I Have Found a Door

Charlotte Mason said...

"I think that it is a joyful thing to be said about anybody, that he loves knowledge; there are so many interesting and delightful things to be known that the person who loves knowledge cannot very well be dull; in doors and out of doors there are a thousand interesting things to know and to know better.  There is a saying of King Alfred's that I like to apply to our school - 'I have found a door,' he says.  That is just what I hope your school is to you - a door opening into a great palace of art and knowledge...  But you will remember that the school is only a 'door' to let you in to the good House of Knowledge, but I hope you will go in and out and live there all your lives - in one pleasant chamber or another, for the rich people are they who have the entry to this goodly house, and who never let King Alfred's 'door' rust on its hinges, no, not all through their lives, even when they are very old people."

What a lovely picture of our schools.  Our homes should be filled with great ideas that feed the imagination, the soul, the mind of a child.  Our days should revolve around pursuing that knowledge and wisdom that the book of Proverbs says is more priceless than gold.  Bringing our children up in the habit of loving and longing after those things which are good and honorable should be a priority.  These should be present in the books we read, the music we hear, the art we see and the conversations we engage in.  Our minds should be challenged as we grapple with the issues of the times and our children should be taught the Truths of God's Word.

We are their example.  Are the hinges of our house of knowledge rusty?  Develop your own habit of going in and out of the great palace of art and knowledge all through your lives, even when you are very old people.

Roads to the Past

In studying the books that fall into this section, we feel as if we should reword our signpost.  Instead of "Roads to the Past," perhaps it should be "Roads to the Future."  The authors of these books wish their readers to survey the road over which man has traveled with a new kind of discernment which will enable them to see the road ahead more clearly, and will make them better able to overcome and avoid the complications which lie in it.

From the introduction to the World Histories section of Five Years of Children's Books, page 291.