FFQF: Noah Webster on Motherhood
This week’s post will conclude the FFQF theme of the IMPORTANCE OF MOTHERHOOD. And today’s selection comes from Noah Webster. Yes, he was a Founding Father, not just the author of the first American-English dictionary. He fought as a soldier during the Revolutionary War, and after it, worked in the spheres of education and politics to ensure the establishment of the country to which he devoted his life.
He wrote of the importance of mothers teaching their own children in the home from an early age:
“The Education of youth, an employment of more consequence than making laws and preaching the gospel, because it lays the foundation on which both law and gospel rest for success; this Education is sunk to a level with the most menial services. In most instances we find the higher seminaries of learning instrusted [sic] to men of good characters, and possessed of moral virtues and social affections. But many of our inferior schools, which, so far as the heart is concerned, are as important as colleges, are kept by men of no breeding, and many of them, by men infamous for the most detestable vices.
“How different this practice from the manner of educating youth in Rome, during the flourishing ages of the republic! There the attention to children commenced with their birth; an infant was not educated in the cottage of a hireling nurse, but in the very bosom of its mother, whose principal praise was, that she superintended her family.”
On the Education of Youth in America (1788) A Collection of Essays and Fugitive Writings on Moral, Historical, Political, and Literary Subjects, by Noah Webster
With freedom comes responsibility. How lamentable that our country has been duped into surrendering the responsibility of the education and instruction of our children into the hands of government-hired strangers! May we reclaim our responsibilities before it is too late.
4 Responses to “FFQF: Noah Webster on Motherhood”
December 1st, 2008 at 1:35 am
What a terrific post! I was amazed when, a few years ago, I discovered that Noah Webster the Dictionary Guy, was a “founder.” Boy, I had such a lousy education as a kid. This stuff is so thrilling to know!
Great post! Sorry, I didn’t do the FFQF this week, due to the holidays. I’ll make up for it next week.
December 1st, 2008 at 2:17 am
Thanks, Mrs. M. I too almost missed the post! I’m looking forward to your post next week!
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! Stay tuned for next month’s theme!
December 5th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I did miss this one, Herky, but it’s a great post. I fear, alas, that it is much too late to retake the raising of our children back from the government. There are exceptions, of course, but government-run “schools” are so ingrained that I don’t think we’ll ever get rid of them.
December 6th, 2008 at 3:21 am
Hello Jean. Glad you got a chance to read and to comment.
Yeah, I don’t think we will ever root out the whole reeking system. But at least we can encourage others to jump out of the sinking ship.
I guess the public “school” system no longer deserves to be called the child of Benjamin Rush. Believe it nor not, in the old’n days, he was called the “father of American public schools.” Not anymore. Oh well.
Thanks for leaving your comment and your thoughts. Happy weekend!
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