The Litchfield County post., 1828-01-24

sum in total. but really &scry Snail ore tO he distributed among population Of about 800, 900 inhabitants. This sum Is not more than half enough fcr p"per support of our com mon schools. To depend, therefore, entirely upon tt. is little better than throwing ii away. It will not hire competent instructors more than one half the length of time schools should be kept, in order to preserve our youth from idleness, the mother of almost every vice Or if instructors are employed who will keep all winter for the proportion of public money the district IS entitled to, it is often at the ex- pense, not only of the time of the children,--- time which can never be redeemed---but even of their future prospects in life. Such in structOrs are generally unable to convince their pupils that the path of literature is strewed with flowers, for they know little or nothing Of'this path themsetves---the child finds it thOrny, rather than pleasant road, and becomes tired and disgusted with tbe pursuit.
 An improvement in common schools. there 1 fore, must be attended with some additional ! expense, mot an expense which may be con- sidered loss. but one which enables the state to secure the full benefit of the school fund. 1t is an expense the most iudicious, being of the nature of that which ''scsttereth l abroad and yet increaseth in riches" Every school district should determine upon em- plOying competent instructor-not one that can be procured for the least money,-but
 one that can do the children the most good.
 and the amount of dividend from the school fund ought not to be taken into consideration in the employment of this teacher. but simply
 in striking a balance between that sum, and the amount necessary to cover the ex- penses of the school. The manner in which
 this extra expense may be raised, we shall of course leave to the discretion of those most
 interested.
 As it is inconsistent with the spirit of our
 public institutions that any man should di-
 rectly serve his country for nought, reason l able sum should be allowed as a compensa-
 tion to school visitors. However important these appointments really are, they become 1 quite nugatory when left to be free will of
 fering. Men qualified for the station, are u- ] sually men of business, and it is a pretty
 heavy tax upon them, if they devote from six to eight days in the year to the duties of their
 appointment. In, fact they do not do this,
 and thus the ofiice important in itself consid-
 cred, becomes merely nominal, and of little
 or no benefit 10 the public. Let capable men
 be appointed, and together with a reasonable compensation for their time, annex penalty ] lov q neglect of duty, and then our common schools will begin to wear different aspect. This board of visitors should select from their l number a committee of three to examine l teachers: and from this number clergymen should always be exempted. This exemption of ciergymen IS more on their account, than ] on account of the schools. Other suitable l persons can always be obtained, and il is pla- clng our religious teachers in rather delicate 1 situation, to require them to occupy station
 where they may often be obliged to offeod ! some of the best families in their society. by ! refusing younger member certificate of ca pability for teaching school. This would fre- quentIy be necessary, and yet it would be a trial which clergymen do not eagerly covet. 1 For their sakes, then, and for the sake of
 harmony in our religious societies, let clergy
 men be visitors ofschools. but not examiners | of teachers.
 Upwards Of two hundred delegates from the differ. ] ent counties in Virginia, assembled at Richmond on
 the 8'h nst for the purpose of nominating electors o
 President and Vice President friendly to the present Administration. All these delegates, it is said, ex. pressed the utmost confidence that the cleo tora yoe
 Va will unanimously go for Mir Adams. The Ticket a.
 greed uponby this convention is headed by the names | of two distinguished patriots, James Madison and
 James Monroe. Virginia will not long be claimed l for Gen. Jackson, the administration condemned
 as entirely federal.