Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1882-05-24
Garfield on Education.


The educational column of the Ian
sing Republican, Deputy State Sup
erintendent Smith, editor, publishes
the following compilation of some of
the late President Garheld's educa-
tional aphorisms:
School houses are less expensive
than rebellions.
1t is to me a perpetual wonder
that any child's love of knowledge
survives the outrages of the school
house.
That man will be a benefactor to
his race who shall teach us how to
manage rightly the first years of a
child's education.
One-half of the time which is
now almost wholly wasted in dis
trict schools, on English grammar.
attempted at too early an age, would
be sufficient to teach our children to
love the republic, and to become its
loyal and lifelong supporters.
The old necessities have passed
away. We now have strong and
noble living languages, rich in liter
ature rerlcte with high and earnest
thought, the language of science, re-
ligion and liberty, and yet we bid
our children feed their spirits on
the life of the dead ages, instead of
the inspiring life and vigor of our
times. | do not object to classical
learning-far from it; but | would
not have it exclude the living pres
ent.
Greek is, perhaps. the most per-
feet instrument of thought ever in
vented by man, and its literature
has never been equaled in purity of
of style and boldness of expression.
The graduate would blush were
he to mistake the place of Greek
accent, or put the ict,ts on the second
syllable of Folns; but the whole cir
Gle of the liberatpm atium, SO POM
pously referred to in his diploma of
graduation, may not have taught
him whether the jejunum is a bone,
or the humerus an intestine.
The student should study him
self, his relation to society, to ma
ture, and to art; and above all. in
all, and through all these, he should
study the relations of himself, socie-
ty, nature and art to God, the au-
thor of them all.
1t would be unjust to our people,
and dangerous to our institutions, to
apply any portion of the revenues of
nation Or of the states to the sup
port of sectarian schools.
Here two forces play with all their
vast power upon our system of edu
cation. The first is that of the To-
cal municipal power, under our
state governments. There is the
center of responsibility. There is
the chief educational power. There
can be enforced Luther's great
thought of placing on magistrates
the duty of educating children.
The best system of education is
that which draws its chief support
from the voluntary effort of citizens,
and from those burdens of taxation
which they voluntarily impose upon
themselves.
Next in importance to freedom
and justice is popular education,
without which neither freedom nor
justice can be permanently main
tanned.
Use several text books. Get the
views Of different authors as YOU
advance. In that way you can
plow broader furrow. | always
study in that Wav.
The student should first study
what he needs most to know; tht
order of his needs should be the or
der of his work.
This generation is beginning te
understand that education should
not be forever divorced from indus
try; that the highest results can b,
reached only when science guide,
the hand Of labor. With what ca
| gerness and alacrity is industry seiz
ing every truth of science and put
ting it in harness.
Grecian children were taught t
reverence and emulate the virtue Q
their ancestors. Our educationa
forces are SO welded as to teach on
children to admire most that whic
is foreign, and fabulous, and dead.
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