Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-03-01
CHAPTER XIII.
THE EDUCATION FOR SIMPLICITY

of mind, II is natural that edu-
"A cation should have much to do
with It. In general. but two methods
Of rearing children are practiced. The
first Is to bring them up for ourselves.
the second to bring them up for them
selves.
In the first case the child is looked
upon as complement of the parents;
he is part Of their property, occupies a
place among their possessions. Some
times this place is the highest, espe-
clally when the parents value the life
Of the affections. Again, where ma
terial interests rule, the child holds
second, third or even the last place.
In any case he is nobody. While he
Is young he gravitates round his par
ents. not only by obedience, which is
right. but by the subordination of all
his originality, all his being. As he
grows older this subordination be.
comes a veritable conflscation, extend
ing to his ideas, his feelings, every
thing. His minority becomes perpet.
ual. Instead Of slowly evolving into
Independence the man advances into
slavery. He Is what he Is permitted
to be- what his fathers business, re-
lgious beliefs, political opinions or
aesthetic tastes require him to be. He
will think. speak, act and marry ac-
cording to the understanding and lin
its Of the paternal absolutism. This
family tyranny may be exercised by
people with no strength of character.
It is only necessary for them to be
convinced that good order requires the
child to be the property of the parents.
In default of mental force. they pos
sess themselves of him by other means
by signs, supplications or base Sc
auctions. II they cannot fetter him
they snare his feet in traps. But that
he should live In them. through them,
for them, Is the only thing admissible.
Education of this sort is not the
practice of families only, but also OF
great social organizations whose chief
| educational function consists in putting
strong hand on every newcomer, In
! order to fit him, In the most iron
bound fashion. into existing forms. 1t
Is the attenuation, pulverization ane
assimilation of the individual in n So
eial body. be 1t theocratic, communis-
tic or simply bureaucratic and routi-
nay. Looked at from without, like
system seems the ideal of simplicity
In education. Its processes, In fact,
are absolutely simplistic. and If
man were not somebody. NJ he were
only sample of the race, this would
be the perfect education. AS all wild
genus and species have the same mark
ings, so we should all be identical.
having the same tastes, the same Ian
guage, the same beliefs, the same tend
encies. But man is not simply a
specimen Of the race, and for that rea-
son this sort of education is far from
being simple In Its results. Men so
vary from one another that number
less methods have to be invented to
suppress, stupefy and extinguish in
dividual thought. And one never ar
rves at 1t then but In part. a fact which
Is continually deranging everything.
at each moment, by some assure,
some interior force OF initiative is
making violent way to the light, pro-
ducing explosions upheavals, all sorts
or grave disorders. And where there
are no outward manifestations the evil
aes dormant; beneath apparent order
are hidden dumb revolt, flaws made by
an abnormal existence, apathy, death.
The system Is evil which produces
such fruit, and. however simple II may
appear, in reality 1t brings forth all
possible complications.
The other system is the extreme OPP
posite, that of bringing up children for
themselves. The roles are reversed; the
parents are there for the child. No
sooner is he born than he becomes the
center. White headed grandfather and
staiwart father bow before these curls.
ms nsping is their law. A sign from
mn sufi1ces. II he cries In the night
No fatigue Is of account; the whole
household must be reused. The new
comer is not long in discovering his
Incompetence, and before he can walk
~ Is drunken with 1t. As he grows
ciuer all this deepens and broadens.
aiehts, grandparents, servants, teach
rts' everybody is at his command. He
eceps the homage and even the i'm
Aoiation Of his neighbor; he treats like
leoelious subject any one who does
io' step out of his path. There is only
iinself. He is the unique, the perfect.
&c htailible. Too late 1t is perceived
la' all this has been evolving a mas
II, ana what master! Forgetful of
gerihees, without respect, even pity.
~ no longer has any regard for those
Hnom he owes everything, and he
NJ through life without law or check.
-us education, too, has its social
unterpart. 1t flourishes wherever the
aoes not count, where history be-
r.s s with the living. where there is no
auiuon, no discipline, no reverence;
aere those who know the least make
most noise; where those who stand
pubic order are alarmed by every
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