human
They must be pretty well stocked with children,
gpt
O, said he,
human
I tell you all this, because I see that if I talk I must be answering questions, which you are thinking, even if you are not speaking them out; but my kinsman will tell you more about it.
gpt
Well, the youngsters here will be all the fresher for school when the summer gets over and they have to go back again.
human
School? he said;
gpt
said he, laughing,
human
I must own myself beaten.
gpt
I was using the word in the sense of a system of education.
human
Education? said he, meditatively,
gpt
I know enough Latin to know that the word must come from _educere_, to lead out; and I have heard it used; but I have never met anybody who could give me a clear explanation of what it means.
human
Well, education means a system of teaching young people.
gpt
Why not old people also? said he with a twinkle in his eye.
human
But, he went on,
gpt
I can assure you our children learn, whether they go through a 'system of teaching' or not. Why, you will not find one of these children about here, boy or girl, who cannot swim; and every one of them has been used to tumbling about the little forest ponies--there's one of them now! They all of them know how to cook; the bigger lads can mow; many can thatch and do odd jobs at carpentering; or they know how to keep shop. I can tell you they know plenty of things.
human
Yes, but their mental education, the teaching of their minds,
gpt
Guest, said he,
human
Well, said I,
gpt
Of course, he said;
human
And the older languages?
gpt
O, yes, said he,
human
And history? said I;
gpt
Well, said he,
human
Well, said I,
gpt
No, no, said he;
human
said my friend, with an amiable smile,
gpt
But you don't mean that children learn all these things?
human
That depends on what you mean by children; and also you must remember how much they differ. As a rule, they don't do much reading, except for a few story-books, till they are about fifteen years old; we don't encourage early bookishness: though you will find some children who _will_ take to books very early; which perhaps is not good for them; but it's no use thwarting them; and very often it doesn't last long with them, and they find their level before they are twenty years old. You see, children are mostly given to imitating their elders, and when they see most people about them engaged in genuinely amusing work, like house- building and street-paving, and gardening, and the like, that is what they want to be doing; so I don't think we need fear having too many book- learned men.