Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-26

/ yes OF whicJ, have already been pointed ont.
\ When the anihor declares that no similar sys-
| TEN has ever been adopted before, he must
\ certainly mean, IN its general principle fer
| he could hardly be SO ridiculous as to believe,
| that IL ceuld be similar in all its details. The
next eiiiOn is, that the system cannot be
bToagh, from abroad and England. Scotland,
Wales and ireland ar~ brought IN to attest the
| fact. 1; Is roundiy asserted" in G.. Britain iu
| 1885, there were lSj6 nee schools aud that
| although ID contains - tunes the population OF
Virginia. fewer schools have been found 10 an-
/ Swer in thar enlightened nation, than are now
proposed 10 commence with an Virginia fits
asked h0w many II Is proposed 10 commence
with IN Wig iia and where he gets his in.or-
matiOns We have already seen that u is pro-
posed 10 commence With no particular number
and that II depends entirel, Oh the disposition
OF the people whether We shall have one. And
L again ASH. where does the Cons eituent oh.
tam the information. that there were only eigi,-
teen hnni ed X hity SIX free schou! in G.. Bril-
tain IN '|9J Sy hi> giving tie precise number
II appears l!idt ne must lave got his ii!Orma-
ton SoaiegheTe, contrary to his usual Gus tom;
1 should imagine II was conveyed him ny soiae
drunNeG, ntnfrant, schoolnaSter, lilo must
either have lett ont n -uIe in the number OF
schools, or charged one in the century tho
even III i6pS there mnst nave been more schools
~ Great Diltain. Perhaps the writer means
o. free schools, schools that are entirely devo-
ted ID tae education OF the pUOr-who receive
tuition IN thslo gratis. Ii he means this, he
has greatly eNsee'letl the number OF schools in
number INTENDED to he established i Virginia
In Scotland, the poorcs. persons pay iSd. per
qnditer TOR each OF their Ciiijren.s-In Viz.
yihia, aith"ui:h The same piau onght 10 nave
been adopted. pat OF the children are 10
be tan ,bt gratis and the other part are to pa,
moderate ''.c. 1.-The does not mean simply
charity schools, then lie statement is without
any sort ot ioundition aGd is paltry attempt
TO impose on pu6ic creduiity. Ia london
alone, there were in 1893, 223 free and gGrisi
schools and there are, at This tinle, aS we
learn from The report of the committee Of the
House OF Commons, just reterreu 10. and the
documents accompanying Il, that there are at
this toie OSLO 80 900 scholars taught ia the
Sunday schools alone, where 1000 teacherSare
employed-the LancaSiprian system havtn.
not yet been ADOPTED IN those schools, because
Sratuitous instruction is given IN them by
gentlemen who are unacJuaintei with it,.
ine other schools have been enlarged and
placed on the Laueasteran plan, by which
toWare sometimes Taught in the same school
y"t II II calculated thai there are I22 900 poor
chuuren in London only uneducated In
Manchester, Il city containing about the same
number OF people with Philadelpha, there are
schoOi" Tor II 800 children; about 9th OF tina
reputation. There are also about 1000 benc-
need ciergynieN i'll England /; and il is believed
that there Is not parish without "A school of
some SOFT Thus IL will beSeen, that the mum.
Der oil schools IN England are much greater in
pfopOi ton to the population than in Virginia
qua ~ England, il is true that education has
Deeii very little lnferfered with by the govern
nIent which has done little more Than tn
incorporate some of the most richly endowed
Institutions, aud has only very recently since
the institution of the National School Soci.
ETY., tnrned its attention 10 that object But
mark the consequence. Nothing scarcely can
exceed The depravity of the lower orders AS
described by their own writer's, and bV Anne
rican gentlemen who have travelled in that
country; depravity, which though il dsnbt.
less has It's source in political causes is greatly
decreased by the absence of the means of
education, the only check 10 the total dissoln-
ton OF morals, when the social order becomes
corrupted. Now in Scotland, where tue same
poltlcal causes exist, and where the physical
wants OF the people are more pressing, and of
course me temptation TO vice greater and
where the government hgs lnteriered, and
estaSlished system of national education
too,t such is the morality of the people that
ny comparison oithe criminal calendar with
tnat OF england, where one person is convict
Ell under the same laws in the former country
IN tie same quantity of populaton there are
eIeFen convicted III the latter. How will this
Oe accounted for, bul by the difference in the
state OF education. In Ireland, where educa-
ton has been more neglected even than in
England, the morals of the lower classes are
still more depraved. But here also Board
OF Huucalion' has been formed, which, II -
hoped, VIII have some effect 10 stay the evil of
ignorance. until the radical cause, political
oppression, is removed. and the government
re eueraIed. Ii is NOT, however from that
- enlightened nation" Great Britain, that |
Should look Tor precedeuts to regulate the
cpnduci of republic. The apathy of the
English towards the education OF The Door, and
her zeal for that OF the rich should rather
admonish us 10 avoid than to initiate her
example. Her object is TO preserve her mon
archcal form of government and the ex
elusive education of the rich is her mode
our object is 10 preserve our republican form
aud our mode should be the education of the
whole.
For national systems of education, we have
luuumprslbIt1 Hr =" md al.
They have been generally made to conform to
the character of the government they have
AWAY been attended with an ameliurztiou OF
ncIa ais, aud have inseBsbiy increased fhe love
OF freedom for such is the effect of knowl
edge, shackie las you will. In Geneva, ia
Silesia, III all the German states systeIns have
been adopted which have produced the hap.
piest effects. In France, educatiou has aiuays
been great national object; and never was
IL pursued with more active zeal iian dnrinr
the period of the republic, or than bv the
friends of liberty and system of subotdiu.
alton was established too, similar TO thar in
the proposed system, in which the " corps
eRsetgHaW cOTTespOnded to the board of pub
lie instruction "a principle which was pre-.
served in all The successive changes of the
system by the constituent assembly, the diFec-
tOrial, the consular, the imperial and the ac.
tual government, and which is absolutely
essential 10 perfection. In New York and
many of lie other states, systems Of national
education have been adopted on a liberal and
stdic fti'| vi SidtB, the regents
of The university exercise nearly the same
powers proposedtO be given to the board OF
public instruction. The example then oil other
nations, or " precedent" on which the Cons,itu-
ent so much relies, is not wanting to support
the proposed system. The 0importantis with
which he finishes his 4th No. are attached TO
hypothesis that have no manner offOunIation:
and not one of which has he bGen able, either by
fact or by argument, to establish. Thus ter.
inmates the fourth essay, upon which / have
devoted more time than hope will be neces-
saTy TO give 30 any that succeed. The fact is.
that to ans yer ihe reasoning OF lie ConsIilm.