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

No. V.
pndicattan Of the e Proposed system of Public
Educdtion from the Doubts Of" Il Coasti
tueaf"
Is highly interesting TO country, and it is the
anty % its nconates to provide that every citizen in
should receive an education to the con-
niton and persuits of mis- lite"
Letter from Ttes. Jefferson 20 p. Carr
so deeply is the imagination OF the Consti-
tuent wrought upon BY the terrific idea of
universal suffrage and of AN established reIi.
gion, tiat he has actually devoted one whole
No: with sundry schOiia, historical explanatory
;'i,i rdisoSee, 10 comparisou Of the principle
OF election by Jreeholders and BIZ hoasekeepc,s
am anoiRer s.il ltore elaborate 10 the evils of
aconneAIou between church and state. Lest
the reader, IN perusins these political cpl
svdva, should catch the contagion of his sstind
doubts, he Is requested to Keep in mind the
comforting declaration, that these things can
never actually take place. hut would only be
so, IL they could take place. In these TWO
numbers, he discusses so learnedly ON the
barons of Old ,fanA bible societies paIliaments
ans ftesDyterlans, Roman emperoIs and Irish
catholics, pot-6oitsrs and popes, inuuisitious
and ieglnmdcy, which are all successiveiy
Hrrdyed against" tie proposed system." tina,
IT tiie reader had not been SO perfectly assured
taGt II is impossible that it can ever BE- uut
INTO operation, he could bnt have e&uericIlred
1le most Hyeiy teffors at ihcr threatened
Spproach. j, However, So perfectly conCrr
With the Constituent, in deprecetnr tie
Pphc'plG OF election By hOa9iefyFrs as velias
the nn!on ofreligiou and government thar
shati dispenSe WITH any further examination
or the former SUBJECT, which / think / have
sHbicientiy shewii, III the preceding No no
RATIONAL man can reel the smaest apprehension
ABOUT, and attempt to prove that the system OF
education proposed, so far from having the
SMALLEST tendency to promote the union of
church ana state, furnishes IL there could be
any danger ofsuch connection from other
eau 'es, tie most perfect securityagaiHSt it, |
Would merely observe, BY the way, that
cannot agree with the Constituent in his oDn-
ION, that the freehold suffrage is founded ON the
protection OF property. lit were, Il oughtto
nave some relation 10 the oM0uAt of property
PM II only relates TO the species, which is
SastDte, aScertGa5ie with respect TO the pr0Drie-
cor, necessarily connected with the nr0s eritv
aud happiness of the country, and therefore
Furnishing the beSt eUidence I" of permanent
common interest with, and attachments TO The
community" i7alIst also demur TO the pOliti.
cal economy ofthe Constituent, which icul
Gates the doctriGe, " Shat land is the source Of
every species ofpFOperty," if be means il in
any otheI sense tllan that in which il may be
sasd, mat the elements OF nature, existence
OF the deity, is the source of every spe-
caeS- OF property. If he means that agri.
culturalists are the only productive iaborers,
deny his theory. As Jean Baptiste de Say
very justly observes, man cannot creute a
single particle of matter" Even as an agr-
cuitur3list, ali that he can do, is TO give if
tdtHe and that can be done Ony by the CO.
operation OF art and nature. The value OF a
commodity consists in its iatTiRsis qualities its
farm and rs place The manufacturer then
who gives to II the form, without whicht conId
not lie used, and the merchant who transports
~ 10 tle Place without which its qualities and
its form would be valueess, is as much a pro
ductlve larorer, as the husbandmau for even
ne does not produce or create il he in fact onlv
gives itforni by combining manual operation
with the processes of nature
! beg pardon for this <ligression, and return
10 the subject. believe il would be utterly
Impossible in this enlightened age, in "A coun
'.y wnere religious establishment did not
atreaIiy exist, to give it existence. In this
country, where the diversity OF reli gous sectS
is so great, and where several of them are so
equally balanced, we NAV safely assert that
10 combination of men, however artfulIy con.
triYcd, or ably conducted, could effect such an
oOlect. w csee tiiat in the old monarclica
countries Of Europe, where Snch powerful
BlachincrleN have been invented for maintain
Ing these religious establishments they are
gfddnaliy losing their influence, aud that the
dlsscnters are continually sapping the foundd.
lions nf their power, which, at no distant
period, must give way, aud crumbe into dust
bEt ii such result could be apprehended i'm
ibis country, assert, that cur present system,
81 education isinfluitely more likely tOproduce
IT, Llan that which has been proposed We
already have numbeT Of seminares and daiiy
incorporate others, whose trustees are perpe.
tuii bodies having power TO I'll vacancies in
their own bodies, appointed from particular
neighberbOods, by persons residing i'm those
neighbOIhOods, where single sect entirely
pIedominates and where, consequently, the
n
entrely agree InTellgiOus sentiments, aud who
VIII, and 10 fact do, seek to impress the minds
OF the youths educated in them with tlIcir own
peculiar teHcts. Now, is IL not altogether
improbable, that it the course ofiustfuction
was devised by a board of enlightened men
selected from different parts OF tue state
w1cre thS religious sentiments Of the people
were totally dissimildr, as is the case with the
suctions OF country designated by the bill for
the selection Ofthe board, and TO beappointed
" 4 81 fp1
a. as the case with the Virginia LEGISLATURE a
body where, at least IL will be admitted flIat
no one sect can ever he equal 20 ali Il ask IL
IL Is not more nprababla If the course OF
puuiic instruction was etised by BODY Of this
character, thus composed that ifwould ever be
made sHbscfvieni 10 purposes OfSecfarian zeal.
'hdn V cOnirieed by bodies OF The character
and composition OF al our present seminarics
oi iearEirg a GAIN, Jude pendcntiv Of the cha.
E"ctcr Of this board in which We would have
ample security against the designs OF religions
o. political factions, would there not be
another security, cniauniing rs this board
w9g'd, from the legislature, in the absolute
prohibition on The legislature, TO exercise any
jurisdiction IN nntiess OF religion 1T sil...
would Il not, whatever might be its dfsposi-
iian, be- bound down by this prohibition
" oaW 81 ndFe ~ over.cdp the boundaries
floecfinei fu Us sovereign aud creator Yet
lIe seas i,r does not exist i'm relation TO orr
r ~i nmaieS, tie trustees OF which may,
Dpic, Without any violation Of laws
rs 1s selection OF their teachers that
rt eiF own theological creed shall be
fr in tAem. NJ hen we regard then. the
enlightened state Of tIe world. the
t fug CONDITION OF ait religious establish.
peculiar Situation, AID relative
tfd DIVERSITY Of the fciigi 0us sects in
IA, ie mode OF appointing thc beard Of
-,racuon, me charter, and s,il