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Charlotte Mason in Modern English
Charlotte Mason's ideas are too important not to be understood and implemented in the 21st century, but her Victorian style of writing sometimes prevents parents from attempting to read her books. This is an imperfect attempt to make Charlotte's words accessible to modern parents. You may read these, print them out, share them freely--but they are copyrighted to me, so please don't post or publish them without asking.
~L. N. Laurio
pg 204
PART IV - Careers
Plans
'I'm going to be a chimney sweep when I grow up and wear a tall hat,'
says one little boy in Frankfort, who has only seen tall hats worn by
chimney sweeps. 'I'm going to be a cabby and drive a taxi-cab.' 'I'm
going to be a general and fight a great battle.' 'I'm going to be a
nanny and take care of an adorable baby.' 'I'm going to be a mommy and
have babies of my own.' That's what children say, and they change their
minds every week because all kinds of careers and jobs seem so
interesting to them, and they imagine how fun it would be to do each of
them.
Older boys and girls leave all of that behind as they outgrow childish
ways. But, later, a boy begins to wonder what kind of work he'll do in
the world. It's pleasant and satisfying to imagine that, whatever kind
of work he does, it will be his
work, and it will be the kind of job that real people need to have
done. Girls' hearts also dream of what they'll do. They also want to do
some kind of work that's
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needed. That's what both girls
and boys want. They know that the man who said, 'Being useful is what
makes life worth living,' was right. Boys know that they must go out
into the world and do something definite. Girls also have many career
options open to them these days [even
more now than in the days when Charlotte Mason was writing!]
Even if a girl's calling is to remain at home as a beloved daughter,
all she really needs to be content is 'to be of use.' And that might be
the place where she'll have the most opportunities to be useful. [In Charlotte Mason's day, it was common
for older girls who were finished with their schooling to remain at
home until marriage, as the Bennet girls did in Pride and Prejudice.]
Preparation
Some boys know from the time they're little that they're being groomed
for a specific career, such as the Navy. Other children don't know
what their calling will be until after they've left college.
All callings have one thing in common: they are useful. Therefore, it's possible to
spend years preparing for a calling before even knowing what the
specific calling is. What kind of person is of use to the world? Maybe
you think of the most brilliant and appealing of all your friends, and
you think to yourself, 'Now, there's the kind of person the world
needs!' But you might be very wrong! The good looks, clever wit, or
intellect that helped a student get to the top of their class doesn't
always lead to success in the real world, because a person with these
qualities might be like a ship without a rudder, at the mercy of
whatever waves the wind blows its way. Nobody should imagine that if he
doesn't have the qualities he admires in others, he can't be of
service. Every person has lots of opportunities, and each person's duty
is to be ready when his chance comes his way. The boy who received a
medal from the Humane Society for saving a dog's life was ready when
opportunity came. He
pg 206
had learned how to swim, and he had trained himself to have an alert
mind and generous nature. Therefore, he was able to recognize the right
thing to do, and do it immediately, without thinking about the hard
work or risk to his own life. All he thought about was the struggling,
sinking creature drowning in the water.
This is exactly what I mean. People who want to be ready when their
chance comes need to have well-trained, healthy bodies; alert,
intelligent, informed minds; and generous hearts that are ready and
willing to risk and do whatever is needed for anyone who needs their
help. This is the kind of person the world needs--people who have
cultivated and worked over every acre of their own Mansoul; people who
have their nerves under control and their muscles trained to be strong
and able; people whose imaginations are stored with excellent things
and who have given their sense of reason lots of practice; people who
are loving, fair and true.
Possibilities
Nothing in the world is as valuable or necessary as a child who is
prepared this way for whatever their calling might be. That's why I've
tried to show you some of the great possibilities that the Kingdom of
Mansoul has. We each have these same possibilities. The more we realize
what we can be and how much we can do, the more we'll work to be ready
to answer our call when it comes. A student who only does his
schoolwork to get a good grade on his report card, or to be the best
student in his class, might get what he's working for. But a person
might not be of use to anyone if he doesn't intend to be useful. Being
of use isn't something that just happens to us. It's the best thing in
life and requires some effort. A person who is only concerned about
having a good time, or being in first place, or making money,
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might get the thing he's trying for, but he shouldn't deceive himself.
He doesn't get the honor of being useful in the bargain.
'Find a way to
work
In this world!--It's the best thing you'll ever get at all.
* *
* * *
Get work! get
work!
The work itself is better than whatever it is you're working to get.'
E.B.
Browning [from Aurora Leigh, Third
Book by Elizabeth Barrett Browning]
The
Habit of Being Useful
'The road to hell is paved with good intentions' is a horrible saying
that we've all heard. I think it means that nothing is easier than
having good intentions, but nothing is easier to put off. Lost, ruined
souls have undoubtedly had lots of good intentions. So we need to
realize that intending to be
useful isn't enough. We need to have the habit of being useful.
Most families have a brother who carves whistles and makes paper boats
for his siblings, who gives his brother piggy-back rides, who can be
trusted to deliver his mother's messages, whose father trusts him with
important errands. Or they might have a sister whose baby sibling
clings to her skirts, who has learned enough Latin to help her younger
brothers with their Latin lessons, who can sew on a button or hem a
pair of pants, who writes notes for her mother, and who helps care for
the baby when he's sick.
The
Thoughtless Family Members
Other families have a boy like Jack, whose pocket has a note that was
supposed to be delivered three days ago, or a girl like Nicole, whose
package falls apart in the mail. They'll say something like, 'Oh,
that's the sort of job that Todd or Emily usually does; they like doing
that kind of thing.' And it's true, they do like it because, after all,
pg 208
we all enjoy doing something we're good at. But nobody can be good at
something they haven't practiced doing a lot. And you can be sure that
useful members of the family have had lots of practice being
useful--they've been on the lookout for chances to be of use.
Habit:
Servant or Master?
Each one of us has something that can be a very good servant or a very
bad master. It's called habit.
The thoughtless, careless person is a servant of habit. The person
who's useful and alert is the master of a very valuable habit. The
thing is, when we do something again and again, it leaves an impression
in the physical tissue of our brain. The more this impression is
repeated, the easier it is to do the same thing again the next time. We
know this is true in the case of skating, hockey, and other sports. We
say things like we need practice, or we're out of practice, or we need
to get some practice. We don't realize that this is true for everything
else in our life, too. Whatever we practice doing, we'll be able to do
easily. But whatever we're not used to doing, we'll do clumsily.
The
Rule About Habit
This is how habit works, whether it's doing deeds of kindness, or
playing the piano. Both take practice. That's why it's so important not
to miss even one opportunity to do the things we intend to do, and to
do our best at them. Don't believe that something is as good as done
when you've made a resolution to do it. It isn't done until you follow
through and do it. Ability
comes by doing, not by resolving. Habit will serve us one
way or the other, whether it's the habit of doing Latin verbs, or
whittling. And, it's pleasant to remember that every time we do a
thing, it's helping us to
pg 209
form a habit of doing it. If
we do something a hundred times without missing a chance to do it, it
will be easy after that.
Our
Calling
One thing I'm sure of--a calling, or opportunity, comes to the person
who's ready for it. That's why a young knight waiting to be called
needs the all-around preparation of his body, mind, heart and soul.
He'll need every part of himself in the royal service that's appointed
for him. And it is a royal
service: it's God's service. God, who even determines where people will
live [Acts 17:26],
won't leave us blundering around trying to figure out the right thing
to do. If He finds us waiting, ready and willing, then He'll give us a
calling. It might come in the form of a friend's advice, or an opening
that comes our way, or the opinion of our parents, or some less obvious
guidings in life that come to people who watch for them and aren't bent
on following their own will. Or, it might come in a strong passion we
have to do some particular work that we're suited for.
But, no matter how it comes, we can be sure of this: a farmer or a
fashion designer, a clerk or a congressman, is equally called to
do what they're doing. Every person, no matter what their calling is,
needs to be prepared. First, each person needs the general preparation
to make themselves a fit, ready person, and then some specialized
training or teaching for the particular task they're called to.
The time we're in school or college is our time of general preparation.
During this first stage, we need to remember that it's up to us to make
ourselves ready for our career. The value of any calling is its usefulness.
pg 210
No day should pass that we don't find a way to get some practice in
being useful.
Everyone is needed for whatever special bit of work he's called to do.
This is true for all of us:
'You didn't come to your place by
accident.
It's the very place God meant for you to be.'
Paraphrased by L. N. Laurio
Please direct any comments or questions to me by emailing me at cmseries-owner at yahoogroups dot com.
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