Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-04-22

the crocodiles. 1t is not because we are
naturally any better, but because we
have more gospel light
Now l make very practical use of
this question when | tell you that the
sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter was
type of the physical, mental and spirit
ual sacrifice of ten thousand children
in this day There are parents all I'M
Willingly bringing to bear upon their
children class of influences which will
as certainly ruin them us knife and
torch destroyed Jepht hah's daughter
While speak, the whole nation, with
out emotion and without shame, looks
upon the stnpendous sacrifice.
In the first place, | remark that much
of the system of education in our day
is system of sacrifice When children
spend six or seven hours 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 exnbcrance
which is necessary for the duties of
coming life2 No one can feel more
thankful than I do for the advancement
of common school education The
printing of books appropriate for
schools, the multiplication of philo-
sophical apparatus. the establishment
of normal schools, which provide for
our children teachers of largest culiber.
are themes ON which every philanthro-
pist ought to be congratulated. But
this herding of great multitudes of
children in i'll ventilated schoolrooms
and poorly equipped halls of instruction
is making many of the places of lnowl-
edge in this country huge holocaust.
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 fin
ished In many places in many cities
of the country, there are large appro-
priations for everything else and cheer
full appropriations. but as socn as the
appropriation is TO be made for the edu-
cational or moral interests of the city
we are struck through with an economy
that is we'll nigh the death of Us.
Danger of Ovcrstudy.
In connection with this I mention
what I might call the examining system
ofithe common schools and many of the
academies children of delicate brain
compelled to tasks that might appall
mature 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
reason. they say, eve cannot afford to
allow our children's health to be de-
stroyed in order that they. may gather
the honors of an institution. Tens OF
thousands Of children educated into i'm
becility, so that connected with many
auch literary establishments there ought
to be asylums for the wrecked. 1t is
push and crowd and cram and stuff
and jam until the cbild's intellect is be-
wildered and the memory is ruined and
the health is gone There are children
who once were full of romping and
laughter and had checks crimson with
health who are now turned out in the
afternoon pale faced, irritated, asth-
matte, old before their time. 1t is one
of the saddest sights on earth, an cid
mannish boy or an old womanish girl.
Girls 10 years of age studying algebra
Boys 10 years of age racking their brain
over trigonometry Children unac-
ouainted with their mother tongue cry
ing over their Latin, French and Ger
man lessonsl All the vivacity of their
nature beaten out of them by the heavy
beetle of Greek lexiconl And you doc
tor them for this, and yon give them
little medicine for that, and you won.
der what is the matter of them will
tell you what is the matter CT them
They are finishing their education
In my parish in Philadelphia little
child was so pushed at school that she
was thrown into fever. and in her
dying delirium. all night long, she was
trying to recite the multiplication ia
BILE In my boyhood I remember that in
our class at school there was one lad
who knew more than all of us put to-
gether. If we were fast in cur arith-
metic, he extricated us. When we stood
up for the spelling class he WAS almost
always the head of the class. Visitors
came to his fathers house, and he was
always brought in as prodigy. At is
years of age he was an idiot He lived
ten, years an idiot and died IN idiot,
not knowing his right hand from mis-
left or day from night The parents and
the teachers made him IN idiot
Wrong System of Education.
You may aatter your pride by forcing
your child to know mere than amy other
children, but You are making sacri-
flee of that child if by the additions to
its intelligence you are making sub
traction from its future. The child will
20 away from such maltreatment with
no exuberance to fight the battle OF
life Such children may get along very
well while you take care of them. but.
when you are old Or. dead alas for
them if through the wrong. ssstem of
education which you adopted they
have no swarthiness OF force of charac-
ter to take care of themselves Be care
ful how you make the child's head ache
nr its heart futter. hear a great deal
about black mans rights. and China
mans rights, and Indians rights. and
womans rights. Would to God that
somebody would rise to plead for chill
dren's rights The Carthagenians used
to sacrifice their children by putting
them into the arms of an idol which
thrust forth its hand. The child was
put into the arms of the idol, and no
sooner touched the arms than it dropped
into the fire. But it was the art OF the
mothers to keep the children smiling
and laughing until the moment they