Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-07-31

y0u might have been throwing your /
children 70 The gocodiles. ~ Is not be-.
carse we are naturally any better. but |
because we have more gospel light
SACRIFICES uF TO-DAY
Now, make very practical use Of this I
question when tell you that the sacri. /
6ce Of Jephthah's daughter was o type |
OF the physical, mental and spiritual
sacrifice Of 10000 children in this day. |
There are parents all unwittingly bring |
hig to bear upon their children n class of |
Influences which will as certainly rain |
them as knife and torch destroyed Jeph- !
thah's daughter. While ! speak. the
whole nation without emotion and with |
out shame looks upon the stupendous
sacrifice.
IN the first place, remark that much |
of the system of education in our day Is
q system of sacrifice. When children
spend six or seven hours a day in school,
and then must spend two or three hours
in preparation for school the next day,
will you tell me how much time they
will have for sunshine and fresh air and
the obtaining of that exuberance which
is necessary for the duties Of coming ifeH
No one can feel more thankful than l
do for the advancement OF common
school education. The printing of books
appropriate for schools. the multiplied
ton of philosophical apparatus, the es-
tablishment of normal schools, which
provide for our children teachers of lar
gest caliber, are themes on which every
philanthropist ought to be congratu-
lated. But this herding of great multi
tudes of children in ill ventilated school
rooms and poorly equipped halls of in
struction is making many OF the places
of knowledge in this country huge holo-
causts.
Politics in many of the cities gets into
educational affairs, and while the two
| political parties are scrabbling for the
| honors Jephthah's daughter perishes.
1t is SO much so that there are many
schools in the country today which are
preparing tens of thousands of invalid
men and women for the future, SO that
in many places by the time the child's
| education is finished the child is finished!
In many places, in many cities of the
country, there are large appropriations
for everything else and cheerful appro-
priations, but as soon as the appropria-
ton is to be made for the educational or
moral interest of the city we are struck
through with an economy that is we'll
nigh the death of US.
SPARE THE DELICATE BRAIN.
In connection with this mention what
might call the cramming system of the
common schools and many of the acade-
mies-children of delicate brain COM
PEELED to tasks that might appall ma
ture intellect, children going down to
school with strap of books half as high
as themselves. The fact is, in some of
the cities parents do not allow their
children to graduate for the simple rea-
son, they say, 1--WE cannot afford to al
low our children's health to be destroyed
in order that they may gather the honors
of an institution"
Tens of thousands of children educated
into imbecility, so connected with many
such literary establishments there ought
to be asylums for the wrecked. 1t Is
push and crowd and cram and stuff
and Jam until the child's intellect is be
wildered, and the memory is wrecked
and the health is gone. There are chill
dren turned out from the schools who
once were full of romping and laughter
and had cheeks crimson with health who
are now turned out in the afternoon pale
faced, irritated, asthmatic, old before
their time. 1t is one of the saddest sightl
on earth, an old mannish boy or an ole
womanish girl.
Girls 10 years of age studying algebra
! Boys 12 years of age racking their brainl
over trigonometry! Children unacquaint
ed with their mother tongue crying ovel
their Latin, French and German lessons
All the vivacity of their nature beateI
, out of them by the heavy beetle OF
Greek lexiconl And you doctor then
, for this. and you give them little med
, icine for that, and you wonder what i
r the matter with them. will tell yo'
, what is the matter with them; they ar
} finishing their education.
In my parish in Philadelphia chil'
was SO pushed at school that she wa
i thrown into fever, and in her dyinI
' delirium, all night long, she was tryinI
' to recite the multiplication table. Il
: my boyhood | remember that IN ou
class at school there was one Lad wh
n knew more than all of us put together
!. IL we were fast in our arithmetic,
extricated us. When we stood up 10
i the spelling class, he was almost alway
4 the head of the class. Visitors came !
4 his fathers house. and he was almoi
h always brought in as prodigy. Az
n years of age he was an idiot. He live
N 10 wears an idiot and died an idiot, nc
' knowing his right hand from his left Z
v day from night. The parents and u
n teachers made him an idiot.
% THE RIGHTS OF CHILDHOOD.
Ia You may fiatter your pride by forcin
ST your children to know more than an
10 other children, but you are making
"a sacrifice of that child if by the addition
to its intelligence you are making su
traction from its future. The child vi
d 90 away from such maltreatment WI
d no exuberance TO fight the battle OF lf
IN Such children may get along very W.
10 while you take care Of them, but VIII
d you are old or dead, alasl for them
H.