St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-01-04

driven on the rocks. And what snail
be said of the years which follow.
crowded with opportunities may, ne
cessities-for a reasonable dealing
with the questions of life? No woman
can be her husbands friend and help
er without logic to which he may ap-
peal and an intelligence which COM
pletes and supplements his own. And
this education of character. as OF mind.
is not taught in school which gradu-
ates girls in white muslin at II and
sends them out without either mental
resource or control.
Geometry teaches the logic OF life
and over blackboard problems Rosy
Cheek learns to be the mother. wife
and citizen, which every advanced
civilization demands. This is the ed
ucation which is developed by seri-
Gus, adequate curriculum and by
none other The special training 10
another matter, equally important, as
it prepares woman to meet the re-
sistless law which links happy useful
ness with occupation. The choice OF
study should of course be adapted to
the individual learning of the stu
dent, and il indeed there Is mental
constitution differing from that OF
man, this fact should be recognized in
fitting her for her probable duties and
her possible use of talent or ability.
The increasing number OF eclectic
courses Of study gives an added free.
dom and breadth of opportunity most
desirable and necessary and If right
fully understood should entirely re-
move the popular prejudice that coli
legiate education, per Sc. fills Wo-
mans mind with useless knowledge.
A college education should mean the
best education possible, and it's vari-
ETY. should only be equaled by its
thoroughness. The ordinary finishing
school for girls cannot train the mind
adequately because of the briefness OF
its curriculum and its lack Of system.
Parent and teacher are alike respon-
sible for this. neither demanding, as
rule. anything approaching rigor-
Gus standard OF education.
1t is sometimes fairly astonishing
to note with what shallow and care.
less consideration the whole subject
of a girls education is dismissed. One
| wonders what results can be expect
ed from such lax attention to q su-
premely important matter. Can q few
weeks Of Science" a skimming Of
philosophy, dig the channels OF train
ed and habitual thought? Can germ
of talent, literary, mathematical or
plastic, be taught to grow by a brief
| planting and a briefer tending2 Can
an occasional composition. even Q
certain fluency in the attractive and
| harmless" literature of the modern
| languages, give correct and elegant
| forms of expression or teach the his
1 tory of the words we user The un-
differentiated adjective Of sweet l6
may pass amid its ripping laughter
and its maiden grace. but how about
/ the woman whose vocabulary is still
confined to exclamation points pune
fuating the eternal reiteration OF
/ awful wonderful fascinating
and the like?
A young girl may. indeed, run q
| fairer chance OF getting husband II
her charm is not endangered by an
awkward reputation CT cleverness. but
the married woman needs every bit
/ CT Intelligence she possesses.
The women of America are enfran.
chised by the customs OF the country.
if not by the preiudices OF the 90
called upper and better classes Lib
erty and responsibility are ours and
sooner or later we shall be called
upon to fit ourselves for them The
working women know this and are
rising to the demands of both necessity
and opportunity. But. first and fore
most ii our daughters are to be given
the dangerous draught OF knowledge,
they must learn to subordinate 1t to
charm. There is no impossibllity
about this-only the most vague and
illogical prejudice against It. Every
woman should be taught. first and
foremost, that in all social relations
knowledge must be subordinate to
sympathy. merged into the charm
which listens first and then expresses.
/ All greatness is simple and. above
all. transformations. as all strength,
if balanced and serene. is sweet. True
education teaches this, as IL develops
harmony with law. which is the
word" of the world, both spiritual
and material.
The preponderance of women who
intend to make college education a
preparation for wage.earning career
is a deterrent to those who consider
the natural association and friend.
ships of youth to be an all-important
consideration. This deterrent must
inevitably disappear with the i'm
provement of the already established
schools, many Of Which already APP
proach the college standard, and with
the development of the universities
for women existent in America. In
any case, whether this condition dis
appears in short or longer time, it
must always be safer and better in
this country of fluctuating social con-
ditions to build the foundations OF
character and OF mental cultivation
firmly and well. Sweetness and
grace, IL individual, will not be de-
stroyed by the education which devei.
ops character.
i Not Merger.
Jonah was explaining matters
1T wasn't consolidation, he said.