The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-09-04
EDUCATION.
Paper Read Before the Cecil Farmers
Club by Mr.. Henry S. Coudon.

| CluD by mr.. Henry ). C0ud0n.
At the last meeting Of the Cecil Farmers
! Club held at "Ellersley," the home Of Joseph
Coudon, of H., near Aiken, a paper was read
before the club by Henry S. Coudon, of Perry
| vile, who treated the subject of Education"
and incidentally made reference to the Cecil
County Agricultural Society. Mr.. Coudon
said:
Education is very comprehensive word
and embraces much more than is generally
supposed. Many and perhaps most persons
would conllno il to the knowledge gained at
! our places of learning, and imagine that their
whole duty to their children is performed
! when they send them regularly to school,
overlooking the fact that a chid's education
! begins when it is but few months old, and
that the foundation of character is often
established before 1t leaves the parental roof
| II during this time children are allowed to
pursue the natural bent of their inclinations
without any guiding and restraining influ-
ences, they form habits which become in
measure fixed, and are always overcome with
much difficulty, and often are so firmly fixed
as to render their correction almost an i'm
possibility.
As great majority of children Of the pres
ent day receive their education at our public
schools, it becomes II very important matter
to determine what the character and extent
Of that education shall be.
In considering the subject we must not lose
sight Of the object in view, which is to make
useful and respectable citizens, and any
course of study that fails IN this regard is to
be condemned rs falling below the proper
standard, and any that aims at much more
than this may be called unnecessary. and can
therefore be omitted without detrmcnt to
the public good. As the State assumes the
task Of instruction for the double purpose of
banehtinS the community rs VOL as the chill
dren by raising the standard OF citizenship
1t will not be denied that there must be some
limit to the outlay involved. And in deter
mining this limit it can hardly be expected
that the teachers are willing to be tho sole
ina,."n henoreo thov ,o?- rittln ir ~" - two
expense. bat are the bcuellciariCs, nor will it
do to defer entirely to the judgment OF the
parents whose children are being educated,
because rs a rule the contributions from them
are very limited. The persons who bear the
major part of the expense are entitled to a
,oico m Ge.erm.ning the extent % the ou.ay.
and whom it becomes apparent that the bene-
fits derived are not commensurate with the
amount expended a halt should be made.
1t does not require very great amount of
SCHOOLING 10 equip boy for luLure usriui-
ness. Some OF the most valued men that our
country has ever produced have been COM
paratively uneducated, and n very large num-
Der OF them have been self-educated Among
the latter may be cited several who have risen
to the highest position within the gift OF the
people. 1t is an axiom that the things that
| are the most easily obtained are often the
least priced, and education may be said to be
no exception.
The men who have enjoyed in their youth
only what would now be called the rudiments
OF an education have felt the want of more,
| and by their own exertions have obtained it,
| and they have always turned 1t to good ac-
count, whilst very many who have, as it We're,
had the opportunities Of acquiring knowledge
forced upon them, utterly failed 10 exhibit
| any corresponding benefit.
| 1t is not always judicious to distribute
charity Unfortunately and lavishy Such
| a course tends to minimize the recipients
| self-reliance, and without this characteristic
| little advancement can be expected. II a
youth becomes conscious that he is being
reared, as it were, ut public expense and
without any effort on the part Of himself or
parents, his sense OF self-dependence will be
dealened and much of the incentive 10 after
| improvement will be forever lost.
We might say, then, that all unnecessary
and what might be called fancy branches
should be discouraged in our public schools
| and only the useful retained. or what use,