Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1880-01-29
MEXICO MO, THURSDAY JANUARY 20, 1880
FEMALE COLLEGES.

FEMALE COLLEGES.
Essay Read (by Rsquest by Miss Ella For
rist, of Mexico, Before the Northeast Nc
Teachers Association, held at Mexico
Dec. 20, 80, 81, 1879.
The people of America are rapidly
becoming nation of Gadgrinds, con.
stantly demanding "Facts sir, give us
facts; and with whom the age o.
pretensions, eounterfeits and appear.
anees is passing. away, being succeed.
ed by the real, the genuine and the
sterling. a
The useless is no longer deemed
valuable, and by all is being dis
carded, while everything useful is
being demanded; and in proportion
to its utility and practical value is
being sought after aud acquired, nc
matter at what cost of toll or time, or
money. This is true of all the indus
tries, enterprises, investments, stand
ards, aspirations and ambitions OF
the whole country. IS
And in nothing is this disposition
and demand of all the people more
pronounced than in the vitality impor-
tant matter Of the education of the
youth of the land-girls as we'll as
boys,-not only as to its real and
practical objects and purposes, but
as we'll to the methods, by which they
cap best be accomplished. -.
Our people have no respect for the
old or the established, as such,
nor respect for present system
simply because they exist as such !;
nor does it matter from whom they
originated or by whom established, or
now indorsed. Each, every one of
thera, must be tested in the furnace of
experience, and be condemned or ap-
proved rs such tests demonstrate
them, by practical results-valuable
or otherwise.
The people now understand, that
knowledge is not education, and may
not he, in a give case, even its hand
maid; and the great mass of citizens
earnestly inquire what is a full, true
and rounded education of their sons
and daughters, and by what methods
can such education be most certainly
obtained; and when fully advised
they set about the acquisition of such
methods with the persistence peculiar
to Americans, and will not rest until
they are adopted and put into rracti-
cal use.
Every intelligent person knows that
in many localities in our states and
territories, both on and under the
surface, are found huge masses of
quartz, apparently the most unprom-
ising and worthless of all rock forma-
tions, yet auriferous; and that the
metalurgist, by methods knewn to
himself, and ingeniously devised for,
and wisely adapted to that end, sue
ceeds in extracting from such rocks
pure and refined gold, the uniform
standard of values and the Medium of
commerce throughout the world.
And it is just as well understood
that the unseemly lump of coal
lying in the hod or burning upon the
prate-and the diamond blaziug upon
t}y .icI oyc, gti,tIou 'wIun Uappfuess.
are both carbon. And, that the dia-
mond-so much the more beautiful and
desirable than the Goals such, only
because somewhere in the secret lab
ratory of nature, in the retorts OF the
great chemist, by processes known to
Infinite wisdom alone, it has been an
nealed. refined, and brought out o
It's natural condition and relieved O
the dross that marred and concealed
In every block of marble there Is
| potentially, an angel. Who has no
seen the ''Greek Slaye" ia thing
of beauty and joy forever TO thu
art-loving mind? Yet she is of mar
/ BILE, but marble! A pensive, beauti
full maiden, educated out of marble
bv means which the artist we'll under
stood and skillfully and PERSISTENT,
employed.
Again, l believe it is considered
that of all the members of our presen
Congress Gen. Garfield is the ripes
scholar, the most vigorous and logica
thinker, and withal possessed of tn
most harmoniously balanced mind
and yet, thirty years ago he was
street gamin, frittiHg away his tim
in riding IA horse hauling canal boa
-eking out a miserable existence
The accomplished teacher, by wis
educational methods, has deduced tn
scholar and statesman of to-day OF
of the street gami@ of gencratio
ago.
1t is readily understood, that til
force which extracted the gold frol
, the quartz, refined the diamond frol
the coal, brought forth the ''Gree
Slave" from the marble ASHER, an
the scholar and statesman out of I'll
gamin, in each instance was the san
and only practical education.
In every hoy, no matter how appa
emily hard he may be, there is pul
e gold: no matter how stained and b
primmed, there is diamond of Il
n first water; no matter how unseen
e may be the girl, still within her, the
are things of rare beauty; and
: produce the gold, obtain the diamor
or secure the things of rare beaut.
!, all that is required is an adequate,
?, full, a rounded education.
Thus we can see that the real obje
: and work of education is to develt
q the boy or girl into the scholar, t
r artist, the scientist, the statesma
q the philosopher, the poet, the valuat
l. citizen and trasted patriot and at t
q same time the intelligent fathers al
: mothers of the on-comlng generatio
II Such education, with such result
can only be where the whole boy
J. girl is edubated in harmony and
s. gether. While the intellect is bel
ia developed neither the moral nor ply
l. cal must be neglected. While
power of thought is being educate
10 the power to utter thought-langua
r must be increased and strengthen
and its exercise made graceful and
s act; at the same time all Of the mo
sentiments and affections must
m carefully and equally disciplined a
refined, so that thought shall be no