Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-08-24

of The poor-and making and repairing o
roads and tishwnys.
Our ancestors were the first TO adopt a piai
OF universal education, and TO form comnu
nify upon The basis Of geneia al knowledge. Thi
will be 10 them a title TO the gratitude aud ap
plause oil all future generations. II Is a wei
known Tact, no" early after they had plante,
themselves down upon these shores, and amidsi
what difficulties aud daogers, they erected III,
College a Cambridge. Other instiin ION shay,
been founded, and endowed 10y prinr ely boun
", or private nunihCencr, 10 perpeiuate the
names Of their founders, aud have stood Tie
safe repositories of that Interchangeable CONNIE
dlty. called learning by the schools. This
was huit by a cnmn,unity-such as we have
seen-& adapted TO the wants of thai communi
~. II received its moral Organisation [structurr
tom the spirit of reformation. and was letl
Tree from Lordly or Ghostly patrons. TO he
acted upon by the mind within aud the mind
without lis walls. THIS has made ii what il
mas been. and what il ia seat OF intellectual
freedom aud moral power, aud "A hulwark oi
c'Vil and religious liberty in this land. THIS
has carried II forward, aud will carry IL for.
ward win the times. IN meet the wants aud aid
The improvements OF every successive genera
ton.
But this was moi their chief glory. A early
as l647, al act was passed by the Colonial Lr-
g~isiatnre for establishing town schools and
grammar schools in the townships for the M
strnc. ipn of The children and youth. =" To the
end, Ms IS expressed therein, that learning mny
not be buried in the graves Of our loretathers
In church and commonwealth
These schools for general instruction of chill
dren and youth haye been continued TO the
present day. lie laws for their regulation
qua I4, r.. ~
d fled as circumstances ,rqPired. The money
tor heir support is raised by vote of the town
nj lis annual meeting, and generally IN much
greater amount than rs S tiGent to keep up
the school, Tor the time requiroi by law. Each
iowa mas power 10 divide the township INTO
convenient .clool districts. aud the inhabitants
of each district are empowered TO RAISE money
Tor erecting or rrpaliing school houses, and for
determining on their sites, aud for procuring
necessary utensils for them-and they are To
choose q Clerk, " no il 10 be sworn, whose
duty II is 10 make n fair record of all votes
passed al any meeting. Tn. meetings are cal.
led by warrant Of the Selectmen on the appli-
cation in wiring ofthree or more treeholders,
resident in The district aud when money 10
voted by the district, II is The duty ofthe Clerk
TO certify the anne TO the aSSessorsoiihe town,
" ho are thereupDn to make and assrss n tax
upon the inhabitants of the district, aud To lie
Iivel the same vii their warrant 10 lie coliec-
tor Tor COLLECTION in the same manner As IS
provided for collecting town taxes.
BY IA late statute, passed, | believe IN 1926,
the administration Of the pablo schools !, con
6ded 10 Il committee appointed annually BY
the town. II is their duty to employ the in
srructnrs OF the higher schools. and 10 exam
inc into the qualifications and character uf all
the tpu.Iprs Tb1y are ale, Ia ,t.At tho sghon :
aud crdmiHe enquire into the method, OF in
structIon, and Into ;he improvement aud man
ners of the schools. A committeeman is cho-
sen in and for each district, who may employ
the ms ructor in his district, with tho nppro
iaiioi OF he committee, aud who is 10 prov de
iuei and proper aud convenient ~aCtomInoda
tons for the school. A mans school is gene.
rnlly kept for three months. or more, IN the
winter, IN each school district; aud "A woman 5
5ciooI three, or SIX months. 10 the summer sea
son. In order TO proiong the term OF the school,
he inhabitants OF the districts, or public spIr-
It'd Individuals, often board the instructor,
aud find fuel NJ their own charge. Such, IN
general. are the schools IA Massachusetts e.tah-
listed by public authority. The benefits oil
the system have been greatly extended and
Increased by the generous offices OF an enlight-
ened clergy, and other gentlemen OF learning
aud puhll, spirit in visiting aud examining ttr
schools, mud, above all, IN fixing in the public
mind a iuSIer estimate OF their value 10 the M
disidual aud of heir importance TO he State.
II ought to he remarked, that these schoo s
have been constantly maintained by assess
meats upon the people w'tioul the aid OF pub
lie fands aud they have been made TO flour.
ish by them, because they were their schools,
and let it be understood here that lbe children
oftIle rich Is we'll az The poor attend the
schools where they are all taught together.
|, has been questioned oil late, "heih'r funds
aud especially funds fully adequate 10 the sup
por1 of common schools. are on The whole
beneficial. IL is we'll known that Connecticut
has II very large school fund, and yet IT Is
doubted wllerln r the standard OF general ed"-
cation has been raised al all by means Of the
large sums annually distributed TO he school
di.ticts, in which, | unders' aud, they generally
receive little or no other sup OK.
The government OF New York has HIT on the
poll ica expedient of making the dIslrIbutiu N
of its county arising fri m The fund, 10 The sevt-
Ial tow ~ or distrICfs, defehd on kteT raising
al least an cqud sum to be expended with II.
This ingenious device may keep alive The in
terrsl oil the people IN their schools. while II
relieves, or seems to relieve them IN part, OF the
burden of their support.
Anu lFIF, ~ D nm " w.
ard an opinion in regard to The operation of
funds, which, if i, be "a sound one, ought to
guide the administrative policy ofall free States.
The creation of funds adds nothing TO the abil.
iIy of a ptople 10 support their Institutions.
The products of n gwen period are generally
in that period. A fund, however 20
lid in its commencement, is swept away in the
common consumption Of the country, aud ex-
lists afterwards only as an expression of a Ger.
tain amount of capital consumed and IFS annu.
al income is equally a charge asa general tax
upon the productive powers OF the county. Ii
is not drawn precisely from the same iudiyid-
uals, or in the same proportions from different
individuals, hut it is not less n charge upon the
" whole products ofa,l. In its amount, il is the
same, but this is not all-it belongs to The same
genus as a national debt, and falls on those who
received no benefit from ITS FIRST disbursement
II is a perpetual burden upon labor, and upon
whomsoeyrr labor is performed. II is one Of
the exppdients OF other times , but IL has been