Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-19
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FOR THE ENQUIRER.
No LII

Pindication Of The " Proposed system Of Public
EducGtioR" from the " Doubts" Of" Il Consti
t1eRt"
cit highly interesting to our country aud it is the
duty of h fnnciionaries to provide that citizen in
y should receive an education proportioned TO the
dilion aud pursuits of MS life"
[Lefter from THos. Jefferson TO p. Carr.
After awaiting himself the privilege of the
caHoF, at taS poets peTire, and committing teio
d. Sc il would have excited surprise in any but
those acquainted with the vital energies ofthe
sCribblng tribe, to have witnessed the reSur-
rection of our author, not truly a resurrection
TO life aud immortality, but to death still
more ignominieus Impossible, because owing ~
he did his resuScitatlon to courtesy, and being
caught HdtrTdnti deiictO, lie has deprived himself
of all claim to the benefit of clergy. Like An
toms from has mciiIeT earth, he returns with
redoubed vigOr 10 the charge but his blows
are deait about Il { random, and more frequently
strike himself than his enemy. II is true that
he is pot so aggressive i'll this number, as i'll the
former but though he sticks closer to the
point, he IS not less sOpliistical though lie
ponrs out his \" rabbie of undiscipliDed argu-
lnents" with a boder voice, he is not less in the
wrong. More trothy defamation. frivolous
exceptions, and wire drawn reasoning could
scarcely be brought into composition of the
stUle length. lie appears 10 be trying the same
experiment on thought, which certain pliilosO.
pliers lave made OH matter, and to have been
equally successful in demonstrating its capaci-
~ OF infinite attenuation.
In this number, the writer again sets out
Al
mInation Of tile first number, and as usual very
coon abandonS ii for another 'The second
object of enquiry proposed, Che tells us) WAS
10 examine and exhibit tn ysw the means of
carrying into effect the object of tie 6enerai
Assembly IN tile contemplated chaage of the
principle of education" This change we were
lntoTmed, in SO many words, consisted in max
ing the execution ofthc system depend on vol
untary contribution instead Of law Now so
little does our author regard fidelitytO his own
promises, that he does net once touch OH this
topic throughout the whole number but" the
promises Of authors, says johnson, Z" are like
the vows Of lovers" We rather suspect that
the efforts Of our author are like those of a GER
tan uuskilful painter, who being asked what
he was drawing, aud not knowing himself, re.
Piled, a cock or fox, Just as 1t happens" -.
Now the subject which he has discussed is not
" the means for carving into effect the change
in the principle ofeducatiOn," or ia other words
the means of etiecting the voluntary cOntribu-
tons required but the means for efecti1g the
entire objects of the whole system of public
Instruction, or the powers Of the board Of pub.
JIG Instruction, and its subordinate, or as he
call them, its" affiliated corporations" So he IT,
% ~ looking into the BILL lie says, " the
mind is struck with astOnishment in beh0ldinu
fifty forr complete and perhaps not less than
two thousand mi.cOrpordtiOns-ihese COrpo-
rdtOus invested with powers in pefpetuity the
most delicate, indefinite aud irl espOnsible -
Now the rules OfgTamnatical construction. tor
which he affects smsh regard, warrant the sup.
position that he meant 10 predicate tie - in.
yestHent of powers in peIpetuity j" &C. Of the
DEM corporations we'll as the corporations
Otherwise ho should have used The definite ar.
t.Cic Ne, instead Of the pronOminal adjective
lhes,, AID ass idea would have becu still more
definite 10 hc bad preceded the word corpora
t,ou, By "c0ppiffc, 50 as 10 coutradistineuishit
tfoiafte word Gcmi-corp OratiOns. ifthe writer
moart really g. assert th!s. eau only Batly con.
iratici sian. Tie powers granted 10 ile trus-
toes b. fhc primary scnOnis, or deni-corpOfa-
Iiogs as he Terms them, are simply the appoint
fpcnt Ct TIC teacher. AID their removal for
niscu1duct 81 iucapsciiy. They cannot even