The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-16
A BRIEF PLEA FOR HIGHER FE.
MALE EDUCATION.
By Lewis III. Aver, Principal Of The An.
deFspn Feynsl scpainary,

tueu SpHt oI GuUcauou anu yeI the
subject 10 by no means eXhaueted.
Gratifying progress has nnquestionabiy
been made in the art of educating the
young; but no experienced and worthy
teacher will pretend TO having attained
all possible perfection in that most ueces.
saEy and noble art. Textbooks on al.
most all subjects have, of late years, been
greatly multiplied in number, and, Ia the
matt, vastly improved in character still
theirs ~ large room for further improve.
ment in that particular. Whatever may
be the present or future excellence OF
textbooks, however, they can mover
supercede the necessity for oral exposi-
tion and familiar Discourse on the part
OF the teacher. And it is cEiefy in re-
spect 70 the faculty of illustrating the
text BY captivating oral remarks--impro.
vising his own tachydidaxy as occasion
may require-that one teacher excels
another in the didactic art.
The desire to know is an instinct of the
instruct the mind that We succeed in in.
teresting In useful knowledge. Our task
is simply to render the u, ,ful pleasing TO
the young. And although it may be
true that there is emo royal road to learn.
ing" es Euclid said to Pto.emy Softer,
the old road hos been so graded with the
various and glowing gems of ecience, and
hedged throughout It's courae with the
radiant flowers Of literature, that it may
now be travelled with but little tedium
by any one who becomes inspired with
earnest desire to reach the rich and fruit
ful regions into which it leads.
When we tnd pupils disguised with
their books by the dry and humdrum
methods to which they have, not unfre-
quently, been subjected, we must whet
their appetites for that knowledge wo
would have them acquire, by free and
spicy conversations touching the subjects
they are set 10 study. We have but to
feturnp as far as practicable, to The
Academic and Peripatetic methods of
the classic Greeks, which methods we're
both natural and philosophical. With
exhibitions of but little gold by the In
dians the early adventurers to America
were allured into the deep interior wiIds
of the country, through the hope of dis
covering exhaustisss deposits from which
that little was supposed to have come.
So VS. may, by skillful teaching, display
befoas the minds of the young such gem
uine gems Of science as shall rnrely fail
to inspire them with the resolution to
delve earnestly for moro abundant sup-
plies of that learning which has served
to quicken their intellects and fire their
ambition.
The sphere of laudable enterprise and
ambition for women has, heretofore, been
so contracted in our country, that it was
q more difficult task to induce girls to
make up their minds to undergo the pro-
tracted process of scholastic training
necessary to the higher degrees of educa.
ton than was the case in respect to boys.
But the state of things, in that regard,
has changed very considerably within the
last score of years. A variety of honor.
able and lucrative avocations are now
opened to our women, which were for
erly closed against them. And still
other vocations, requiring moro varied
and higher order of education, will
doubtless be thrown freely open to wo-
men in few years time. We may we'll
fear the demoralizing tendencies of such
grave changes as are impending in the
social customs and sentiments respecting
the women of our land. But it is evf-
dently, coming about to greater or less
extent, and we may prepare for the
worat; since the natural proclivity of all
denaocratical societies has ever BEEN to
extremea. When the masses of people
throw themselves in any direction, they
are apt to 60 with conjoined dynamic
force and specific gravity equal to their
numerical dead-weight.
And now the best defence aud most
effectual safeguard for the purity, deli
cacy and refinement of the daughters of
our country against the dangers incident
to the trying ordeal to which we have
alluded, is unquestionably their highe5
education. Such an education as would
simply qualify woman to carry herself
smartly in politics, or the practice of any
public lecturer, would by no means suf-
ice to elevate her above the debasing
temptations which environ srlch avoca-
tions. Both her mind and heart must be
educated to such an excellent degree shat
she would not be the eself-conceited slave,
but the royal mistress, of the situation.
A woman In such positions Of temptation
must be true aud highly enlightened
philosopher, or she will very soon become
thing much wcrse than nothing. Nor
are the dangers to which we allude by
anygmehns limited in efIaet TO such indi-
vidual women az may personally engage
in the callings heretofore deemed only
appropriate to men. A sufficient num-
ber Of women will probably, in no very
great while, take such public positionaas
will enable them tolset fashions and give
tone to society. And it Is scarcely TO be
expected that these public characters
will, In the main, be the philosophic and
self-poised personB that they ought to be.
It is doubly important, therefore, that the
rank and file Of their sisters in private
life should be so thoroughly educated as
to be quito able and fully disposed to do
their own thinking, and tc follow firmly
sst11 stl;11 dictate &C pure morality and leli-
gion, settling their faces like Aints against
the corruption of beth private and pub
lie manners.
sc Eli the land with thoroughly educated,
highly cultivated women, and they will
save the land; for they will rise up in
the sifresistibie majesty of enlightened
purity, and, with the fiat of fashion, beat
down uudek their feet tha threatening
biiloHE OF corruption. Then will the
period come when we may truthfully say
Of our country Iaps jam TegHat AP0LLo.
But even If the dangers and tempta-
ti0ps 70 which We have alluded were not
hangip likn q porteRtolis clond upon our
socsfl horizon, there are other grave rea-
sc;.s in Abundance why the education of
the mass. .,of our women should be adj
vanced 70 q far big gher grade thRn mt at
which it has stood for ages pact. Tho
fundamental principles Of our holy reli-
gion fsquire it, and 'tfa pressing interests
Of advancing civilization demand it at