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Article ESSAYS ON EDUCATION.—No. II. Page 1 of 4 →
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Essays On Education.—No. Ii.
ESSAYS ON EDUCATION . —No . II .
BY THE REV . 11 . K . SLADU , D . D . INCALCULABLE ; is the mischief resulting from the recklessness ivith which some parents , to free themselves from the inconvenience occasioned by the immediate proximity of their children , dismiss them to the apartment of the individual charged with their superintendence ; while it not unfrequently happens when tlie child , expelled from the maternal chamberarrives at bis place of destinationthat he is received
, , there with an ill-grace , because his presence proves to be importunate . Hence , if be venture to ask a question , his inquiry remains unanswered : if he indulge in mirth , he is enjoined forthwith to silence : if he weep , he meets but with abuse ; and if he become irritated , iris irritation is speedily surpassed by that of others ; so that by degrees be is rendered to the full as melancholy , disagreeable , and choleric , as previously he had shewn himself livelyamiableand patient . On the
, , other hand , if his superintendent be of a mild and docile disposition , possessing affection for her charge , there are equal dangers , though of an adverse nature , to be apprehended ; for in this case , the domestic is apt to flatter the child ' s caprices ; to stimulate his inclinations ; to applaud his very passion , anil to submit entirely to his tlictum ; so that , if in the first hypothesis , she acquires a passive slave , in the second , she no less assuredly acquires a perfect tyrant .
Hitherto , I have been speaking but of pure errors , it being perfectly obvious from the little that has been said , how peril-fraught to the child is a system which proves of so much convenience to the parent . Hut , if the inclii-iduals to whom tbe precious charge of childhood is confided ,
are imbued ivith real vices , as mostly proves to be the case , then is the mother guilty not only of neglect , but of a flagrant crime in regard to her abandonment of her offspring . Lying , from its prevalence among servants , who possess no other means of palliating their weaknesses , is ordinarily the most common failing of children ; for as these are much more feeble than their guardians , and have already found , on various occasions , that by means of a falsehood they can extricate
themselves from a dilemma , they no longer hesitate in case of emergency , to avail themselves of a mode of defence , at once so commodious and so easy ; while the consequence invariably is , that they thus contract an habitual habit of lying , which is not , afterwards , easily to be eradicated . It is futile in us to tell a child , that lying is a IOAV and hateful vice , neither , at tbe least , does he comprehend the meaning of such words ; what , however , he right well understands , is the means he acquires
bylying of doing his behest , without the fear of punishment . ft is by no means an uncommon error , that of attributing to bad disposition , certain defects which , Avithout a doubt , the child has contracted through either the neglect , the ignorance , or the vicious system of tbe individuals charged with the superintendence of his education : yet , would we , instead of calumniating nature , but apply ourselves to the deriving solid advantages from the great means which she laces at our
p disposal , ive should then behold wonders . Nature ingrafted in man a love of self so efficacious , as to impel him irresistibly to seek whatsoever may contribute to his preservation , and his happiness . It admits not of denial , that we very frequently deceive ourselves in our selection of the means Avhich Ave employ , yet this must be considered less the fault of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Essays On Education.—No. Ii.
ESSAYS ON EDUCATION . —No . II .
BY THE REV . 11 . K . SLADU , D . D . INCALCULABLE ; is the mischief resulting from the recklessness ivith which some parents , to free themselves from the inconvenience occasioned by the immediate proximity of their children , dismiss them to the apartment of the individual charged with their superintendence ; while it not unfrequently happens when tlie child , expelled from the maternal chamberarrives at bis place of destinationthat he is received
, , there with an ill-grace , because his presence proves to be importunate . Hence , if be venture to ask a question , his inquiry remains unanswered : if he indulge in mirth , he is enjoined forthwith to silence : if he weep , he meets but with abuse ; and if he become irritated , iris irritation is speedily surpassed by that of others ; so that by degrees be is rendered to the full as melancholy , disagreeable , and choleric , as previously he had shewn himself livelyamiableand patient . On the
, , other hand , if his superintendent be of a mild and docile disposition , possessing affection for her charge , there are equal dangers , though of an adverse nature , to be apprehended ; for in this case , the domestic is apt to flatter the child ' s caprices ; to stimulate his inclinations ; to applaud his very passion , anil to submit entirely to his tlictum ; so that , if in the first hypothesis , she acquires a passive slave , in the second , she no less assuredly acquires a perfect tyrant .
Hitherto , I have been speaking but of pure errors , it being perfectly obvious from the little that has been said , how peril-fraught to the child is a system which proves of so much convenience to the parent . Hut , if the inclii-iduals to whom tbe precious charge of childhood is confided ,
are imbued ivith real vices , as mostly proves to be the case , then is the mother guilty not only of neglect , but of a flagrant crime in regard to her abandonment of her offspring . Lying , from its prevalence among servants , who possess no other means of palliating their weaknesses , is ordinarily the most common failing of children ; for as these are much more feeble than their guardians , and have already found , on various occasions , that by means of a falsehood they can extricate
themselves from a dilemma , they no longer hesitate in case of emergency , to avail themselves of a mode of defence , at once so commodious and so easy ; while the consequence invariably is , that they thus contract an habitual habit of lying , which is not , afterwards , easily to be eradicated . It is futile in us to tell a child , that lying is a IOAV and hateful vice , neither , at tbe least , does he comprehend the meaning of such words ; what , however , he right well understands , is the means he acquires
bylying of doing his behest , without the fear of punishment . ft is by no means an uncommon error , that of attributing to bad disposition , certain defects which , Avithout a doubt , the child has contracted through either the neglect , the ignorance , or the vicious system of tbe individuals charged with the superintendence of his education : yet , would we , instead of calumniating nature , but apply ourselves to the deriving solid advantages from the great means which she laces at our
p disposal , ive should then behold wonders . Nature ingrafted in man a love of self so efficacious , as to impel him irresistibly to seek whatsoever may contribute to his preservation , and his happiness . It admits not of denial , that we very frequently deceive ourselves in our selection of the means Avhich Ave employ , yet this must be considered less the fault of