Litchfield enquirer., 1838-11-29

CANADA WAE.-We have on the preceding page
given pretty copious dsias d dc Disturbances in and
around Prescot. on the 81. Lawrence river. II ap
pears that nearly an the American patriots, who had
embarked as piUafes, IRE either killed or captured-
4 The officers, more cunning, or more cowardiy, mostly
remained upon the American shore, without any ap
poreR desire to- afford their soldiers assistance but
they 100 have mostly been capturednot by the Brit
ish troops however, bat BY the civil officers Of our own
country. While we regret exceedingly the waste Of
life in this border warfare, glad that it likely
soon 10 be ct end. We sorry to learn that one
Of0ur townsmen, John Ward Birge, should have en-
gagged in the foolish enterprise of leading parcel Of
young men into Canada, and there leaving them,
making his own way back, and suffering them to be
pieces captured without attempting rescue
them from their periIOus situation. .'.' .'i''
'">'' '' rt4f'1 't"7'I 49, 't d. t'h 't H.. '4
ain the three states where we rtcries were defeat
ed, Massachusetts, New-YOrk, and Vermont, our
gains, though falling short Of majority, very great
this year. compared with the preceding year.
| In Louisiana, we are better of thaniast year"
| The above copy from an artielein the New-Ha-
ven Register of Saturday last, commenting upon the
recent congressional elections the different states.
What ought TO he thought Of an editor who will make
such reckless assertions Rhe face Of facts known to
every body who knows any thing about elections to
he utterly atwar with the truth ustlook at it a
momeRt fairly. Massachusetts at the last congress
sionai election chose teawhg congressman, and tsOo
ocos, one Of whom afterwards became conservative
Nov She has chosen fen wings one loco, and in one
district thercsis no choice. Even if locosm succeeds
in hesvacant district, the state will only stand as it
! did befDre-no better or worse for the locos. What
"grea,'gans;'' then. are here 2? In Louisiana, in &C.
! theswhgs elected too members, the locos one-Now
she has chosen three wings. What great loco" gains
here 4 Then as to New-Y ork--who does not know
that the result of her recent election was the most dis
astrous one to the locos held in the Union The
oces not only lose their Governor and Lieut.. Cover
nor, which they have held almost time out of mind
butt6e whgshave made such nroads upon their State
Senate that they will probably have majority by an
olherycar; and, what Is the most important olectin
this consideration, they have chosen tUenty-one
bers o congress to the locos nineeen whereas the
"eect'on previous" the wings had only ten to the To-
cos thirty. These truths which we did not sup
pose ihe most ioohardY would attempt to controvert
| Facts and figures show il. As to Vermont no wing
will deny that the locos have gained one member of
congress. But does hatake up for the loss of eleUen
! in New York, and one in Louisiana? "One member
changed makes difference of ttco; :" 80 does eleven
changed make difference Of t,uentytaro. Who has
the LOSS, and who the gain in this operation Mr.
Rccister7 BE honest once, and tell your bewldered
readers what you knoo to be true. s-,,. .,s-.t.a.
One Of the tory papers of this state says that their
party have "more than triped their strength in the
Senate of Massachusetts this year from the last
Wel!-lasty year they had just o. How much. more or
less, than three COOS does one make, ".riped ~
| 30 sa F"rthe Litchfeld Enquirer. be-. ly '.''
I EpUcATIoN is term of much broader import than
many. and indeed, most persons, apprehend; it en-
] braces a wide range Of instruction and discipline,
physical, moral literary and religious. The whole
scope and object Of education or ought to be to
make men yrtuons. good and WISE" 1t is most en-
pha,ically to teach children those things which will
be useful aud appropriate for them to practice when
they become men and women The inquiry is, how
far the mode Of teaching at present pursued in our
common schools tends TO accomplish this object7
say common schools, because in penning this article
had moro distinctly in view our free schools al
though many and indeed most Of the remarks are
equally applicable to most Of our academies and Sc
| ect schools. There is in my mind little use in ma
king long speeches, writing lengthy and unintel-
CHILE paragraphs; the subject Is simple one, if
cntangled and obscured by too much sophis,ry and
logic. Some Of the most prominent errors and defects
in our present system, rather mode Of mana cement,
must, think, he quite obvious to the most casual OBJ
server. The mania for select schools is one fruitful
source Of the evils which community is experiencing
in the low and degraded state Of our common schools
The very name Of free school has become opprobrous
Select schools have multiplied. and although in many
instances. tie teachers wholly incompetent, and
could mo-, have passed o respectable examination as
instructors Of district schoot and found it much to
their convenience thu. toevade any inquiry into their
qualifications, yet they have been supported and pat
ronised by all classes Of the community, 70 the neg
ect and ruin If our free schools; and large portion
Of the evils are experiencing, originated from
| This one source. This has degraded our common
schools, and brought the business of teaching into dis
rcpute. ~ l}'!u 'A3..l fGJt4E.3H{ ,GiI'''
ryou ask parent why he removes children from
tho common TO the select school, his reply is to place
them beyond the reach Of vicious example, and that
they may he better educated. This, to superficial
observer, would appear like sound logic and COM
mendable reeard for the welfare of his children but
it will hear The Of sound discrimination. No. pa
rents neglect their interest and duty who
their children at an early petiod from ihe district
schools, thereby withdrawing their countenance and
support. Now. II we take proper view Of this sub
ect the irresistible conclusion force itself upon
orr minds, that leaving children, must,
10 make their way alone through the world, true self
interest and duty admonish only TO ioFtfy their
| minds against vice and immortality bysa proper edu-