 Millais' John Ruskin 1854 “As the conscience, the will, the reason, is ineffective till it be nourished with its proper food, exercised in its proper functions, so of the soul; and its chamber is dull, with cobwebbed doors and clouded windows, until it awake to its proper life; not quite empty, though, for there is the nascent soul;” * “Equally strong, equally natural, equally sure of awakening a responsive stir in the young soul, is the divinely implanted principle of curiosity. The child wants to know; wants to know incessantly, desperately; asks all manner of questions about everything he comes across, plagues his elders and betters, and is told not to bother, and to be a good boy and not ask questions.” * “It rests with us to give the awakening idea and then to form the habit of thought and of life.” * “We hope so to awaken and direct mind hunger that every man's mind will look after itself.” * “The fact is, we are all, and always, asleep, through our lives; and it is only by pinching ourselves very hard that we ever come to see, or understand, anything. At least it is not always we who pinch ourselves; sometimes other people pinch us; which I suppose is very good of them, - or other things, which I suppose is very proper of them. But it is a sad life; made up chiefly of naps and pinches.” ~ Ruskin Examen: What am I newly awake to? Who does the awakening? ~~~~~~~ As the conscience: Charlotte M. Mason, Home Education, 1:343. Equally strong, equally natural: Charlotte M. Mason, Parents and Children, 2:221. It rests with: Charlotte M. Mason, School Education, 3:81. We hope so: Charlotte M. Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:281. The fact is: “The Ethics of the Dust, by John Ruskin,” accessed June 4, 2024, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4701/4701-h/4701-h.htm Lecture IX. Day 10 Awaken meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025
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 Photo via Independent Schools Victoria “The flowers, it is true, are not new; but the children are; and it is the fault of their elders if every new flower they come upon is not to them a Picciola, (novel by Joseph Xavier Boniface) a mystery of beauty to be watched from day to day with unspeakable awe and delight.” * “He should not be able to recall a time before the sweet stories of old filled his imagination; he should have heard the voice of the Lord God in the garden in the cool of the evening; should have been an awed spectator where the angels ascended and descended upon Jacob's stony pillow; should have followed Christ through the cornfield on the Sabbath-day, and sat in the rows of the hungry multitudes––so long ago that such sacred scenes form the unconscious background of his thoughts.” * “All we find out may (in our studies of Nature) be old knowledge, and is most likely already recorded in books; but, for us, it is new, our own discovery, our personal knowledge, a little bit of the world's real work which we have attempted and done. However little work we do in this kind, we gain by it some of the power to appreciate, not merely beauty, but fitness, adaptation, processes. Reverence and awe grow upon us, and we are brought into a truer relation with the Almighty Worker.” * “In our Training College, the students are not taught how to stimulate attention, how to keep order, how to give marks, how to punish or even how to reward, how to manage a large class or a small school with children in different classes. All these things come by nature in a school where the teachers know something of the capacities and requirements of children. To hear children of the slums 'telling' King Lear or Woodstock, by the hour if you will let them, or describing with minutest details Van Eyck's Adoration of the Lamb or Botticelli's Spring, is a surprise, a revelation. We take off our shoes from our feet; we 'did not know it was in them,' whether we be their parents, their teachers or mere lookers-on. And with some feeling of awe upon us we shall be the better prepared to consider how and upon what children should be educated. I will only add that I make no claims for them which cannot be justified by hundreds, thousands, of instances within our experience.” Examen: When have I been full of awe lately? Do I understand awe as a trail to the Almighty Worker? Where might I be getting in the way of that? ~~~~~~~ The flowers, it: Charlotte M. Mason Home Education, 1:53. He should not: Charlotte M. Mason, Parents and Children, 2:108–9. All we find out: Charlotte M. Mason, Ourselves, 4:101–2 Bk.II. In our training college: Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:45. Day 11 Awe meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  Source Unknown “…but education is of the spirit and is not to be taken in by the eye or effected by the hand; mind appeals to mind and thought begets thought and that is how we become educated.” * “Have we considered that in the Divine estimate the child's estate is higher than ours; that it is ours to ‘become as little children,’ rather than theirs to become as grown men and women?” * “‘But to those who received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God.’ (v.12 prologue to St. John’s Gospel) ‘Become’ implies progression, eternal progression we may believe towards that goal which our Master has set before us as children of God – ‘be ye perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect,’ We realize some of the joy of the eternity before us when we regard it as an opportunity for endless progress in love, in power, intelligence, in successful endeavour, in glorious activities, in the knowledge of our God and Father, we wonder how the universe itself can afford scope for the full life of such beings as it lies before us to ‘become’ children of God.” Examen: Education is “of the spirit?” Life-long learning includes eternity? The universe as classroom? Education is becoming more and more myself? Am I ready for such a far-reaching revolution? ~~~~~~~ ...but education is: Charlotte M. Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education 6:12. Have we considered: 6:80. But to those: Mason, Scale How Meditations, 44–45. Day 12 Become meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  "Broken Fence," Gary Bunt “Again, the knowledge of God is distinct from morality, or what the children call ‘being good,’ though ‘being good’ follows from that knowledge. But let these come in their right order.” * “A child's whole notion of religion is 'being good.' It is well that he should know that being good is not his whole duty to God, although it is so much of it; that the relationship of love and personal service, which he owes as a child to his Father, as a subject to his King, is even more than the 'being good' which gives our Almighty Father such pleasure in His children.” * “… we are not allowed to be good to others, or even to be good in ourselves, just for the sake of being good. Love, and the service of love, are the only things that count.” * “I should like to urge that this incidental play of education and circumstances upon personality is our only legitimate course. We may not make character our conscious objective. Provide a child with what he needs in the way of instruction, opportunity, and wholesome occupation, and his character will take care of itself: for normal children are persons of good will, with honest desires toward right thinking and right living. All we can do further is to help a child to get rid of some hindrance––a bad temper, for example––likely to spoil his life. In our attempts to do this, our action should, I think, be most guarded. We may not interfere with his psychological development, because we recognise that children are persons, and personality should be far more inviolable in our eyes than property.” * “It is well not to expect too much of ourselves. Not to be too good nor to be happy…." * “That to try too hard to make people good, is one way to make them worse; that the only way to make them good is to be good - remembering well the beam and the mote; that the time for speaking comes rarely, the time for being never departs.” ~ George MacDonald * “For the rest, (things of which you justly accuse yourself) you will find it less easy to uproot faults, than to choke them by gaining virtues. Do not think of your faults: in every person who comes near you, look for what is good and strong: honor that: rejoice in it; and if you can, try to imitate it: and your faults will drop off like dead leaves, when their time comes.” ~ Ruskin Examen: “Distinguish between ‘being good’ and loving God.”Why may I not make character an aim? ~~~~~~~ Again, the knowledge: Charlotte M. Mason, Home Education, 1:347. A child’s whole: Charlotte M. Mason, School Education, 3:136. ...we are not: Charlotte M. Mason, Ourselves, 4:154 Bk.II. I should like: Formation of Character, 5:preface. It is well: ed. Dr. Benjamin Bernier, Scale How Meditations, 36. That to try: “The Project Gutenberg Ebook of Sir Gibbie, by George Macdonald, by George Macdonald—A Project Gutenberg eBook,” accessed June 5, 2024, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2370/2370-h/2370-h.htm. For the rest: “The Ethics of the Dust, by John Ruskin,” Lecture V. Distinguish between “being good”: School, 3:261. Day 13 Being Good meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  Child with a Dove, Picasso 1901 (see also Being Good, Art of Standing Aside) “Do not bepreach the child to weariness about ‘being good’ as what he owes to God, without letting in upon him first a little of that knowledge that shall make him good. We are no longer suffering from an embarrassment of riches; these limitations shut out so much of the ordinary teaching about divine things that the question becomes rather, What shall we teach? than, How shall we choose?” * “Never miss a good chance to shut up.” ~ Will Rogers Examen: Bepreach is not a word we hear often, but we all know what being on the receiving end of it feels like. What have I read lately that shows, rather than tells, “the loveliness and hatefulness of man?” ~~~~~~~ Do not bepreach: Charlotte M. Mason Home Education, 1:347. "the loveliness and hatefulness: Charlotte M. Mason, The Saviour of the World - Vol. 1: The Holy Infancy (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015), 61. Day 14 Bepreach meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  Source Unknown “In their power of giving impulse and stirring emotion is another use of books, the right books; but that is just the question––which are the right books? ––a point upon which I should not wish to play Sir Oracle. The 'hundred best books for the schoolroom' may be put down on a list, but not by me. I venture to propose one or two principles in the matter of schoolbooks, and shall leave the far more difficult part, the application of those principles, to the reader.…Again, as I have already said, ideas must reach us directly from the mind of the thinker, and it is chiefly by means of the books they have written that we get into touch with the best minds.” * “Children have a right to the best we possess; therefore, their lesson books should be, as far as possible, our best books.” * “Our business is to give him mind-stuff, and both quality and quantity are essential. Naturally, each of us possesses this mind-stuff only in limited measure, but we know where to procure it; for the best thought the world possesses is stored in books; we must open books to children, the best books; our own concern is abundant provision and orderly serving.” * “But they must learn to know literature by being familiar with it from the very first. A child's intercourse must always be with good books, the best that we can find.” * “We must put into their hands the sources which we must needs use for ourselves, the best books of the best writers.” * “… by affording all the best books containing all the sorts of knowledge….” * “…we are looking not for ‘ends’ but for ‘sources.’” ~ Parker Palmer Examen: “Why must children read the best books?”[viii] Do I know how to tell “a right book?” Am I putting children in touch with “the best minds?” ~~~~~~~ In their power: School, 3:177. Children have a right: Philosophy, 6:19. Our business is: 6:26. But they must: 6:51. We must put: 6:76. ...by affording all: 6:348. ...we are looking: Parker J. Palmer, To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey, Reprint edition (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1993), Preface. Why must children: Parents, 2:307. Day 145 Best Books meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  Henry Ossawa Tanner, Christ and His Mother Studying the Scriptures, 1908, “…the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, that Bible lessons are (our) chief lessons.” * “The Bible the Chief Source of Moral Ideas. It would be well if the reticence of the Bible in this respect were observed by the writers of children’s books, whether of story or history, The child hears the history of Joseph (with reservations) read from the Bible, which rarely offers comment or explanation. He does not need to be told what was ‘naughty’ and what was ‘good’; there is no need to press home the teaching, or the Bible were written in vain, and good and bad actions carry no witness with them.” * “…the Bible is not a single book, but a classic literature of wonderful beauty and interest. . . Here is poetry, the rhythm of which soothes even the jaded brain past taking pleasure in any other. Here is history, based on such broad, clear lines, such dealing of slow and sure and even-handed justice to the nations, such stories of national sins and national repentances, that the student realizes, as from no other history, the solidarity of the race, the , and, if we may call it so, the individuality of the nations. Here is philosophy which, of all the philosophies that have been propounded, is alone adequate to the interpretation of human life.” * “The Bible is, of course, a storehouse of most inspiring biographies; but it would be well if we could manage our teaching so as to bring out in each character the master-thought of all his thinking.” * “Let us have faith and courage to give children such a full and gradual picture of Old Testament history that they unconsciously perceive for themselves a panoramic view of the history of mankind typified by that of the Jewish nation as it is unfolded in the Bible.” * “…the Bible may be conceived as an autobiography; not the autobiography of an individual, not exactly that of a nation, but the autobiography of a spiritual evolution…an interpretation of history. A framework.” ~ Richard Green Moulton * “The dramatic movement of the Bible has for its stage the whole universe, for its period all time; God is the hero of this drama, and its plot is Divine Providence.” ~ Richard Green Moulton Examen: For Mason, the Bible is the grand story arch of reality - a unity into which everything else fits. Am I presenting the Bible as a list of things to do, “pressing home” the meaning, or, like Eli, am I helping Samuel to recognize the work and voice of God? ~~~~~~~ ...the knowledge of God: Charlotte M. Mason, Home Education, 1:251. The Bible the Chief: 1:336. ...the Bible is not: Charlotte M. Mason, Parents and Children, 2:104. The Bible is: Charlotte M. Mason, School Education, 3:133. Let us have: Charlotte M. Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:162. the Bible may: Richard Green Moulton, The Bible at a Single View (Wentworth Press, 2019), 4. The dramatic movement: Moulton, 7. Day 16 Bible meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  Still Life with Bible, Van Gogh “Children between the ages of six and nine should get (for themselves) a considerable knowledge of the Bible text.” * “It is a mistake to use paraphrases of the text; the fine roll of Bible English appeals to children with a compelling music, and they will probably retain through life their first conception of the Bible scenes, and, also, the very words in which these scenes are portrayed. This is a great possession.” * “The method of such lessons (scripture) is very simple. Read aloud to the children a few verses covering, if possible, an episode. Read reverently, carefully, and with just expression. Then require the children to narrate what they have listened to as nearly as possible in the words of the Bible. It is curious how readily they catch the rhythm of the majestic and simple Bible English. Then talk the narrative over with them in light of research and criticism. Let the teaching, moral and spiritual; reach them without much personal application.” * “For 1700 years, roughly speaking, the Bible has been the school-book of modern Europe; its teaching, conveyed directly or indirectly, more or less pure, has been the basis upon which the whole superstructure of not only religious but ethical and, to some extent, literary training rested.” * “…it is to the Bible itself we must go.” * “We have seen that there is but one source of illumination, the Bible itself. It is true that the divine Spirit is a light in every man's soul; but if a lamp is to be kindled, there must be the lamp; and it would seem as if the process followed by the Holy Spirit were to teach us by an arresting illumination, from time to time, of some phrase written in the Bible. Hence, our business is, before all things, to make ourselves acquainted with the text.” * “‘The Bible is the most interesting book I know,’ said a young person of ten who had read a good many books and knew her Bible.” * “One of the greatest of the early translators of the Bible into English, William Tyndale, said that he was translating so that “the boy that driveth the plough” would be able to read the Scriptures.” ~ Eugene Peterson Examen: Mason is adamant throughout: offer children the Bible, progressively and straight up, in discrete story portions. Am I willing to trust her? What are some obstacles to this approach? How can I overcome them? What is my own relationship to the Bible? ~~~~~~~ Children between the: Charlotte M. Mason, Home Education, 1:248. It is a mistake: 1:249. The method of such: 1:252. for 1700 years: Charlotte M. Mason, Parents and Children, 2:104–5. ...it is to the Bible: Charlotte M. Mason, School Education, 3:175. We have seen: Charlotte M. Mason, Ourselves, 4:83 Bk.II. The Bible is: Charlotte M. Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:64. One of the greatest: “Eugene Peterson Explains Why He Wrote The Message,” NavPress, accessed June 5, 2024, https://www.navpress.com/stories/give-a-gift-full-of-surprises. Day 17 Bible Text meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  "Nogeeshik," Andrew Wyeth, 1972 “…for our faith in the divine and the human keeps pace with our knowledge. For this reason it behooves us teachers to get a bird's eye view of the human nature which is present in every child.” * “…because ever since the Greek youth hung about their masters in the walks of the Academy there have been teachers who have undermined the stability of the boys to whom they devoted themselves. Were his countrymen entirely wrong about Socrates? A tendency to this manner of betrayal (having too much influence upon one’s students?) is the infirmity of noble minds, of those who have the most to give; and for this reason, again, it is important that we should have before us a bird's eye view, let us call it, of human nature.” * “Wisdom isn’t knowing about physics or geography. Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life. That’s the great gift Illuminators share with those around them.” ~ David Brooks Examen: Teaching that will not harm a child requires my specialization in human nature. How am I to gain this knowledge according to Mason? Am I committed to the intentional study of Mansoul and “the way of the will?” What is one step I can take? ~~~~~~~ ...for our faith: Charlotte M. Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 6:47. ...because ever since: 6:49. Wisdom isn’t knowing: David Brooks, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (New York: Random House, 2023), 248. Day 18 Bird's-eye-view meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025  Henryk Szydlowski (see also Attention) “But bird 'stalking,' to adapt a name, is a great deal more exciting and delightful than bird's nesting, and we get our joy at no cost of pain to other living things. All the skill of a good scout comes into play. Think, how exciting to creep noiselessly as shadows behind river-side bushes on hands and knees without disturbing a twig or pebble till you get within a yard of a pair of sandpipers, and then, lying low, to watch their dainty little runs, pretty tricks of head and tail, and to hear the music of their call. And here comes the real joy of bird-stalking. If in the winter months the children have become fairly familiar with the notes of our resident birds, they will be able in the early summer to 'stalk' to some purpose. The notes and songs in June are quite bewildering, but the plan is to single out those you are quite sure of, and then follow up the others. The key to a knowledge of birds is knowledge of their notes, and the only way to get this is to follow any note of which you are not sure. The joy of tracking a song or note to its source is the joy of a 'find,' a possession for life. But bird-stalking is only to be done upon certain conditions. You must not only be 'most mousy-quiet,' but you must not even let a thought whisper, for if you let yourself think about anything else, the entirely delightful play of bird-life passes by you unobserved; nay, the very bird notes are unheard.” * “After years of wallowing in creative depression, he had quit drinking and had found peace by birding in the city. ‘I didn’t even have to think about it. I just felt easier. I felt easy hearted,’ he said. He had discovered his joy was bid-shaped. The musician was funny and had a smile that was very quiet. He came across as fervent about birds without being reverential.” ~ Kyo Maclear Examen: “Name and describe the wild birds of your neighbourhood. Tell about the song of two of these. “Describe a 'bird-stalking' expedition." Do I see nature study as optional, a pleasant add-on to my resume, or my own “valued possession for life?” How is bird-stalking a metaphor for my role in the classroom? ~~~~~~~ But bird 'stalking': Charlotte M. Mason, Home Education, 1:89–90. After years of: Kyo Maclear, Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation, First Edition, First Printing (New York: Scribner, 2017), 17. Name and describe: “AO Parents’ Review Archives AmblesideOnline.Org” Syllabus I.-Examination I. Describe a 'bird-stalking': Home, 1:360. Day 19 Bird-stalker meditation/100 Days copyright 2025 Laurie Bestvater |
