The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-16

.
: young student in elementary text-bookl
. ifyou do not at the same time iuspir
nef or him With an ardent love of IeAril
: ing, bocha will be thrown aside aud th
eaPnee> pursuit of literary knowledg
, viii be speedily abandoned on the stu
; dents leaving college.
The main remedy for this defect /.
our scholastic training seems to me I,
be--lsince We cannot hope TO prolon.
the time usually given TO college -lite,)-
to shcridce, 60 eomo extent, the usus
i. thorough drilling In comparatively few
, branches to more extended curricu
lum, wider sweep of studies. The ex
pert accountant may add up long columni
OF figures in trice, and vet, for want o.
general information, his mind may bs
quits as deficient in breadth as hia line
of digits. The purpose Of liberal cd'ica,
cation 10 not so much to enable us I, do
anything with expertness, rs to enable
us to judge and decide what is
} and what is not worthy of beiug., done
One man may stunt his mental t,nerg'SS..,
and fritter away years Of his r.iatime in
the vain effort 20 square thJ .iscle, OK "a
invent perpetual notion, while auc.hoy
10 ranging, on ever-atreugthing pinion,
through rich and varied realms of .Gar
moro worthy knowledge. 7 am of the
opinion that it is from this cause, and
upon the operation Of this principle,
that institutions like tho Uhiveroity oi
Virginia, with vide range Of studiea
opened TO TIE student, have had larger
proportion Of learned and distinguished
alumni TO boast of in after years, than
those collsSSsa which With more circum-
ecribed curriculum and Uniform course
n nSV ne N 4, \
ing in textbooks. The latter may, and
very probably do in fact turnout better
educated students at the period of gradu-
alton but for the most part their gradu.
ates are thoroughly jaded in mind and
body, if not utterly disgusted with their
mechanical college drilling in limited
range Of sciences. They make ha,te,
therefore, to throw aside their books and
escbeV altogether the higher reaches of
learning. On the other hand, tho atu.
detts Of the first named irst;tutions
have, like the honey-bee, sucked In varied
sweets from great number and variety
Of howers-not so copiously, perhaps,
from any one fountain of science, but
enough from tho generous profasion to
stimulate the appetite of considerable
number OF them for moro and more.
Thus they sci uG ia 5n their respective ways
in life with eager step and persistent
purpose to mount the lofty heighta of SCI
cnce and philosophy, and reach the tow.
ering cliff "where Fame's proud ter Jie
shines afar."
And now, if this view be correct, and
not few years of observation and
thought have convinced mo that It is,
then no one should complain that their
child is. put forward in new book, or q
different study, before they shall heve
fully mastered the one With which they
had oeen engaged. Considerable variety
ofstudies, and q timely advance from one
study to another, and quito different
sort Of one, greatly assists the teacher in
keeping alive and active the attention
and the interest of the learner. And
without that no progrens can be made ia
the substantial matter Of education.
The human mind Is moi passive, inert.
or empty thing into which knowledge
can be IL ected: it needs to be excitsd
to self-exertion before it can gain In
crease of power, or add an iota to its
store of information. Indeed, knowledge
itse!f is not to be regarded as simply 6
reception and reflection of mental i'm
preston, but rather an "actus immanens," !"
as said Dun Scotus, the best thinker of
the middle ages.
Let us direct our, special efforts, then,
to the purpose of sending forth our girls
from their Collegiate training with that
lnudable ambition, and quickened
thirst for literary knowledge fhas will
efectually prevent their throwing aside
their books with their school .satchels,
and abandoning Themselves to either an
enervating round of sort of chatterinu,
n,agpie, society-life; or to aome lifelong
drudgery unrelieved by even an occa.
sional ray Of literary light. With the
precious keys of knowledge in possession,
and an active, eager desire to use them
we'll, the young women who enjoy the
advantages. of our. higher scholastic
training would soon infuae loftier tone
of thought and conversation into polite
through their lives, to relieve the tedium
Of domestic duties and cares with many
reireshing flowers of truth and sentimsnt
pluckeG ty the wayside, as they journey
on to the end. And they would ecatter,
40 they go, these fragrant flowers along
the pathway of every soul tt 1t sheltered,
under their domestic roof.treel
Under such auspices the world would
come to boast, not only Of learned black-
smiths, but Of learned seamstresses,
learned milliners and msntuamakers.
and even Of learned ladies', Nor need
We contemplate such happy period ca
\ belonging to very distant future, when
We note the rapid progress Of the times.
Lord Brougham, by pleasant HibeFni-
Il anisnl, Hank5 Madam De Staei among the
! iSateaDlen of the times Of George III. The
\ future historian Of America will, doubt
less, haye torecord the names OF many
of our women ID rendered illustrious ia
the departments OF science, philosophy,
4 and general literature. Wseouid easily
" enumerate, even now, quite O respectable
list OF grch female names If simo and
: space permitted; but on this occasion
I've havo limited onrEelf to the arggestion
of thoughts for tho thoughtful.
4 Let US say, then, in conclusion, give eug
girls but fair-play and they will ascend
, with facile grace and admirable ease, the
very highest acclipities of learning
Aud it has been said, with as much wis.
. dom ns- wit, that ''it matters not hoy,
blue the atocking be II 1t Is but kept well
covered with the SIetdcoat.' Trne learn.
J ling tends only, to making che true woman
J; truer to all the becoming niodesty and
. and refined delicacyof her rex, while II
J fits her for every duty and for evsry test
OF her moral Stamina, that life in thil
owl world may devclvs on her. If "ohc
lsvho rocks the cradle roles the world" Il
J surely behooves uB al to put forth every
effort In our power to qualify her to rule