Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-12
RICHMOND. FEBRUARY -
FOR THE ENQUIRER.

system ~ pabtic education, most respect
fully addressed to tie Geaer0i AssmJiy of
Vsreinia-BY A CONSTITUENT.
:" But with this, fthe Vircinian government)
= though man might he happy, he will not al
!" ways, nor indeed long be saristed.--He will
" reach at perfection absolute and unqualified.
lie iorgetS. that theoretical peI eel ion in roy
ernment, aud practical oppression. are closely
" allied. lie will bemore than man, and he be-
81 comes less" HParsgits Of Literature
But your Constituent earnestly i'm
piores the most serious attention OF the
General Assembly, TO what lie concciyes
10 be the great error i'm the fundamental
principle of the proposed system of pub
lie education: and he hopes The General
Assembly will excuse this earnesincss,
when he makes the most solemn assuran-
ccs, that after mature reflection, beverly
believes, upon the adoption or rejection
OF that principle, depends aquesiion al no
less Importance iii IFS consequences. than
whcihci ourselves and our fcsteri'v arc
To continue to ENJOY I'll iite blessings OF
liberty and properly, secured by our pre-
sent simple and excellent constitution, or
whether We are voluntarily 10 substitute
for them The most vexatious and co.npli.
Gated system of despoiism. The gro a.
| and erroneous principle is, that govern
| meiit undertakes TO ahsolve the cifizei,
from the discharge of his first and most
| Imperlous duty III his Individual cllarac-
Ter, and 10 periurml; for him III his corpo-
| rate character. Surely the General AS.
sembly cannot have du.y considered. and
comprehended, either tile political or de
moraizinS effects Of This principle. The
first great natural, as well as social dutv
OF man, IS TO provide for his offspring. In
TINS provision must be included education.
It's p3w pr0pos dto educate his offspring
Tor him and thus release him from this
imperious obligation. What is The first
effecto az this Heterogeneous substitution of
duties : The obvious answer is, to make
man less dependant upon himself, and
| more dependant apon The government, for
the performance of his private individual
duties. What constitutes the slavery of
| the citizen, and tie despotism of every
government Ii is the want of inde9en-
dence in the citizen and his dependence
on the government. Hence every meas
| ure which tends to lessen This ndepen-
dence Of the citizen, aud 10 increase his
| dependence on the government, tends 10
| increase his slavery, and IFS despotism
1t VIII be III vain for the citizen to have
this freedom, this independence secured
to Inn by provisions III The fundamental
| laws, II he should afterwards permit them
to be purchased from him by any allure
nents offered by the government; and il
will be III vain for the government to al
tempt 10 disguise its own despotism. in
holding out these allurements, under the
captivating sounds of benevolence or cha
rIty because whenever this dependence
OF the citizen upon the government for
the performance of individual duties is
obtained, from whatever causes, or in
whatever mode, or under whatever forms
of government, the citizen becomes
slave, and the government a despotism.
And il is perfectly immaterial, whether
this effect be produced by Alexander the
| philosopher, or Ferdinand the tyrant. with
the inquisition al his heels, by the British
Parliament, or by The Virginia General
Neutrality-suspicious. by church or state,
whether with good or bad intentions, the
| political effect is still the same. Call TO
mlndin what way the church has obtain
| ed lis absolute control over the mind of
| man tor what purpose have all the SUI
! persttious cercmonials of the Romish
| church, the more preposterous and alb
! surd tlIe better, been invented p? Solely TO
| increase and confirm the dependence of
the mind of man upon the church, and
thus 10 establish IFS despotism over him ::
| and whenever this dependence has heen
effected, his slavery has been securcd.-
! Nor are the demoralizing effects of this
system less obvious. Man prone by his
nature TO consult his own ease, and to a.
| void labor, Is always ready To seize with
! avldIty on every expcdicni lending To in
| dulge linn in these natural propensities :;
| and all the laws OF government, all tie eff
forts of religion, all the considerations of
! duty, ali the goadings of conscience, have
been found insufficient 10 restrain them
| What then can be expected from the prin-
| ciple OF system, directly tending TO en-
| courage these vicious prOpensities, and so
| far TO cOUntrract all The former efforts of
| law, of religion and OF conscience, In hold
man 10 his daiy? There IS no doubt but
| that The description of individuals, fer
which this alluremrnt is principally in
| tended, will receive the system with glad
| ness and delight; and will hail lis pro-
iectors as lis benetactOrs and friends, be-
| cause II viii suppose that by being re-
| leased from one Gifts duties, il may choose
either TO labor less, or with the same de
gree of labor, 10 BIZ enabled TO drink more
whiskey; but il little suppOses, that be-
meath This giidpd bencVolence is conceal
ed Individual slavery even If II did.
there are many who would not be deter
red from accepting the allurCment still
less will II be conceived By Tire communi-
ty at large, that the fate of all would ne
cesssrily be involved IN the same doom.
| That II will he so, however, is believed to
be susceptible Of the clearest demSnstra
tioD.
It's fortunate in this examination, that
reference may be had to a system, which
has been in operation for more lhan 20C
years, not indeed entirely upon this iden-
teal point, but so analogous TO il, as TO
afford the most applicable aud instructive