Primary Education 47 



education of the children up to twelve or four- 

 teen years of age was thrown upon the parents. 

 As it is, the parents who have received a fairly 

 good primary education become rusty and illit- 

 erate simply from non-use of the education 

 which they had when they left the schools. If 

 the unexcelled opportunities which rural life 

 offers for securing a primary education were only 

 utilized, there would be fewer country youths 

 hating even the sight of that red school -house 

 which has received such honorable mention. It 

 has been glorified in every Fourth of July ora- 

 tion, but it still remains not only unevolution- 

 ized but even degenerated. 



If you ever imagined that the best provision 

 has been made for teaching the little ones, 

 spend a day in one of these school -houses. 

 Take some book with you that is as abstract 

 and useless to you as the children believe their 

 books to be to them, and make the attempt to 

 memorize a single page, or essay to write a 

 composition on ''The Immortality of the Soul," 

 or on '' The Wisdom of Annexing the South Sea 

 Islands." Meantime, classes are reciting in fal- 

 setto voices ; the teacher is giving many admoni- 

 tions and making dire threats ; a festive bum- 

 blebee has found its way through the open win- 

 dow and makes as much commotion among the 

 timid girls as a mouse at a tea-party. Now a 



