The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-12-20
EnnGAIlnN nE GIRLS.


At ~ are expected to know. Often,
when have advanced my ideas on
his subject, | have been met by |
fond parents who hold that a uni
versity education is not necessary
for girls generally; but it is not
by his own taste but by taste of the
fish, that the angler is determined in
his choice of bait;" IL is not what
the girl likes or desires, but what
she will need when she ceases to be
a schoolgirl, and enters upon the
duties of life, that must determine
what studies it will be most profit
able for her to pursue during her
girlhood. If girl brings away
from college a knowledge of self,
regular habits of study, and a mind
capable of strong exertion, she has
gained more than if she could dis
play dozen diplomas, OF dozen
Latin medals, and go forth into the
world a schoolgirl, to remain a
schoolgirl to the end of her days.
What Macauley says of q man is
also true of woman: "What one
does in college is of itself nothing;
if he makes a poor figure in life, his
having been prize Latin scholar is
never mentioned but with derision. If
he makes distinguished figure, his
early honors merge into those of
later date, and although in after life
he may regret his scanty knowledge
of classics, yet he is at least free
from habits that senior wrangler
is pretty apt to possess. Mathe-
MATES are generally considered un-
necessary in the education of girls,
and as l write look back and smile
as remember how l despised them
in my school days. To me, then,
there were not enough words in the
English language to express my
abomination of that science. But
now that those days are forever lost
to me, / am thankful that l was not
exempted from that, then, miserable
study, for the discipline of the mind
| gained in those hours of labor has
been great source of comfort to
me all along.
Often now l long to retrace the
steps that lie between my school
days and the present, and by reason
of the experience l have gained, APP
ply myself better to the work in
hand. How happy l should be if
such thing were possible!
The thought of parents and teach
ers alike is nearly always to prepare
the student for college life, and ac-
cordingly the student wrestles with
classics and mathematics for a
period of three years at least, and it
cannot be denied that earnest appli-
cation to these branches give accur-
acv of thought and soundness OF
Judgment, that can be obtained in
no other way. 1t does not give
parrot-like acquisition only, but in
tellectual strength. 1t fills the hands
with good things, and creates de-
sire for more; but these are not all
that can be accomplished.
The time has gone by when a girl
is considered as having done well il
she is prepared to enter the fresh
man-year at eighteen. There are
few girls who cannot be taken
through the preparatory course and
matriculated at the age of fourteen,
thus gaining four years of the bright
spring-time of life, that is so often
wasted by injudicious management.
We allow too much time for the
vacation, and too little work in the
time of work. When the school year
begins let each day, from Monday
morning to Friday night, be filled tc
the full with work.
There are none of us, l think,
who are wives and mothers, who dc
not realize each day how our influ-
ence for good in the world might
have been augmented, if we had
only improved the wasted hours OF
our girlish days. Our only way tc
remedy the wrong we have done
ourselves, is to lead the little ones
that follow, in such manner that
they may come into full possession
of the things that will crown theil
lives; and which, had we gained
them. would have crowned our own
III girl is started to school at al
early age-say seven or eight-and
her education is directed by teachers
who at once instll into the mind 6
love of study and enthusiasm in tho
work, / see no reason why at eight
cen we may not lead her down from
our universities and give her the
greatest honor that those institu.
tions can bestow.
The study of the classics could bt
successfully begun, think, in the
early years; for in those years VIZ
experience no dryness or difficulty
that invariably happens if the study
is delayed until more advanced
age. The mind, then, is ready II
grasp all with childish eagerness
and it can retain so easily then tina
which would require so many repeti
tions in later years. Children should
grow up to French and German, ant
be as complete master of those
languages at Ten and twelve as somt
of us are at thirty. / have Otter
heard it argued that it is only 1
waste of time to learn to read The
classics in the original, now that
translations are so plentiful. Will.
this is true to some extent vet Il