The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-05-15
Our Young People
MADE ur rnoM rnE Rrsr oLlrrINes.
Mere knowledge VS.. Cultivation Of
Power.

The work of education Is divided
into two departments, that OF &C
curing Knowledge aud that of ex
erclsing the faculties OF the mind.
The school girl who commits the
contents of school-boOk TO mem
ory from the first to the last page
without rejecting upon what she
commits, merely exercises her
memory. She may go through a
great many books in that, sty lie and
if she possesses a retentive memo
ry, acquire quite a store of knowl-
edge, which she may or may not
retain, just according TO rcum-
stances. This is called education
by great many, and most of our
schools don't do much else but help
The pupil along memorizing books.
1t Is greatly in vogue in our coun
try, prevailing not only in common
schools, but also IN colleges and
universities. The knowledge thus
acquired is undigested, unassimila-
ted. 1t is like the overburdening
of the system by continual eating
and accommodating crude matter
which it is incapable of dIgesting
or making into blood, fiber, muscle
and bone.
But there is another method
upon which the educators of all civ
ilized countries have long since
agreed, as being the best and most
natural, because serving the pur-
poses OF education most effectnally.
1t is the system OF developing the
faculties of the mind, as found in
individuals. At school it begins
with object lessons, the teacher tax
ing up anything familiar to the
mind Of the child, aseertaining what
ideas are there already, turning
them over and over, looking at
them from different standpoints
and fixing them more closely in the
mind. Thus, she slowly and eau
tiously, but always interestingly,
proceeds to add a little more to
them, accommodating her own soul
com pletely to the tiny soul that is
looking out from two bright eyes
coming down upon her knees and
crawling with the babies, so to
speak, in order TO teach them to
walk. This method is, or ought to
be, also employed at home by
mothers and fathers. 1t does not
take much training to employ it
1t is not necessary to graduate at
college or attend normal school,
or take out a teachers certificate.
Not at all. Only little common
sense is required, and a little good
will, and little of that spirit which
made our blessed Savior say: "Suf
fer little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not, for of such is
the Kingdom of Cod" Hhe knowl
edge found at starting in the tinny
soul is not great, but from that
small store, By Judicious question
ing, exercising the weak, budding
faculties, beautiful flowers of prom
Use can be developed. Imparting
of knowledge is a secondary matter
here, but exercising the perceptive
and reflective intellect, the reason
ing power and the observing power
is the principal aim. Are not per-
ception and reflection the greatest
among the princely throng of intel
lectual powers? A similar method
is required in other branches, even
in history and geography, though,
of course, there it cannot be appli-
ed to the same extent
These two systems of education
have been the theme of discussion
among European educators for a
long time. 1t has been a fight be-
tween materialistic tendencies, the
former going in heavily for knowl
edge, the latter for development of
power. We conclude that the two
should be combined; that there
should be knowledge, but yet that
the principal aim should be the ex-
ercise and expansion of the mind.
To make education simply a stor
age of knowledge is wrong. To
imagine that going to school is
simply for the purpose of such
storage, to be made use of after
wards when school days are over,
to be digested and assimilated then,
to be reflected upon, used and applied
to life, is a grievous blunder. Let
the powers OF the mind, as develop
ed by your education, be applied to
life, rather than the knowledge ac-
quired. The mere storage of
knowledge has never refined any
body least of all, women. But the
judicious training of the mind has.
We see excellently educated women
commit very grave blunders some
times, simply because in what was
called their education, the powers
of their minds, intellectual or moral
or emotional, were not properly dis
ciplined. They probably went
through lots OF books, memorizing
and reading vigorously, but OF true
mental discipline there was none.
''Woman is taught far more by
reflection than by mere knowledge"
If she has been taught to reflect, if
her own beautiful womaDly in
stincts have been preserved and
strength'ed into fixed rules of Chris
tian thought and conduct, then she
will accomplish what mere dead
knowledge, even wagon loads of it,
never can. We know women of
very little book learning, but who |
were taught in the school OF lite,
woman in whom circumstances de
veloped the reflective and percep-
tive powers, in whom association
and beautified the NOR !
al nature, who now far surpass
more educated sisters in all that
pertains to true womanhood. II ell
me how can refined feelings
the mind and quicken
the understanding" asks 'sPine
Knot" of North Carolina. We beg !
to reply that urder the genial
and the celestial sunshine
of pure feelings which reject the
earthly, having conquered and cru
Gifted self, and sacrificed all that
was in antagonism to His divine
will, no matter how dear to the
poor human heart. yes, under such
Influence the mind, in all its branch
fc I