Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-14

NIllCn WCErnV.
easy 10 show that according TO the writer : tie |
tinition wiiicl; is entirely Incomplete that the
old principle OF education had io more Of the al
trbuts otiaw, c0WputSton, than the new. Wheu
a law was passed 10 incorporate AN academy,
il was al the option OF the individuals concern
cd TO have IL or not rs they deeIned proper.
Now this is precisely the case in the new syS
tenn, and IN both there Us remedy Tor any at
tempt to hinder or Ob~truct the right granted.
II would indeed he new pri,iciple of icgiSla
ton TO vest tito remedy in the body creating
the privilege instead OF the Dndy enjoying IL.
And tins Is not only not new prnciple ot le-
gislation, but Il prncipic IA old as Legislation
| itself. " define law, (says Burlcmaaui, ) II rule
prescribed lbs the sovereign OF II society To
the s-tJects, imposing on thcm the oOiigaton
to do not 10 do certain ih,ngs n,id-r the
thre 4 OF some penalty. or 90 sire theD,the i6er
ty to act or nat TO act IA other thRgS they tay
jnGge ut, and ia ei,sLre 10 them Jdi tlJoyeeRt
| 81 their rights IA tkis respect. Laws establish
in. bOHniics, draw backs, the right TO lay out q
| town. TO construct bridge or build an acade-
| N.Y. come under the latter pant of tins deini-
| ton ofllw Ii the writer should think roper
agaiu to und.rta this subject, hol'c he Viii
prove that there rs neu princ.pie OF tduca-
ton adopted in our system, aud after proving
tl's that lie will also prove that "a had one.
IL would not have been deemed worth while
/ To beStow so much notice on this part of the
writer's dispuisition, but that i, Is perceived
| that he attaches vast Importance to IL himself,
and makes Of il as ki'id OF analyst for the
! solution OF all his problenis-they ara emphatic
al
| Ii was a matter ot some surprize, after the
| limited enquiry, which the writer had propos-
| cd ior the subject Of his second number, viz.
| 4" what is tie object of the General Assembly
! in the proposed change III the principle of edm-
| cation 10 find that the very first sentence
| in that numher should announce, . that the
| promised enquiry tuto the object at the Gene
| raj Assembly in the proposed change IN the
orirci,ias (using the Piural) of education is NOT
| exempt from difficulties, thus Infinitely wild.
tning the field st enquiry and extending il TO
| ob;t cts which were net :. promised, except on
| Ike title page itself. It's difficult 10 follow :.
A, writer WHO seems to have - vague AN idea or
! his own views, but | shall find no fault of this
| enlargement OF his enquiry as II affords AN OPP
rortniity more tullyto investigate he subject,
| and expose The fallacy at his reasoning.
| Having pretty well Invested himself CT his
q timid doubts, he commences this number
w:ih the most dogmatis;.l aud nniounded asser-
| ton. (" Ii is clearly perceived, saysthis peEe.
| irating genius, that some oil The prcate rights
| of education are to lie converted INTO yIbilc
i rights" 4 charge of such character as tins,
| one would have supposed, ought, III justice to
| the persons whom Il Affected 10 have been
| supported, at least by some attempt 10 prove
| IFS Truth But what Is the proof furnished by
| the writer Why, not a citation from the Law ;
! Tor in the same sentence IN which lie deGlares
tiat Il is clearly perrciced that such Is the object
OF the system, he tells as = that the nature and
! extent OF such rights are far from beng ,leii
| mite )" but thct " some great change IN these
respects must be intended" lie dtterv ards con-
| cudes, because otherwise" tile system must he
| stripped OF lis energies, and OF course OF IT'S
! supposed capacity 70 reseuerate mankind. =
! Now really il V oIld I've highly edifyiu:s To me,
! ami dare say To the public, 10 he informed IN
! What manner the right OF forcing children from
| their parents and guardians, IN which he seems
! 10 think the change consists, can contribute To
| the energies" OF The system and also 10 learn
| who are the persons VINO suppose that /; has
- capacities 10 Ne generate mankind" if hen
| the information is furnished it will he time TO
discuss the subject. 1t is, however, some what
| surprising, that so profound and erudte 4 lu
rist, as the Constituent should have inferred
from the absence of any restriction on the board
| OF publicinstructon with respect 10 this power,
| that they therefore possessed II. The usual
! mode OF reasoning is, that powers hot expressed
are reserved aud il would have bscn just as
| reasonable to suppose, that the board OF public
| instruction had right TO establish banks, or
! TO make roads aud canals because they werenot
prohibited as 10 conclude for the same reason,
that they had right TO assume the education
| of children against the will of their parents
and guardians nor is this mode of reasoning
| altoe ether without modern authorities OF great
| responsibility 10 justiiyit IL Is probably in
| this modern school that the ratIocinative pow.
| ers OF the Constituent have received their riu.
| isl. The writer again conresses, in the latter
| part of the same number, notwithstanding his
| boosted clear perceptions thar nothing salts
factory OH this important point can be found
| ill the bill or accompanying papers." TO re-
solve ali his difficulties on this subject, would
ask HIM 10 read the bill again, it indeed lie
ever read it at all. He will there see that the
board OF public instruction can make no regu-
iat0ms inconsistent with the constitution or
laws OF Virginia, OF OF the United States Of
America" How far il is consistent with the
constitution and laws of Virginia to usurp the
right OF educating children against the will OF
their parents, and guardians, presume can
need no explanation.
What is Infinitely amusing is that the diff
cnlty OF" ascertainlng the rights which wilire-
main to the parent or guardian" ny this obnOxi-
OUs bill, has led this confounder of all ideas aud
words, 10 set forth a most pathetic iamentatioII
on the Impertec lions OF language, \ regret
very similar 10 that of d man who never leaves
his iire-side, that the world is not large enough
or of u man who reads, that lac has no
books The consequences OF this regret, how
ever. may not be altogether Improbable for
1t has induced him to apply his own SaGacity
TO the calculation of our nIySteTiC Us language.
and his researches have been rewarded Dy one
OF the most profound and singular pathological
discoveries ever made: discovery which
infinitely eclpses airy Of Varro, or Juuius, or
Liptius, aud which Harris or Horne Jooke
might justly envy. Tbs great ehOrt OF neOiO-
gical saSacity IS nothing more nor less than
that there is % d material aud substantial dir
ference between education and instruction
that the latter is an operative term" and
" that il is among the most comprehensive
aud indefinite of any afforded by The English
language :" and that therefore there must
have been something very insidious intended
by the Legislature in providing for a system of
public edacd.'JH 10 be carried into operation by
60ard Of public instruction. The trembling
Gil Bias, wien caught by the cunning Donin-
20 in attempting to steal Il march upon his
captoTs, could hardly have felt more cOnster-
nation, than must the authors of this profound
confluence for cheating the people. when
they saw their insldious project detected aud
exposed By the astute Constituent; nor cOHId
his Britannia majesty have experienced greater
eXultatou on discovering III what manner the
apples got into the dumpins, than was expo
renced bV the dcteclor of this legislative
AZ,