Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff The 1880s featured a public debate between two leading thinkers, both of whom were cited favorably by Charlotte Mason. These two thinkers were Thomas Huxley (1825–95) and Matthew Arnold (1822–88). Paul White summarizes this debate: In the public statements that are taken to epitomize the Victorian debate, Huxley’s 1880 lecture …
In December and January, the Classical Et Cetera podcast of Memoria Press released a three-part series entitled “Charlotte Mason Explained: A Classical Education Perspective.” These recorded conversations between four classical education experts provoked much reaction and discussion within the Charlotte Mason community. Although opinions vary, I think there is one thing we can all agree …
Charlotte Mason & The Classical Tradition Revisited As conflicting modern ideas about education cast us about, many have dug into the very bedrock of western thought looking for inspiration and a stable base; and while much that is good has come to us via the great Greek thinkers, there is a particular fallacy that says: …
In July 2019 I had the privilege of attending the CiRCE National Conference. The topic that year was “A Contemplation of Form,” and the event was nothing less than a celebration of absolutes in a world of relativism. The conference opened with a panel discussion designed to “set the tone for the conference,”[1] and set …
“Two years ago I had the privilege of visiting the Spanish Chapel of Santa Maria Novella in Florence,” wrote Rose Amy Pennethorne in 1935. “I was shown over the Chapel by a policeman, and having never seen the colours of the frescoes before, I was struck by the prevailing colours of green, white and red. …
“Upon first hearing the foundational principle of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy, ‘Children are born persons,’ I couldn’t have been less impressed,” wrote one homeschool mother. Said another: “It’s hard to imagine that anybody even needed to say that.” She went on: “I’ve heard some people say this first principle is not really needed anymore… We know …
What is the ultimate purpose of education? What are we trying to accomplishing in our homeschools and our schools? In the final analysis is education about “the assimilation of facts [and] the retention of information”? Is its goal to achieve “knowledge of external nature”? Or is it more about the heart than the head? Is …
In 1917, the Times newspaper published a letter by Charlotte Mason in which she made four bold claims: (a) That our people are capable of receiving a liberal education in a generous sense of the term. (b) That no limitation of vocabulary or environment need be an obstacle. (c) That the method and means of …
Editor’s Note, by Art Middlekauff In 1936, Elsie Kitching wrote a book review for The Parents’ Review, the journal she edited from 1923 to 1949. Published in the April issue, the piece covered The Year Book of Education, 1936, edited by Harley V. Usill. Kitching enumerated the key sections of the book and noted some …