Education: 1922

I think anyone who tumbles from affluence into poverty will, on the way down, come to see the true face of the world.

--From Cheering From the Sidelines--

I was going to say this was something you couldn't learn from going to college, but that was before I considered the cost of tuition and with the type of "job training" colleges provide now-a-days. Maybe that's how college education really works; they take middle-class people and convert them into poor people, thus teaching them about the world.

It's like a casino in Las Vegas, but it takes longer and you have to pay for alcohol (if you're a guy).

Riches: 1350

His family was poor, but he was a devoted student and performed menial chores in exchange for the loan of books.

--From the Romance of the Three Kingdoms--

He worked his butt off, not to own books, but to be loaned books--he had to give them back after reading them! Contemplating his situation and looking at my book pile, I feel kind of dizzy:



And when I think of all the people in college, subsidized by taxes laid on the backs of the poor, who goof-off and have no idea what they'll do with their degrees, I just feel sick.

Project runway: 1915

--From Industrial art text-books: a graded course in art--

Barbie may be a doctor and an astronaut, but does she let your daughter actually create anything?

BONUS: paper doll themed music!

Edutainment: 1668

A very pretty and ready way to teach Children or others suddenly to learn their ABC in manner of play.

Cause four pieces of Bone or Wood to be cut into six square-like Dice, and upon every side or square let one of the letters of the Alphabet be ingraven or writ, ABCDEF upon one of them, then GHIKLM on the other, and so of the rest in order, as you may see in the Figure.

Now the Child taking delight, and using to play with them (amongst other Children) and being told what Letters are uppermost, will soon learn their Aphabet, as it were by the way of sport and pastime.

--From A Rich Cabinet--

Let's be new and innovative, let's make learning fun!

Like they did in the 17th century.

Also of interest to those teaching reading: this chapter where teaching by highlighting syllables is suggested if using a system based on letters doesn't work. No big fuss was made about it.

School: 1662

It looks kind of like a child-labor camp, but I guess all schools are; very non-productive child-labor camps.

Life before sex ed: 1861

I have previously stated, that the French condoms will prevent conception, but the objection to them is, they are troublesome, liable to be torn in coition, prevent the full sexual enjoyment, as they do not allow that reciprocal warmth of the male and female genitals which is necessary, as it prevents their coming in contact except through the covering, which often chafes and irritates the female parts, and will if used for any great number of times, cause seminal weakness, debility and Impotency in the male.

Condoms make you impotent! Other means of birth control which wouldn't work (or would also cause impotency) included the rhythm method and withdrawal.

You had to be careful:

Prolonging the venereal act will also cause seminal disease and impotency.

And don't even think about touching yourself or you'd end up like this:

Ways to prevent pregnancy included:

Dancing, and urinating immediately after... ...Riding a trotting horse, or any excreise, that will agitate the ovum before it is securely located... ...strong catharties, all stimulating fluids, victuals that will promote thirst, bathing soon after coition...

Of course if you wanted a method sure to work, you had to send the author 5 dollars.

...those who should be eternally cursed are the unprincipled quacks, who palm off their injurious and nauseating stuff for money...

Yes, watch out for quacks.

--From Medical adviser and marriage guide--

Education problems, 1852 edition

Unfortunately, although much has been said and written in the subject, domestic economy does not form one branch of the education of a young lady; she learns, of course, French, German, Italian, Music, Dancing, Drawing, takes Calisthenic exercises, &c.--accomplishments, with one or two exceptions, of which she rarely takes advantage after her marriage...

--From The Illustrated London Cookery Book--

They spend hours and hours every day teaching children information they never use. And I can't understand why they spend time in gym when they don't have the basic skills needed to survive in the world.