Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-03-20

Tie political atmospheric. and tia, truth. Of /
which they are the enemies, like tile genial |
warmth ct the SUI, will soon restore the eQui. |
librium OF the elements, when they must again !
sink into their primitive insigniiicance and
obScnrity. The sacred cause of education,
which one would have thought would have
united every friend OF humanity, has expert
enced the utmost vrulerce of this class of
men. 1t has been assaiied b. all the Weapons
wsich malice and misrepresentation corld in-
vent, and converted TO an instrument for the
most unpardonahle purposes. Yet these very
men Ut the first aid ioudeSt yoCiferaiors Of
their own claims 10 patriotism these very
men, whose poii,y is calculated, a1d has AL
ready III great measure rrOtHrcd that effect,
BY neglccting evcryriO'tc for the iinprOve nIent
of the commpuv c.ii;h, have sou.hi 10 drive
the general government into the l,aurpaiion of
rights, which rave never brcn granted Go IL
and thus to prepare the w8S Tor the tfostraiion
OF the influence anu power OF tlie states. Who
can view without the most heart-renJiny ssi,-
saiiOus of sorrow, that noble state, which is
the common mother OF Americans, because
Size IS the parent ~ our intt pendence thai
state which The tlr>t social community
that formally Announced and promulgated 10
the world, all thos, greai aud sacred prinr-
pies. upon which dcpcHd the liberty of the
human race that state. which first declared
the equality of man; which first assei ted his
right TO select the country OF his choice
Which first abolished the abaminabe traihc ia
human flesh; aud which inst resisted tue ty-
rainy .oi Britain, ana established those great.
PRINCIPLES which gslNe birttl To tie \ mPiisan
revolution, tie most important eveut To man
since THAT from which we date the tunujatiou
of the moral world WHO can see tl'S uohle
state. sinking under the uithens h,Ch
shOrt-Sightpd policy has imposed ON her and
totte'ing in .he imhec!itN az a premature d.
crepitude who can view her deSsrie 4 habiis-
lions her barren fields no longer h!esNed with
the ycrdurc of nature, and he; children H. ing
in colonies. as II from some dreadful conta-
gion. TO distant lands; who can view the gene
raj desciaiioa of the country, more terrific
than that Of the wilderness, because il bears.
the vesiiges of former prosperity, without the
bitiercst agony, and without cursing, from tue
ho,iom of his heart that narrow-minaed. Mig
gardly policy which has despoled her of her
beauty, wasted her strength and prostrpted
her M the Dust Yet there are those and her
own degenerate SONS too, who from he most
unworthy mutives of personal agra! die
ment, oppose every measure which is calcn-
lated to retrieve her ruiHed fortunes, and res
tore her 10 her priStiue power; who attempt
10 stlgmatize aud cry down all those, who
would interposc To save her; and who would
sell their native country 10 destruction as they
have already sold themselves to crime such
slaves, tor he who sells himself is dodhly a
slave, aud is more deeply impTegnated with
the dehasimc qualities OF bondage, than If sold
by another, for the sake of a little popularity,
wouid trample on the insignia of liberty, and
abIure her name as the Dutch. for the sake of
fllihy lucre, trampie on the holy cross anu abb
1
Constituent of thS total deprivation OF moral
and patriotic feeling; but he has lent the
weight OF his authority to these men; he has
imputed the highest gait TO all hose concerned
IN the system OF education-l ailude not To the
remote consequences he pretends TO perceive
in the bill fOr these might not have been per-
ceivcd by the trainers; bnt TO his accusation
OF an hereditarv principle; of an attempt to
usurp the rights of parents; and OF arbitrary
and tyrdHnicdt regulations which could only
have been introduced by men, elected as the
legislature was on the ialthOt their republican
principles, who had attained the last stages of
iniamy and corruption. Every man who was
IN any way interested IN prOmEting that Bill,
must feel himself personally insulted and ag-
srleyed by the publication OF the Constituent.
J Is a libel on their COldnct and characters
which would justify any retaliation. l do not
believe that it can do much mischief. The
teOple have too much sense TO believe chat all
The men who voted for the school bill, among
whom can be found some Of their eldest public
servants; servants who have cl-ng TO the re-
public in times of the greatest trouble and
diSmay, who never shifted in The ranks ; and
who are of tried, and approved merit, could
unite III criminal design 10 iniure their own
and the peoples common rights. Still less
Will they believe, that such men Wythe and
Pendletes and Jefferson, whose sentiments on
education, are so analogous, could sanction
such criminal designs. Truth is great and
will prevail. The good sense of the people
mark with rcprobation the abuse of these vir-
tuous citizens, with whose names are associated
the dearest recollections of treemen. They
are all in fact, bat particularly the latter, in
cluded III the cens5re of the Constituent.
have done. The last No. of the Constituent
is directed against bill, which it is not my
purpose TO vindicate. His objections are ma
ny of them frivolous, some of them plausible.
1t would be better to adopt almost any system.
not contrary TO our laws, than none. Tie sys.
tenn should embrace the highest as well as the
lower grades OF education. THERE'S no Justice
or prOprety in devoting the literary fund er.
cl,tsirey to the education of the poor, as il was
raised by the union of The poor aud the rich
Besides, when Virginia is losing her iniineuce
in the scale of the general government, only
the highest order Of talents can sustain it,
D'Alembert said of Des Carries " shat lie be-
gan with doubling every thing, and left Oft
with believing that he had LETT nothing unex-
planned" Ii is Impossible TO regard the self
satisfaction, with which the Constituent ap-
proaches the end of his Iabors, without being
struck with the applicability Of the remark of
UAiembert to himself. ! leave him 10 enjoy
the satisfaction which his own work has pro
dnced in his BOSOM and hope that his CON
science is caouS enough 10 prevent his slum.
bers from being Interrupted by sense OF the
injury which he may possibly have done good
men and that he may enjoy all the happiness
IN future life. Which his nsensibiiity to the pain
OF others may enable him TO reach.
A VIRGINIAN.
.gPPENDIX.