Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-14

both languages, as may be perceived by the !
following passage from the venerable Hooker, |
who welded master pen. aud whose WI |
tinSs constitute one ot these pure u'tus az !
English undecided" from which Johnson recon- }
mcnds all those who would form q chaste and
elegant style 10 make copi0us drau shts.....
- Education aud Instruction. says tins writer,
are the means, the one by USE, the other by
p.secpt, To MAKE our natural faculty OF reason
boih the better aud lie sooner 10 judge rightly
between trmh and error, good aud evil"
The term instruction, III ,he plural number on
which the writer has SO idr,.etrhed asd iareti-
aus a TRADE, IS merely q Word wreSted from It's
literal meantns, aud made technical by the
usage Of political bodies nor can il have any
come Xion OF analogy with the sngularnunIbcr
OF the saine word used in the sense IN which il
is, throughout The bill. tits observed OF soue
author, ihat &c chose his subjects ba5iy, aud
always seemed most inspired with the worst
paris;' remark peculiarly applicable To our
hypercritical pinloiogist SO much delighted
does he appear with his Ingenious discoveries,
that he da>heS oil IN an o'Sfi;m or inspiritiOn
- quite in tie epic style, "n the midst of
things, descaniS most vehemenily and learn
ediy upon the danger Saud the love of power
:" the history OF our religion" which lie tells
US. by system OF corporations, has been
made Instrumental To the establishment of
papal supremacy, = the christian rctormers,"
:" the parliament of Paris, the American
judIes," and tue right of Instruction and
winds up his rcci,ative with dec'1riDg that
the SuppOsiion would not be altogether I'M
warranted that tue General Assembly propos-
e. TO authorize the board of public instructions
to instruct all public agents in The discharge of
their public duties. lie declares, however,
that the terms used in the bill are vague
and uncertain, that il is necessary to resort to
some accompanying papers Tor more parti-
cuar specification OF the objects OF the Gene
raj Assembly and it reference be had, says
this acnte IUglcian - "a the letters of the two
most celebrated philosophers in the United
States, Mr.. Jefferson and Dr. Mitchiil, it will
be found that IL is proposed TO commit 10 the
board OF public instruction., and it's subordn-
ate and affiliated corporations, power. TO regn-
late and cOatrOl the religious moral, political,
mathematical, literary, military, agricultural,
mechanical, gynnastc, musical and diversion
al instruction OF The whole cohmonwealt in
short. 10 commit to its mana cement and con-
troll, every thing witch can tend to improve
or emDeiitsh the mind or The body OF man..
The particular attention OF the reader is soil
cited 10 this extraordinary passage; because,
II is IL tair specimen OF his general style of
reasoning, of his candor and OF his regard To
fact. The documents he resorts TO, 10 prove
what are the powers proposed To be commit
ted 10 the board of public instruction, are the
letters OF MIR. Jefferson aai Or. Mitchil -.
Now The letter OF MIR. jefferson was written
September iih, Isl !, and thai Of DR.. Mitchl,
july 10Th, iSi6, whist the bill creating the
board ofpublic Instruction was not introduced
in the Legislature till February, 1917 nor can
IT be iound that either vi those letters contains
amy the slightest allusiou TO board OF
and those OF = IFS affiliated corporations" |
have seen somewhere, 1 believe, i'll the wri-
iinSs of Dean Swift an attempt TO prove that
the Latin language was derived from the
English, satire on the anachrOniSms ct GER
tain antiquaries OF thar period, To which those
OF our author furnish the most complete para!-
lei Blu, this is really too serious \ charge to
neat with levity. Ii is one in which the cha
racicrs OF the members of the last General
Assembly as well as those OF Mr.. Jefferson and
DR.. Miichill are deeply implicated. After
amenting too the difficulty of distributing
these documents among the people, was il to
be expected that he would make use OF the
advantage which he possessed over them, TO
deceive instead of To instruct them, AMI TO
induce them 10 believe that the General AS
Sembly had organized plan 10 which two
eminent and respectable fellow citizens were
accessory, TO deprive them OF their entire
rights:
1t is fortunate, however, that this laundering
logiclan has rested his proof respecting the
powers of the beard of public Instruction on
the letters already mentioned, tor these being
proved 10 have been written antecedently 10
the attempt to create that board, and TO have
10 SOFT of aiius:on 10 IL, leaves him precisely III
the predicament from which he believed lie had
eNtricatcd himself by the aid Of these gentle
men, totally unable to ascertain the powers OF
the board, because they are not precisely stat
ed and defined. Candor should then induce
the gentleman TO acknowledge that they do not
exist. II has always beeu and still is, the
publican doctrine that rights not defined by
All instrument are not conveyed by 1t; so rivet-
ted are our notions III this respect, that IL has
recently been coatended OH the floor of Con-
gress, ard with unanswerab,e force OF arxu.
nIent, that even the privileges ordinarily sup
posed 10 be Inherent in legislative body, by
the act Of their creation, can have 10 existence
Hnder cur government Until thcy are laid down
and defined but the writer manlteats an anX-
iety TO place Ills antagonists IN the wrong which
induces him to disregard every obstacle oppos-
ed TO him by facts, and TO resort 10 the most
HImSv ridiculous SuttertupeS
purpose. II is said by DIR. johnson, that that
is generally right which requires many words
tn prove to he wrong. and lamentations are gen
orally wrong on which much tabor IS bestowed
10 prove that theyare right" shall leave the
reader to determine what are the merits OF the
Constituents speculatons tested by this rule.
SO eIated, however, is our Constituent with
the happy result of his enquiries, that he con-
cudes his assertion that the rights Of the peo-
pie are sacrificed TO ths terrific corporation,
the board OF public instruction, with tbe dGcla-
ration that the - proposition III the text is
completely demonstrated, that theoretical per-
tcctiOr IN government aud PTGcticH oppression
are closely allied. Now the ingenuity of tile
writer mas been eXerted all along to prove that
the whole theory 0f the proposed system, so
far from being perfect, IS one the most clumsy,
operose and im;racficabie ever cOHtriycd. Tie
oh yious syiog ism which results fTsm these pre-
misses requires ne daectic skill to make out
/ might here leave the writer eniAngied in
the web of his own sOphistry, 10 eXtTicate HIM
self in his own way Dut l viii not follow the
practice Of tie forum and require him to answer
for the consequences of his own concessions. 1
will follow him in his may cOnrse and should
lie present one solitary proposition which has
not been before answered, hold myself bound,
II it contains any thing relevant TO the subject
in question, to reply 10 1T. lie has now really
fixed himself like cucumber that has grown
in vial and cannot be got out but by breaking
it. Should he choose 10 adopt this plan, and
begin the subject de more l ain ready so attend
-. D. L..