The Education of Catholic GirlsStuart, Janet Erskine
Religion
The Education of Catholic Girls
Stuart, Janet Erskine
Catholic Church -- Education; Women -- Education
The work on both sides is and can be only preparation, only the
establishment of principles and the laying of foundations; if anything
further is attempted during school life it is apt to throw the rest of
the education out of proportion, for in nothing whatever can a girl
leaving the school-room be looked upon as having finished. It is a great
deal if she is well-grounded and ready to begin. Even the very branches
of study to which a disproportioned space has been allowed will suffer
the penalty of it later on, for the narrow basis of incomplete
foundations tends to make an ill-balanced superstructure which cannot
bear the stress of effort required for perfection without falling into
eccentricity or wearing itself out. Both misfortunes have been seen
before now when infant prodigies have been allowed to grow on one side
only. Restraint and control and general building up tend to strengthen
even the talent which has apparently to be checked, by giving it space
and equilibrium and the power of repose. Even if art should be their
profession or their life-work in any form, the sacrifices made for
general education will be compensated in the mental and moral balance of
their work.
If general principles of art have been kept before the minds of
children, and the history of art has given them some true ideas of its
evolution, they are ready to learn the technique and practice of any
branch to which they may be attracted. But as music and painting are
more within their reach than other arts, it is reasonable that they
should be provided for in the education of every child, so that each
should have at least the offer and invitation of an entrance into those
worlds, and latent talents be given the opportunity of declaring
themselves. Poetry has its place apart, or rather it has two places, its
own in the field of literature, and another, as an inspiration pervading
all the domain of the fine arts, allied with music by a natural
affinity, connected with painting on the side of imagination, related in
one way or another to all that is expressive of the beautiful. Children
will feel its influence before they can account for it, and it is well
that they should do so--to feel it is in the direction of refusing the
evil and choosing the good.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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