Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-24

women who read these pages recall those
first days when they were exiled from the
pleasant tree shadows outside, and made
to sit within the dull prison room Of
learning, coming that horrid formula Of
the cat and the rat so typical of their
own state at the time. But other trou-
bles of a far more serious nature were
upon us now. We had learned to "ci-
pher." and had come to that place where
1t was a kind of moral duty to "set down
the right-hand figure and carry one"
The sum would be add to 30" and we
would set down the d. after a mental
struggle between our right and our left
hand, and carry the l on to the other 5,
which was plainly not entitled to it,
Let each column have its due We said
in the small integrity Of our minds. If
and 5 made 10. why not write il so?
1t seemed dishonest to halve the dividend
with the next only because it was a
near neighbor and our whole moral ma
ture cried out against 1t. Meanwhile. as
from day to day the figure to be carried
and thrust into the next column became
larger. our sense of WEAKNESS and re-
sponsibility increased. That was our first
business obligation in the world, to
carry when We ought to carry, and to
pay back when we borrowed in sub
traction, and we were never the same aft
erward. If virtue had not gone out of
us something of the spirit had Those
first impressions that we held SO lightly
upon the wings of fancy faded. We be-
came strangers to the bluebirds and suf-
fered such little amorphOus. academic
transtive verb govern the objective
case?" We still had the heart TO be
sorry for the objective case. Or. why
were "a and IAN" called indefinite ar
ticles," and what was an article of Ian.
guage anyhow?
Confusion Of Mind.
These are natural questions for the
child to ask; they represent the pathetic
confusion of his mind. too young to rea-
son or apprehend definitions We have.
indeed. better. surer methods now of
teaching the personalities of language.
but the burden of knowing is the same
to the child. And 1t is the burden that
is so cruel. Besides, even in these days
Of amazing public school systems, where
SO much practice has been had in tOrtur-
ing the minds of young children. not one
In a dozen can tell why he sets down one
figure in addition and carries The other.
The writer recently interviewed four,
varying from the age of seven to twelve
and found them all sullenly Ignorant of
the mystery 1t was kind of mathe-
NAUTICAL crucifixiOn through which they
passed with uncertain success.
Now, it Is not we'll for children to
grow up in ignorance, but 1T is abomina-
and destroy their spiritual qualities by
teaching them last things first. And it is
curious that men and women who petit
ton legislatures to save young children
from work in the mills and factories can
see no harm in sending baby to school.
More children are martyred every year
In the first six grades at school than have
ever been destroyed in the cotton fac
tories. The fact that they do not die. but
grow up to be careworn men and women.
of even great mental accomplishments, Is
no sign that they were not bereaved OF
the highest qualities when they were In
the primary grades. Nothing in this
world is more barbarous than the teach
ing relation We sustain to them. We do
not respect them enough, and II Is no
wonder they respect us so little. They
do not know how to say it, and there is
an instinct still beautiful in them which
forbids the sacrilege. but every child
knows that its average elder Is TOOL
with his accent i'm the wrong place. They
yield to US and finally become like us,
but in the beginning they knew better.
And hereafter when the child enters into
his own. we shall understand better, than
we do now how to prolong those first
millennium years OF joy and innocence.
There will be no house school for chill
dren. but they will take their primer les
sons as they are published upon the hills
from day to day. There will be no senti-
mental catechism of arbitrary rights and
wrongs strung by creed. but they will
learn naturally the great lesson OF right
obedience to God. not because there are
churches or dogmas. but because the