Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1835-02-28
ON THE CHARACTER OF COMMON
SCHOOLS.

The f,Ilowiny extract Of letter from y
devoted friend ..f Common educati to the
editor, cs,n,ains Nd much that 10 true Md
,,up"stAss on the ~u' ret, hat We can""t
withhold il fom our readers. it will
serve as al introduction to . succeeding
aTsul-.
~ u have been ssrug ling long alone
rat d., n 4 give up your Ell 'r's. Ibe!ieve
ny Others ~,il s.on come to vous help.
Tho christian Community Of New Eng
Land, and the g'nd ciuzens will not al.
ways serp over " sui j~c, =" n'ss llv impn"-
an ~ that of ,heir schools; hey will not
spent their hundreds 81 aiosxands I" s"--
is..In schools, wh,ci, 1T ~ prove mOyse than
,ssls.s Tor want "f proper astcntIo".
'1'hc American Sch.Ol SOCIETY have
thought much ii, since l s.w you. I an.
convinced the ssste at our country caiis
',r such = ociciy. and that NJ time should
.. lost. There are . Hne ciTc uu,>ta"ce-
respecting our common sch "':s, tn
should arouse the feelings of every CHRIS
''an and patriot. In. ffmily inss.fnsio"
erceLfr0, all Oher i.s-sssu,lm unit. d.
Pnoi.c Wo ship-S,tb.t h Sch"!.-Ac a-
!e'nies ami C"iL'gc -" not have 8"
much iiG iencei. Civ ny a ch .rnc,er u
New Eng', NJ aud New York, rs common
,ch".l~. II .re tnan ti'teen ,h".s.n
c,chers are employ ell ~ New England
every year, IN the rrImar, p'b'ic schools,
md as many IN New York. WI" we
these teAch-r-! Mn, ,en,hs If them
are inexperienced youth, firm Is years o:
rye I" % and 80. Y,s-,hat ins'iiu inn
hich probably does more Than i'll others
9" form the character Of our CT izen-, is IT,
The hands Of head ssrong, unqualified and
Aien d,s>ipated Youth And what j.
worse, fear it is the voice Of public op,n-
i'm, that the common schools "ust be and
.r,.ht 10 &c taught Ivy youny persons.
Now 1t is wonderful, that men require IN,
experienced and Wisdom and stability Of
mature age, To manage ali their money
concerns. and their political affairs, bu,
carciessl. turn v.rto inexperienc. q Young
men, the great and holy business Of Ern-
ingthat character on which rests the whole
fabric o: civil society, ana which depends
our very existence and happiness rs n ma
'iHn. Is there a merchant IN Boston. who
woald give up the whole management OF
his shop, even for day, to green, in
exper'enced,' boy? Is there farmer in
NJ .s-achuset,s. who would give up hi
farm, his cattle Of his >heer, to auch nnl
one? Vet he turn. over his eva chill. iren
10 such an one. to firm their cha rac,erS for
time aud eiernitv-tn one whom he wOul.
n trus' 10 manuge his beasss-nnd then
thinks they -h n'Id tie very grateful ." him
fr maki < such good provision f.r their
b sides, We wi'lnot permit N m to cr,w
a TOT Oh, or present. e an en.e'r, til! he has
studied his prot. ssinn three Yeats, aud
comes 10 US with diploma, signed and
sealed, from college uf scientitic and ex-
pericnccd physicians. A MIN cannot
manage a case hef,re our courts, invo!v-
ing the value "f Il shilling, 'iIl he has stu
aicd the whole science ofiaw, and obtain
ed "a certificate from college Of rise aud
experienced LAWYERS and Judges; and our
civil: constituents excluded men from all
participation in the business # leg islatiOn
and even from the business of choosiag
ill., they have attained some
But little or nothing is requir-
ed as II age, experience, a know ledge If
the business ..r moral character, to take a
oari in the business Of education Of form
ing the m.ral and intellectual character Of
he country ON which every thing else de-
petds.'