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

II Is highly intcrcsir- 10 our country aud ia is the
hniy ri its frciiDnaties to provide that rvrly
~ su"n receive an ,cneation proportional I" the eon
huton ard pursuits cf avs life."
lLcfte'' from Thos. Jefferson 10 r. farr.
III Is related - Or. johnson that ancp hear
ing gentleman express most ektraYsgant
admiration of 'ihnnipson's Seasons aud affect.
i!'s 40 cnncEr ~ II HIM, he took up the back
orercd itai random. * read a passage out of a.
oinitti'" every oirerl!ne when he hal finshe d ,
he asked hilr !. Pee did not think Il very fine
10 wh,rh the sagacious critic reatiily iepiied,
admirable inGced.-1hs sanse experiment |
am convinced, mi-iit be tried on the essays of
The Constituent, without impairny either their
strength, beauty or iatci,igDHiiy even the al
ternate ESSAYS might he read without produc-
my the IL is' injury 90 the whole for ] had
actually prepared 10 repiew the ath number
without perceivi'tg chat there was hiatus
belwee" II aud tile first pant of the Sd No.
when accidentally, discovered ,hatfhcre was
"a SECOND pari of the third number. Upon
examining ii. howcVcr, il was soon perceived
HAT the mOdicun Of argument IL contained
was to- minute for dissection and thar Meth.
er the KNIFE nSr the microscope Of criticism
cond reaci, il. The SOLITARY idea il contains,
which not repeatedly advanced in the
previous es avs. is that there ~ difference il,
the mod; OF eitctIug the trustees Of The pri,na.
~ schools and the delegates To the General
Assembly; aud even this idea is made inlas-
,ihle, 10y his neglecting 10 tell us whai il to be
the consequence ot this difference this il wIli
d" seen IL pointed out hereafter. There Is
another part of this sequel TO the Sd ESSAY,
which beg leave to quote for although II
contains no Hrv idea u has some conucxion
with subsequent essay il shows too 10 what
extent =" timid doubts may rarry certain ina.
ginatiouS; and Us, W thai, san,eei sonorous,
well rounded sentence " In This No" saws the
Constituent, is seen tile tremendous nIachi-
res> invented for e1leciing 'he great change
contemplated ~ the principle afeducaticm
mere have aG3Ir Tue change in the priacipie OF
education y aud Il il res,rctfRHy doWbtcd (thiS
q -
whether. anauiiS,t all other con tequpDces (anh
prettN I'M ortart one IL is 10 he thus huddiesl
"a = GAoags' all uiher cnHseQueHcCs,' il may
not ten t"'ubsutnte, in lieu OF our present
simple and excellent constitution. the most
yrlghtin and complicated dcSrotisnI, undsr
the n sHas ement aud control OF an hierarchy
oflncOfpora Cd reda@ogueS." It rs" respect
idIiN asked vhc ther this hitGarcEical, pedd-
2o2'c b. dCspniisH Is 10 be auiouratiCdi as hes.
roii:Tn' usually are, ar oiigarchicai, ari>torIa-
ti'a!or auarChlrai for wO are srct esSively
Threatened with all these species Of tyrarny,
and II would probably be satisfactory to the
pTo>eiyte eli the Constituent, to understand
uisiiEctiy the precise nature OF tie danger
they have 10 fear. SOs, after this dreadful
prophecy OF our sFcord simhfsd seer which cio,e,
hts 81 esSay, II is difficult 10 conceive ihe de-
light which has terrified followers must have
experienced WhFG tiiev took up his 18th No
and read the Follr wing passage with which IL
commences: . III cadeayoring 10 estimate
some OF the most obvious and important con
|, sequences of tine proposed system Of public
educduoh,u niH BE- tahe1l for s'rt,n.eo thai The
whole system IS capable of being placed IN a
course OF practical operation, although 1t as
not cei'ered to be pTdcficaLie." Aud for this
Dsue' three very potent reasons arc stated
ana numbered Thus after having had their
! " limit doubts" excited in such "A degree. that
they mist almost have imagined themselves
iiinciling undtr the lash OF these hierarchical
Incorporated pedagogucs, TO be so distinctly
told that these dangers are all imaginary. aud
L. Ia,r Siaf,, -
be 80 tar deceived by the philosophy OF 6Ir
jefferson. the zeal of Mr.. Monroe, and the pro.
mise; OF Mr.. Nicholas, as TO adopt the propo.
sea system, three important reasons exist, i'll
the nature OF the system itself, why il never
can be carried into operation to learn all
TINS, from the mouth OF the prophet himself.
must have been felt as a repTieve by the sup.
posed victims of' theoretical pcI|ection" which
could only have elected their most sincere
and unaffected gratitude and JOY. 1t is not
easy, however, to say whether they Ought 10
nave telt more gratitude fer that generous
supereroSatIon which induced their paterIal
chiet for their sake, to devote so much Of his
lnva'unbie time we have before seen that h,.
| Is not man oilearned leIsure) to develope the
dangers OF an .BlDrdctiCaBk system, or anger al
that apparently nnieeling and wanion InaIie.
nity, which could so long keep them sliiveriug
| III hiSmay at thu idea of dangers which after
all, turns ont 10 be only imaginary IL is true
| that the arguments of the Constituent have
before occasionally teudcd to Show. that the
system was impracticable; bnt, when his
| sCeptICal character Is recollected the,p ar,.n-
meDtS might perhaps be thought only t.mid
donbts. But he now clearly aud explicitly
states his entire belief. that the system: igDgt
| prdcticdtle; aud forilfies his position Nv The
! enumeration oftlIree distict reasons, which are
a. follows; ist, tecaus il is bGttoIn sinpo.
voluntary Contributors Tor tarce. l., OF -
pecuniaTy means, which cannot Tattoratlv I've
counted upon even 10 putt into motion sill
less 10 Keep u ~ perpetual motion IDLY, he
cause IT'S vdfious arrangements aIe too com.
Plcated tor dGrHtinn; and Sdly because
OF IT'S DISCRETIONARY and underlined pU,veYs and
Tie extremely delicate AID invldiaus charac-
Ter OF most o. those powers" II vail he ohSer.
yea i'at the iTSi of these reasons is iOunded
Oh the SehtiHtUi OF tbs people tAe second
on the nature a. the system: and ihc fhifd ON
both these considerations. NO~ /! the Consfi.
trent had confined himself to ske vIutr fi,e
Ih'pidcuCabiiity IS the system, and the cOrse.
aucnt propricly OF the irgis atGrc saving Itself
the time, trouble, and expense If de,iberaii,,,
on It.lIis efforts WOuld ~ least nave aoyearpd
rational aut by his idbOred attorpt ~ dednce
rom ihe actCai operation and continuance Of
ths system, Tie most important permanent
consequences on the manners and govarii;,,r n,
OF the commonwealth, aud his candid coniss.
sion, that lac does ngt believe f{iiS operation
practicable, hc~has thrown the most haictous
air upon It's stupeudOps iIbors and irresietibly
recalled our miDGs TO the partgritiop If f!-
mountain which gave birth 20 a mouse.
IL will be with some surprise. That ,i,e -ca.
der learns, ia this number. that this plan
which he had been previously t9ld. deprid,8
on the rW 0 tire peepie, aud is mike iii other
idWS, because u wants the sanction of f,4,~s
50 arbitrary a system that II youid a., h,.
! OF loug DURATION Dui this az parent disctepar.
c. IS profanity owing to iiiht mpeffection ~
language, which or philol ,cistIs 20 anxlons H.
| remedy bui "t'c'' all his Efforts have hitherto
SO snccessiuiIy increased
II vii not be aiten, tod saws tbc Corsti.
. tnent 10 ascertain tie ptccIse potion r.
rights which arc taken from tie government
nor tie rreri'e portion taken f. ON The peopie'
lo constitute 'he aggregate Of ulh,. wiiich e.
transferred 10 ihe roTrqrattcns i1vertad 81.
rairNlng INTO cti.rf tie llrnl.n-nd .,.te,r ! |.