Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-03-13

| tanciful female ia the most violent paroXysms
| of her folly. Some sects might regret the
| success of the system "A check to their
| ambition but no sectc could consider il as a
! means of gratifying ii; for sects are always
/ sagacionS; individuals only are dull. The fact
| is, I'LL the character or the people changes,
(anJ that can never be in siuglc YEAR, the
board can never lend itself TO party pur poses :;
| anu when ii does change, there must he q cor
| RESI- ondcut change i'm the board itself. Ii can
never have any other sentiments than those of
| the people; for the people create aud control
| il; and. as IL is responsible at stated periods
| eser will control il. 1t is admitted by the
| Cons titnent himself, that the conduct Of the
| board, Will depend III material degree upon
| the description OF persons who constitute that
| beard. Now on what. it is asked. viii tile
| description OF the persons who constitute the
board depend' Docs il not depend on the
legislatures and does not ti.e legislature deuenJ
! on the people i--HuI The board, it will be said,
will react on the legislature aud the people, by
means OF education. But is not the board
appointed annually and if that reaction
| Sitould be felt inconveDient or dangerous, will
not the board he changed
Our author Is really paying bad compli-
ment TO ms own opinions, when he suppoSes
that the effect of education will be 10 prescribe
them, and Danish them I! ON society. | have "A
very different opinion oil the etiecr of educa.
ton. Even under the control of arbitrary
governments knowledge has tendency TO
iibera'ize aud elevate the mind. Utmost ali
tnose great men who have atChIeved the revo-
buttons, that at different periods have contri.
buted NEST 10 the advancement of human liner
~, were men, educated in colleges, under the
control OF pores, and princes and the guard
anShip OF sacerdotal upcTstition. Such is the
nature of knowledge, that 1T tyrantS once per-
NIT its rays to reach the eyes OF their slaves
tits in vain, serviie prizes thood I'LL attempt,
oy the terrors OF divine vengeance, 10 disc-
pine them into a loye Of their Chains As the
physical eye seeks the light Of the heaven, tile
mental eye turns towards liberty ; and the s0ul
pants tor its enjoyment. II is hen, in vain for
despots 10 decree darkness, or 10 attempt 10
retract the rays OF freedom By the medium of
oigotry; like those of the sun, they arc clear
strait and irresistible ; and though they may
be obscured for d time, they VIII inevitably
burst forth again in att their pristine radiance
in Mat country has literature hecn 50 much
cultivated aE IN Germauy; aud where is there
such freedom of opinion and discussion, OH all
subjects, whether of taste, political science or
relgion. Not even i'll America, where the
liberty of the press as we'll as of speech is en-.
tireiy uncontrolled by law. Yet, public opin-
ion, more powerful, than law, proscrbes the
tree expression of opinion on many subjects in
America, And why? Certainly, because il
is not sufficiently enlightened. GERMANY con-
silt0tes a wonderful example of the influence
or literature, compared with that of political
law, to liberalize the mind Who OF our pro-
lessons IN America, weuld believe, that there
Is az fh's time Cor was III 1910 III the university
OF Gotiiueen, which is under the imme date
control OF the government, professor, lectur-
ING 20 class OF students, to prove that the
new testament was written ia the end of the
second century, Yet such is the fact. Which
OF our uniN crsitics would dare TO allow ths7
fCt pam as ltappears, that truth cannot suffer
IRON INV stIgatlon, IL requires a dewree of lite
To pcrvade the whole nation before il can be
perceived aud practically acknowledged.
But the best thing in ali this theological poll.
tai essay Is, the admission, by the autiIor that
the proposed system could Bot lead TO a rell- |
glous establishment, If the board OF public in. |
structi0n should be composed of philosophers, |
ana ne asks, with apparently serious concern, |
= is there the remotest possibility that the
board MA. always be composed OF phiiosophe,s /
and not OF men. WHO would have thnnghi.
after what he had before said that any good |
could Genre out OF philosophers? The pro-
found distinction between philosophers and men |
iIrat made by the Constituent, is no less sub
Ject Of admiration, than his wonderful versa.
unity, which eludes all calculation. But the |
most original of all our authors numbers and
which beg leave to recommend to VirtuOsi, as |
a literary curiosity of the rareSt kind, is the |
7th. The first thing that strikes ms in il is a |
recipe we are furnished with, for Overturning
governments, in the following words 90 A ce. |
LIBERATED English politician has observed that if
the government would gave him the exclusive
privilege OF debating all the songs which |
should be sung IN any nation, he could over
tI=rn its government;'s and we are Informed in |
an eTndite note, which deserved 10 be embodi- |
ed III the text, that when We recoIlect tie |
effect of Ca Ira, CarmagB0lc and the MarseilIeS |
hymn, during the French revolutions, the con
be deemed altogether extravaganza" Now if |
this privilege OF singing, possesses the same
capacity TO preserve a government AZ well as to |
destroy it, plan readily occurs, by which all
the wicked Vaccinations of the board of pnD
lie struction, might be completely frustrated
aud that is, to give this privilege TO the Con-
sttuent himself, whose talents appear pecuIi-
arly to llt him for the Office ofa sOugster The
magical incantations of this wizard Orpheus
would doubtless charm the pedagOgues into
profound TeP9se, which If nothing INTERRUPTED
but the Cessation OF the music, might rival in
length the nap of EndymOU. The only danger
is, that he might experience the fate OF Ca
nente, who was changed into a voice for sing
my 100 much and we should have only what
we have had quite enough of aiTeady-the ror |
prGteTe1 mill And what " ould be still worse
unless The counter project" shonld 20 into
operation, we should even be deprived of a |
worthy successor to our musical tInc 1ionary
1t IS utterly impossible however 10 do Justice |
TO this literary wonder by any discripfion I
beg leave therefore, TO present the reader with
Anew choice moTceduS, that they may speak for
themselves. pass over the repetition of the
absurd mIsstatement, that the children are to
be forced from their parents to be sent ia
school, suppositlOn upon which this ESSAY
mainly hinges and which has been already con-
tfadicted, 10 cuil some of those Ingenious spe.
cuiations that relate TO the subject of education
III general, which cannot but impress the rea
der with high idea OF the profound attention
with which orr author has studied H. and of
his qualifications to write on it.
Our author institutes an accurate mathcmat.
icdl comparison between kdTBiBo and lahor
and declares, that parents will not be compen.
stated for the loss of their chiIdrens labor bv
the learning obtained from the wears schooi-
ing, which by the bill, he says d" they shall
have"
How says he" can this loss be compensat.
ed will 1t be said, by the learning acquired
during that time In this anS,cer (what ans
wer y will be found one of the great errors, Of
the system, n hope it will lie found only i'm fbis
GnSCO) What can he learn during that peri.