult of teacher or parent, or both,
but esp ,cially of the parent, and the latter,
too, bears most OF the loss. Every parent
is as much interested as the trustees to see
that good teacher is employed, and the
sOlicitude should by no means end with the
knowledge that good teacher is secured.
The child's welfare and progress should be
matter of constant thought and care after
it enters school. If you know of any
peculiarities of the child that need watch
ing or correcting, inform the teacher, that
no time may be lost, or worse consequent
ces ensue by this neglect at the start. Then
again parents should remember that their
natural partiality, often resting on hopes
rather than sound knowledge, leads them
to overlook defects observable to others
more impartial and experienced in observ-
ing children.
So, it is the duty of parents to 60 to the
teacher as soon as he has had opportunity
for forming a Judgment, not to extort a
favorable opinion of your child, but to
learn the exact truth, especially the defects.
Children very early learn to practice deceit,
and the success that so often attends its
early practice upon doting parents soon
makes it attain great strength, with terri
BILE effects in after life. A wise parent must
dren have their defects, which are not erad
icated by closing the eyes to them. It's
ON every account better that the worst be
early and fully known that moral or men,
tai defects may be dealt with while durable,
as oftentimes they may be without a sus-
picion on the child's part of what is being
done.
The point wish chiefly to impress in
this article is that the education of chill
dren is the highest duty that rests upon
parents-tiiat it is so high, sacred and con-
slant that it must be felt and followed at all
til As at whatever cost or sacrifice is need
ed. That it is duty that cannot be divest-
ed and devolved upon others, either school
officer or teacher, however competent, con-
scientiOus. or efficient. If the teacher does
his part ever so well, the careful parent
can always redouble the harvest by coop
Grating with him, sustaining and encour-
aging him in doing honest, thorough
work. 1t frequently happens, especially
when teachers are hired principally because
they are willing to work cheap, either that
they know not how to teach properly or,
if they know how, that they do not intend
to do first-class work for third-class pay,
in which cases the burden of responsibility
to parents is greatly increased, to prevent
.he child from being more injured than
benefited. The elements of good educa-
tim may be acquired without a great
money cost by corresponding increase of
diligent, earnest, thoughtful effort on the
part of parents. Many very poor schools
are taught in fine buildings and by teaal-
ers who make boastftll pretensions and de-
mand high wages, while many of the best
schools are taught in poor buildings, by
teachers who work for something besides
money pay. A little good teaching is
above price, while any amount of poor
teaching cannot he made equal to little |
that is good. In this age and country
II. Il