Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-16

literary work She does-a literary woman,
who now nevertheless, by the providence
of bitter disappointment, is feebly striv-
ing to dig through the mire Of excessive
mentality to find her heart and soul; TINS
woman in fit of rebellion against the ex-
fsting order of things lately tried to com
nit suicide. She swallowed load OF lau-
danum. and then. like many another VINO
has for variety'S sake played suicide 10
the gallery gods of his vanity, directly she
had swallowed the stuff, she went moving
for help. When, after having been walk
ed the night through, she was permitted TO
go to sleep, she had not the pleasant
dreams opium is advertised in emma 70
produce. She says she firmly believes, sne
had a foretaste of her future punishment.
She seemed to exist an Independent, form
less. something having the power OF sur
! veying her soul, which was set upon py
| myriad hideous imps that she perceived
were her sins. Her soul itself was nor
rible deformity-head, arms, legs, trunk
all distorted to extend in one single al,
rection, and a voice from somewhere toIo
| her this deformity was the result OF nav
ing during life concentrated ner enersles
| upon a single purpose In word, TINS
| was vision Of a woman's brain deVeiopeo
| according to the higher aims of this worlo
| taking judgment in the next.
The Appetite for Knowledge.
But the opium revelation CT this woman
is not sufficient to make you understand.
| If you don't, that an appetite for knowledge
| is every bit as carnal as an appetite for
|
| flesh.
| Modern psychologists are able to trace
| the correspondence between thought and
the physical processes of the brain; ana
modern philosophy, therefore, incInaes
| thought in the material world, a function
| of the body. There is, then, in accord with
this fact demonstrated by science nothing
| in knowledge per Sc which renders IL SUI
perior to the food we put in our stomachs.
| Each is acquired to satisfy natural ap-
| petite. Each is, under proper conditions,
| assimilated by the body to nourish the
| body, and both are iEter-operative IN the
| functions they sustain-the process or dl-
gestion and that of thought, as everybody
| knows in his own experience, being mutu-
| ally dependent in results. indigestion
| knocks out the philosopher, and philosophy
| controlling the emotions as frequently aids
digestion. There is, then, nothing nobler
| in feeding your mind than in feeding your
stomach, and devouring books to gam
knowledge, or because one loves BOOKS. is,
| as your physiology demonstrates no more
meritorious than stuffiDg roast beef to
| make YOU fat or because it tastes good. 10
read. to study, to think, for the sake OF
| gaining knowledge-to taste your meat, to
| swallow it and be full.
Conan Dovle has cleverly summed up the
| value of learning in relation to the purpose
of life and enunciated what occurs to me as
| the most comprehensive and simplest solu-
ton of the education problem on record.
His great creation, Sherlock Holmes, is an
eDitome of the methods of criminals, and
his apparently occult powers of detecting
crime are explained by his minute famil-
iarity with the history of crime. But his
ignorance of much that is commonplace in
the understanding of others causes bis
| friend to marvel, whereunon Sherlock
Holmes defines his plan of education thus:
II never learn anything until 1 need to
know it, Thus waste no energy acquiring
that which renders me no service Thus:
also, I am able to keep the storehorSe of
my mind free from rubbish and have space
always for the orderly arrangement OF
every thought 1 get"
High School Girls.
This seems to me indisputably to define
a practical education, and by this common
sense standard of the excellence of human
attachments 1 have measured certain data
concerning the education of girls gathered
from 15G separate sources. That number
of girls in attendance upon the High School
have written out for me these answers to
the following list OF questions:
l. What is your fathers education-col-
lege, high school, etc?
. What is your mothers education?
3. What is your fathers occupation?
4. What is your mothers occupation?
s. Why are you attending the High
School?
G. How is your time occupied outside of
school hours?
z. What you reading?
s. What is your aim in life?
0. If you were thrown on your own re-
ing?
To- Define briefly your idea of good cit
iZen.
The manifestly mischievous absurdity of
educating children to become Intellectual
aliens in their homes suggested framing
the questions concerning parents for the
purpose of determining what, If any. lack
of harmony in this particular exists as q
result of the inducements of free high
schools. The answers disclose that uni
formiy the girls pursuing high school
course have. parents who have enjoyed
only no confusion resulting between
parents and children in consequence OF the
advanced studies of the high school, but
also that the theory of sustaining high
schools at public expense-to provide all
with an opportunity for advanced study
is in effect to sustain school for the ben
eft of none but educated, aforementioned
parents. The financial condition of the
families represented in the high school is
expressed in the answers to the question:
What is your mothers occupation?' Out |
of 1856 queried but ten indicated circum-
stances requiring the mother to have an |
occupation yielding money returns.
Why They Go to school.
More than so per cent of the girls go to
the high school aimiessly. animated only
by that false regard for the value of in
tellectuai attainments apart from some
clearly defined end in view that makes |
what is roughly denominated by earnest |
persons educated FOOLS" |
Il attend the high school because 1t |
is not too expensive. and because the edu- |
cation is a good, sensible one
Il attend the high school to complete my |
education more" |
II come to the high school because I |
want to learn something and because 1 |
enjoy coming"
81 am attending the high school for the |
purpose of attaining a broader and higher |
knowledge of things in general"
Il attend the high school for the sake
of the education which gain thereby"
Six girls out Of the whole 1856 vera
able to declare the distinct purpose of at |
tending the high school in order to enter
the normal school. One girl stated her
purpose was to fit herself for a medical |
school. Ten are preparing for college, and |
thirty-seVen have the general intention of 1
becoming teachers.
A large majority of the girls in desis-
mating their occupations outside of school |
hours revealed sweet, simple lives, har-
moriously ADJUSTED to their homes and
their youth. Two-thrds Go a certain
of housework-tending their own
rooms, doing the marketing, busting the
parlors, &c. The remaining one-third d.
vide their time between StlI6y ,,.d;,,