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Article ESSAYS ON EDUCATION—No. IV. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Essays On Education—No. Iv.
sures difficult to be conceived by such as have never experienced them . How many are the times when I have chanced to find entirel y alone with her children that very exemplary matron of whom I made mention in my last essay ! On one of these occasions , it being then nearly eight o ' clock , and she having passed in this manner the entire day , I could not help observing to her how strange was this retirement in a person gifted with every requisite for insuring her both pleasure and diversion
in society , where , for the same reason , she could not fail to be well received ; and venturing at the same time to inquire of her if she did not occasionally grow weary of such an unvaried mode of life , her immediate answer was—what 1 grow weary of being with my children ? Let us no longer allow ourselves to be deceived : the pleasures accruing to domestic life are those alone which can really occupy a heart that is uncorrupted , and which best can sweeten the labours and bitternesses
of life . The father of a family who after having digested in the solitude of his cabinet the reading of a complicated and disagreeable legal process—he who has just succeeded in concluding a hazardous commercial speculation—he who has passed the greater part of the day in the arduous task of administering justice , or he who has perambulated the whole city in visiting the sick—whichsoever , I repeat , of these individuals as may stand in needafter the fatigue of his professional laboursof rest
, , ancl some little distraction , where shall he seek or find it better than in the society and caresses of his children ? But , what will be his disgust if , when on entering his wife ' s apartments , he looks in vain for those interesting little beings who are wont , the moment they discern him to run to meet him , and throwing themselves into his arms to receive his
caresses and return them with their own . In lieu of this , what is it he beholds ? His wife seated in the midst of a brilliant circle consisting of some score of female friends vieing with each other in appearance , or , at the least , in presumption and coquetry , and an equal number of giddy young men affecting to be on a familiar footing in the house , the room being at the same time crowded with musical instruments and with card tables ! Truly , it was not this display he sought—he sought his
children , and should he venture to inquire the reason why he sees them not , he is immediately answered : your children are insufferable ; when they are here , we cannot hear ourselves speak—it is necessary that they be kept at a proper distance from hence , for if not , ivho would ever feel desirous of coming near the house . What language is this to issue from a mother ' s lips ! and yet , unfortunately , no one can deny that it is such as is usually held by those
matrons who falsely consider that they must of necessity be better employing themselves by shining in what is termed the great world , than by attending to their progenies at home . But here let us pause to ask what will be the result of such a line of conduct ? Why , that the husband not partaking in his own abode of those pleasures so sweet and endearing to a parent ' s heart , is compelled to seek abroad for the distractions whichin that-casehe stands in need of . Tie becomes
gra-, , dually estranged from home , and begins to look upon his wife , not of necessity as the mother of his children , but at the best as a woman with whom he can contrive occasionally to pass , without much repugnance , a few desultory hours , and whom he sees without pleasure , and quits without regret . Such are the lamentable consequences to which exposes herself the mother who is not endowed with sufficient fortitude to make , for the benefit of her children , the sacrifice of her affection for a life of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Essays On Education—No. Iv.
sures difficult to be conceived by such as have never experienced them . How many are the times when I have chanced to find entirel y alone with her children that very exemplary matron of whom I made mention in my last essay ! On one of these occasions , it being then nearly eight o ' clock , and she having passed in this manner the entire day , I could not help observing to her how strange was this retirement in a person gifted with every requisite for insuring her both pleasure and diversion
in society , where , for the same reason , she could not fail to be well received ; and venturing at the same time to inquire of her if she did not occasionally grow weary of such an unvaried mode of life , her immediate answer was—what 1 grow weary of being with my children ? Let us no longer allow ourselves to be deceived : the pleasures accruing to domestic life are those alone which can really occupy a heart that is uncorrupted , and which best can sweeten the labours and bitternesses
of life . The father of a family who after having digested in the solitude of his cabinet the reading of a complicated and disagreeable legal process—he who has just succeeded in concluding a hazardous commercial speculation—he who has passed the greater part of the day in the arduous task of administering justice , or he who has perambulated the whole city in visiting the sick—whichsoever , I repeat , of these individuals as may stand in needafter the fatigue of his professional laboursof rest
, , ancl some little distraction , where shall he seek or find it better than in the society and caresses of his children ? But , what will be his disgust if , when on entering his wife ' s apartments , he looks in vain for those interesting little beings who are wont , the moment they discern him to run to meet him , and throwing themselves into his arms to receive his
caresses and return them with their own . In lieu of this , what is it he beholds ? His wife seated in the midst of a brilliant circle consisting of some score of female friends vieing with each other in appearance , or , at the least , in presumption and coquetry , and an equal number of giddy young men affecting to be on a familiar footing in the house , the room being at the same time crowded with musical instruments and with card tables ! Truly , it was not this display he sought—he sought his
children , and should he venture to inquire the reason why he sees them not , he is immediately answered : your children are insufferable ; when they are here , we cannot hear ourselves speak—it is necessary that they be kept at a proper distance from hence , for if not , ivho would ever feel desirous of coming near the house . What language is this to issue from a mother ' s lips ! and yet , unfortunately , no one can deny that it is such as is usually held by those
matrons who falsely consider that they must of necessity be better employing themselves by shining in what is termed the great world , than by attending to their progenies at home . But here let us pause to ask what will be the result of such a line of conduct ? Why , that the husband not partaking in his own abode of those pleasures so sweet and endearing to a parent ' s heart , is compelled to seek abroad for the distractions whichin that-casehe stands in need of . Tie becomes
gra-, , dually estranged from home , and begins to look upon his wife , not of necessity as the mother of his children , but at the best as a woman with whom he can contrive occasionally to pass , without much repugnance , a few desultory hours , and whom he sees without pleasure , and quits without regret . Such are the lamentable consequences to which exposes herself the mother who is not endowed with sufficient fortitude to make , for the benefit of her children , the sacrifice of her affection for a life of