The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1884-02-28
PUBLIC EDUCATION.
ESSAYS READ BEFORE THE STATE TEACHERS Ass0-
CITATION, DECEMBER, 1888
THE PROPER LIMIT OF THE SCHOOL AGE FOR OUR CON-
NON SCHOOLS,
BY Rrv. W. 3. RINoHAM, HMtgHussr, MIss

~
born the world ignorant and helpless the necessity OF
instruction aud discipline bginw with the very opening of
our exence and as infancy gives place childhood the mpo
tant task education under the moulding and
restraining influence Of home; and the good work necessarily
goes through the advanced periods Of YOUTH until the
dependent years Of boyhood and hoo cumnae the epon
sbe position of full mental moral and physical maturity And
long and live they alive to the duties
and engagements which await them they will seek add their
capital stock of information for the sake OF their happiness
and usefulness and the good of those about them As the fields
of knowledge infinite in their range and various in their
departments eternity itself would alone be requisite for the
compass of the bounde limits and the exploration OF the
deru mines of that would lie before and dgent
inquirer Hence every child every youth, every and
would long life should last, be proper subjects Of
education
But when the question is asked ''What the proper limit Of
the school age for schoos?" other considerations
and conditions arise and hence very different answer from the
preceding be given for here the State the guardian Of
the rights and interests of all It's inhabitants acknowledges the
obligation educate its people, and has therefore, the right
prescribe the and instruments be used the qualifications
Of those who supentend this branch Of work. and every
thing else appeanng the whole system of education. In
the of this constitutional right the State of Mississippi
has, through her authorized agents. framed the regulation of
this important interest Among other questions to he settled she
has fixed the limit of the school age for common schools
This limit at present from to years OF age And without
questioning the wisdom OF past State legislation on this subject
there present strong and growing sentiment among many
of the best educators and thinking of the State that change
in this limit would greatly the cause OF public education
The Executive Committee of this Association has fit to have
this subject discussed at the present meeting AMI 1t with
feeling of ddence that your esays appears before you to-day
The pressure Of other duties has absorbed much of my
for weeks past that have been unable to the sub
ec the careful and minute investigation which its importance
deserves.
In order however to bring before this body will offer
reflections which may open the subject for further
discussion 1t IS proposed to consider it in wotod aspect
l. HtstUifaLy. r~sr~e.7
H. In its dy,eef relations 10 on oya Sfat.
The education of children national arrangement is Of
very ancient origin and far earn began very
remote age The ancient Egyptians probably had uniform
system of education embracing the primary and higher schools
the benefit of their The limit OF the school
among this unknown but unreasonable infer that early
education prevailed in the land
1t from the Egyptians that the Israeles obtained much Of
their knowledge of the and sciences Among the Hebrews
with their heocratc constitution mental cultivation mani
tested in its seraure very unlike that found among other Oriental
people The schools of the prophets the only schools which
mentioned, but children generally instructed by their
parents the of Moses and the history Of the nation After
the exile formal system adopted Then the rabbs
established schools which children from their fifth
sixth year until they fully ndoctrnaed in the Scriptures
the commentaries and traditions and Michna and Genara 1t
these rabbnca schools that Paul studied under
the direction of Gamale
Among the ancient Persans the whole system Of education
the hands of the Magl, preSy caste OF the Medlan
origin who the the empire the legislators Judges
interpreters of Dreams astroogers and highest unconae
According Herodous there mo general system
of national education, but instruction simple for the
people, learned and religious for the mag and military and
political for the warrior The boys instructed from their
fifth their twentieth year. three things alone, to ride to
draw the bow and speak the truth AT about the eighth
the boys ntrused to the OF pedagogue who accom-
panied them school, and them under surveillance
Attendance school continued until the sixteenth or eigh
eenh year. after which, those who wished became disciples
of teachers Of higher ordehe philosophers heorcans and
sophs For girls there neither educational institutions nor
private teachers.
Among the Greeks instruction entirely independent of
the State till the time Of the emperors Then girls and
taught separately appears that they entered school
early age and remained under tutors until the prescribed
Of study Completed but the limit of the school
is specified.
Very little known about the condition of national
school education Europe during the first years Of the
Christian suffice say that general education almost
universally neglected. and schools confined few OF the
prominent cities During the 9Th century Chaemagne
founded schools which of Of the nobility edu.
Gated with his children Less than century after Charlie
magne King Alfred revived letters and schools England and
ordained the children of every free whose circumstances
would allow should acquire the Of reading and writing
This revival learning succeededby fearful mental rpor
which eliminated in the 10th century and is known the dark
est period of the Christian literature
About this time the Arabs established hourshng schools Of
learning and attached every mosque elementary school for
Young Children in which reading and writing taught
From the nth the 10Th centuries the of the school
men and noted universities founded for training philo
ophy poetry and theology but only few schools for the
! education of the common classes were known.
The golden age Of literature began in Germany under Luther
and Meancthon s8 when they drew up the plan io the
of Protestant schools IN this country In
these schools OF different grades children admitted OF tender
and gradually advanced from the lowest % the highest until
tey finished the prescribed OF study Frederick the