The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1830-09-02
From the New York Daily Sentinel. !
PUBLIC EDUCATION.
ESSAY ".

1 Il
n IN Boarding Schools or IA Day Schools
In examining this very importan
question, on the decision ofwhich, III
; whole ofa system ofeducation depends
let us bear in mind, that, in America
education ought TO be equal r. repubH
can; and further, il ought to be---no
good enough for the common peopl,
but THE REST which national wisdom
can devise.
Ifstate schools are 10 be, rs now il
New England, common day school
only, wo do no, peroo.Ss how a,fhar n
these acquisitions are 10 be fulfilled. lr
republican schools, there must be M
temptation To the growth of aristocrat
ical prejudices. The pupils must learn
To consider themselves as fellow citi-
zens, as equals. Respect ought TO he
paid, and will always be paid, TO virtue
and to talent; but il ought not tn be paid
TO riches, or withheld from poverty,
Yet, If the children from these state
schools are To 60 every evening, the
one To his wealthy parents soft carpet
ted drawing room, and the other TO its
poor fathers or widowed mothers
comfortlcss cabin, will they return next
day as friends and equals He knows
little of human nature who thinks they
will.
Again, if i; is TO be left to the par
ents' taste and pecuninry means to
clothe their children as they please and
as they can, the one in braided broad
cloth and velvet cap, and the other in
threadbare homespun,--will they then
meet as friends and equals Will
there be no envy on the one side and
disdain on the other. And are envy
and disdain proper g. yirtuous feelings
in young republicans Yet, If state
schools only, how can there be unifor-
NIFTY of dress 7 Must not the poor Wild
ow dress her children as she can
But again; is that education THE
BEST, which teaches children the com
mon branches of education during six
or seven hours each day, g. then leaves
them to all the bad habits, which chill
dren, suffered to run wild, acquire
Here in this city, for instance, is that
education THE BEST, by which children
spend five or six hours out of the twcn-
ty four in the streets, learning rudeness,
impertinent manners, vulgar language,
and vicious habits Will any advau-
tages in schools, compensate for these
out of in But let us re-
member, il is not the question whether
this hall training (too often much less
than half Is good enough for the com
mon people. II is the question wheth-
er it il the best that ca nbe devised.
For our own parts, we understand
educdtlOn to mean, every thing which |
directly or indirectly, the
child's character. To see his compan-
ion smoke segars is a part Of his cdu-
cation; to hear oaths is a part Of his
TO see and laugh at drunken
men in the street is part Of his edu-
cation; to witness vulgar mcrriment or
brawls is part Of his education.
And if anv one thinks that an educa-
ion like this (Which is daily obtained
n the streets Of our city, silI he conn
cracted and neutralized by halfa doz-
n hours daily schooling, We are not Of
lis opnion. We had almost as soon
ave a child Of ours brought up among 8
he Indians, as have him frequent com ,
1on day school one half the day, and
yander about our street the other hall. (,
But even if none Of these reasons ,
xisted, how is poor laborer, or poor
,idow, TO keep her children at n day !
chooI, until they have received an ed '
cation equal to that OF their richer \
cighbors Can the laborer or the wid- h
w afford to support their children I'LL
1ey are twelve, fourteen, sixteen years y
Id, while they peruse the page OF sci j,
nee, and obtain tbe requirements and n
which form the en- q
phtened, well educated man! Even 3
no cbildren's tax be levied on them, /,
m they furnish food and decent cloth -
q for their children, during the ne o.
,ssory term And II they cannot a,
othe their children as well as their o,
,iobbors cIothe theirs, will they send g,
en to school TO be looked down upon "a
Iauphed at! If day schools alone "
% proyided, therefore, mould not these .r
yg children cho most reqnire instrnc- va
m, be cirfuaily e1efuSiedf be
Is not the deyelopement Of The social W.
bits. of the dispositions, of the NOR
feelings, the most important OF the trt
,chers dutiesl And what opPortn- dit
v is there of fulfilling that duty. un- is
!, the pupils be at all times under his tb'
e and h,s control IN
One other strong objection to day en-
,ools remains. If agriculture Is to IN.
I'm part OF the instruction OF all sp'
- :, ,n,,s, he taught i'm semiDa- pc