Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-12

bCrliity OF factiUus folly OF the sobrety us dis
wisdom could pay hiin.-ln this
age ot banks, aud roads aud canals and other
federal usurpations. wuen our political
theories are bliudy drawn from the do.:mas of
Alexander Hamilton, aud the i,arajoNes OF
MoOte>quieu, aud Our practice iiom English
precedent aud pteccpt, we could haidi, eN-
rert Mr.. Jefferson 10 exercise that on,ni potent
sway over public opinion which, HAS been as
sciibed 10 him by the Constituent. The Jitaip
hnlijTium ON The philosophy oi Mr.. Jefferson Is
highly diSIe,pectfui tor although he Is emi.
neatly entitled to the character - philosopher
as well by the extent lu'i diversity az his at.
iainacntS as 10y that GsitiS S',,JiSTs4i which is
the m,epatabie characteristic Oi the sage, "a
Is rather nirOnicI mode OF expressing his
ti;.c 10 call HIM tile prince 0f philosophers"
as the Constituent is pleased TO do. Ii would
have been eli in HIM bciOre he a>cribra the
opiuonS ri AIR. JetierSUn III f,,y or OF system of
punlic education, 10 his abstraction II ON the
practical world. 10 CETGde iisio the fact lie
must certainly have huovn that Tie bill vN.
tracted from the revision ct The laws ni'.6.
Which * veiy analogous Ia lis general princi-
pies TO the letter u, Mr.. jefferson, written since
his retirement, VAS At least partly his work,
aud That II Was reported III ilie revision q.
laws made b, himself, Mr.. Wytie and MIR.
PehdletOn III 1875 period when lie, as well
, has able cOadjnturs, was engaged IN the active
scenes at practical lite. The same disregard
az fact is conspicuous III his remarks on the
letter ofAlr. Monroe. whom he represents as
expressing " zeal IN the contemplated system
OF education which lie tells Us. Mir. NJ. de-
clarcs, The does not say where he does not
comprehend Now Mr. Ms letter was written
anterior to the -" contemplated System"-writ
ten in Nov. 1916, and the system dI.eSted III
Feb. iSlI :0f course he could not have COM
pretended it, and therefore must have intend
cd only TO express zeal tor system of public
education. So far then as MIR. Nj ;. opinion
opposes any obstacle 10 the General Assembly
listening Ia the Constituents argument against
the system OF public education; he may be per-
iect!S easy unless he means TO prove that
ali systems are improper, which we do not ui,-
usrstlnd To tie has intention These little ana
chrOnisnis, however, probably arise from The
want OF thai, leisure which MIR. Jefferson eE-
Joys, ana from the pressure of time which
ms own pfavtiCal life experiences.
II H. remarkable that the Constituent in prov
INK that tlc system OF pubic education IS the
onspIi.s of theory and philosophy, should
haze assigned the honor OF being lis primci-
pal supporters 10 four gentlemen, the
whole Oi whose lives have been spent i'm
scenes Ot active occupation. Ii he had search
ed the whole range of his acquaintance he
coalu not have found examples 81 little suit.
Ell Ia ms purpose. Two OF ti,en, il is heliev-
ell, must have spent nearly forty years in pnb-
iic i'ie, during which they we're daily engag-
ed la thc transaction oi business another must
have been occupied during the tlief part of
ilis lite III the same octiye scenes ; and the
fourth besides beng engaged IN all Occupati-
on, "Sli calculated To give him an insight in.
10 the human character, was employed in the
period of carly life in the honorable and ia.
StrlTctiVe profession which could best qualify
him 10 appreciate hotli the wants and tile adj.
VantaGes OF education. That IL should ever
have occurred 10 any one to rank our plesen;
chief magistrate, iii the tribe OF theorists "A
man SO justly esteemed for his deep and prac.
heal knowledge OF human nature, which Il
long and iabOrIOus service to his country has
conferred on him, Can hardly be accounted
tor titan by the SuppOsitien that il was Judged
convenient sncceddneum TO a feeble cause.
ihe geological system OF LinnGus, which pia-
ces man, the whale and the leather-win, bar il,
The same class, could hardly have excited
more aStOnlshment in Sont!I Sea wlIaler than
the classification of the Cons tituent mast have
excited III those who are acquainted with
MIR. Monroe, aud the common meaning OF the
word heoiltt. Ii must have originated IN the
same school of natural history which ascribes
10 the soree of our marshes the capacity of
being transmogritied into bull frog.
In tracing the opinions of MIR. Jefferson to
that species OF prejudice, which Bacon calls the
idOid Specus, it would have become the Constitu-
ent to examine whether his own opinions did
not orr 9 ate from the influence of some tuteia-
ny idol. Had he done So, lie might perhaps
have perceived, that as MIR. Jetiersou's OPT
mons are attributable to leisure and philoso-
ply, ms own being exactly opposite, might be
Justly aScribcd 10 a want ofleisure and phi
ioSophy; bat as Sceptical as this pretended
disciple OF py.rhonism affects 10 be, this ell
curry never occurs to him.
Alter cCnmcrating the various Causes which
concur 10 check free enquiry in relation TO
this subject, aud giving the precedence in
polni OF Importance to the letter ofAir. Nicho-
las, over the opinions Of Mr.. Jefferson and Mr.
Monroe. because it declares "neAt to the
illnstriouS ciiiZen who planned and accom-
piisbed The revolution, rank those VINO will
coutbute most TO a system of public educa-
ton" promise which he thinks no citizen
can do more than submit 10 - he concludes his
enumeration by placing II the head ofthe
potent causes OF prejudice, the apprehension
OF the censure OF the Enquirer, which lie de.
clares isa still further and greater alarm to
free enquiry than either the philosophy of
Mr. Jefferson. tile zeal of President Monroe or
the promise al Mr. Nicholas And who is The
Enquirer1 Wbya man OF l;berality," who
enterlainS al acknowledged sense Of the
maxim, audi Glteram pGTtgM - yet the censnre
OF this liberal auG equitable man is the great
est alarm 10 tree enquiry which exjSta.......
Illus mas Tie constituent, by u Kind of logical
sEctoslS, o. may use such u term abandoned
al the weight which III argument could derive
from the establishment OF ti.c charge y cXter-
nal intii nee Oh the friends IF education and
at the same tine Afforded i"ippys epe cina en- of
that tclicItoGs method of dtGtrtuu which so
peculiarly chafacteri2eS all Ia, roIir citations
Tie has deprived ne medicine 81 The cbmractero of
rcpIsiy by S',ewiu., lhat tie disease does moi
exist, and degraded il to the rank of Il prophy-
tactic, which il IS feared. bOwevrr. will have
10 other merit than bis cwn recommendation
Bnti appears ihat the most powerful of all
the causes which can alarm free cuniry," the
ceIsure of the Enquirer is enlisted agaissf ihe
proposed - stem 30 that The General ASscm.
bly, so far from requiring amy reasons to disa.
buse them Of their preiuAicCs ~ Us fdvOrmmst,
III The estimation OF the Constituent dmseit
be absolutely incapable of forming an impair
tiai jud2me ofits merits, and viii require
some more omnipCteDt cause 90 persuade them
of It's value, poTticnIailvas h own Irresistible
logic has been superaddcd to the maledciious
of the Enquirer, deemed 50 tranScendast q" that
10 humble citizen will encounter the pusisi-
ments held ont by IT,"
Notwithstanding however the coalition Of
two such formidable enemies 10 tie proposed
system, to one even o. WhOm Is ascflboil such