“Meeting the Mountain”

Another beautiful letter unearthed by the great people of the Charlotte Mason Poetry blog, by Elsie Kitching.

My favourite quotes below..

“There was a time—has it quite passed yet?—when the attempt at science made by a late Head master of Winchester was to offer an annual prize for the best collection of the wild flowers of the neighbourhood…”

…

“The efforts that have been made in all classes of schools to widen the curriculum have not brought the benefit to the schools that was expected because “a man’s reach must exceed his grasp,” and if he only grasps at what will help him to a living, he will not reach what will help him to live.”

…

“They bore witness in their faces to the change which the recognition of this Meeting between their children and knowledge had made and as they sat facing Miss Mason with glistening eyes she gave them the message once more that she has been giving for thirty-five years. She urged them to “hold fast the educational faith that is in you,” faith in knowledge as the child’s birthright, faith in mind the child’s inheritance: for education is a venture of faith.”