"Enough, that the children have minds, and every man's mind is his means of living; but it is a great deal more. Working men will have leisure in the future and how this leisure is to be employed is a question much discussed. Now, no one can employ leisure fitly whose mind is not brought into active play every day; the small affairs of a man's own life supply no intellectual food and but small and monotonous intellectual exercise. Science, history, philosophy, literature, must no longer be the luxuries of the 'educated' classes; all classes must be educated and sit down to these things of the mind as they do to their daily bread. History must afford its pageants, science its wonders, literature its intimacies, philosophy its speculations, religion its assurances to every man, and his education must have prepared him for wanderings in these realms of gold." Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, pg 42-43)
I have to say: I love CM's analogy of the feast and mind-food, which comes up so many times in her writing, including here. It is so helpful. isn't it? And we can say that she was a woman ahead of her time, but sadly, *our* time doesn't even believe this, that a liberal arts education is actually the best way to prepare a student for whatever life has in store. The fact that we ought to be "fed" in our studies--that our minds need nourishment and not just training--is revolutionary even today. This is a wonderful quote. Adding it to my commonplace now! :) (And that bread looks delicious!)
ReplyDeleteSo true Celeste....I love this idea of feeding/nourishing the mind! I'm also pondering what you said about Charlotte being "ahead of her time" and maybe even ahead of our time. ...Or, is it a time past that's been lost?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for logging on...
Melissa
That is a great point--and I definitely think it is both! It seems to me that in her time and before, many had the right vision of education (as described in Karen's Consider This), but they did not offer it to all. In our time, they offer education to all, but that education is not necessarily of value. :/
DeleteExactly Celeste! I'm in the process of reading Consider This and hope to post a review when I'm done. Hopefully, you'll consider logging on to post feedback if you've read the book.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Melissa