Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1838-02-28
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUPERIN.
TENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
STATE OF MICHIGAN, !
Office Of Superinteadeaf of Public In


STATE OF MICHIGAN,
Office Of Superintendent Of Public In
struefion,
NJ lrsh H. Dscemb 81. 1897.
TO the legislature 10 be convened a, De.
,roit on the first Monday of January,
1889.
The Superintendent Of Public lnstruc.
ton, pursuantto the requirements Of an act.
approved March 81, 1887, has the honor To
submit the following
~ REPORT.
In laying the foundations of new state,
it is all important to provide not only for the
education OF every individual of the pre-.
sent, but Of each one of all succeeding gene.
rations. Unless ample provision is made
for each individual of all classes, we can
have no security that the great mass will
ever be educated; for the great whole is
made up of individuals. The neglect o.
one individual may lead to the neglect o.
many individuals: and thus the great IN.
teres,s Of the whole community be endan
gered. 1t is confidently believed to be 0
radical error to contemplate human beings
merely in the mass; and consequently al
Legislation founded upon such view of man
must be fundamentally wrong. Laws should
be SO framed in all cases, as TO leave unin.
paired, and in all its force, individual res
possibility. tits the duty of parents to edu,
cate their children and no Legislative en-
aciment should -a,.A- late c.-A- ...;.i this Oh
TIgatlon. But il is well known that this du
~ is neglected in innumerable instances
It's hence the right OF the state so far 10 in,
terpose its patcrnal authority, as to give al
dlional weight 10 this obligation, and make
such provision as will secure the desired re.
suit. And it is exceedingly desirable thai
such a system be ultimately adopted, as
will make it the interest, as well as the du-
ty of each individual to unite and co opc.
rate with all others, in accomplishing an 90.
iect worthy the highest consideration. I'm
der dcspotsm, the great object is to lead
masses of men TO act in one direction--to
act in such direction as will best subservc
the interests Of the autocrat or the oligar.
chy, as the case may be. But undera free
government like ours, the all important OBJ
ject to be gained is 10 qualify each individu
al to think for himself to reason and Judge
correctly. and pursue just line of policy
and conduct in all things pertaining to his
own interest and the public welfare. A man.
ly independence in thinking and acting is a
noble attainment. 1t is true moral courage.
The young should be early taught to be in
dependent reasoners, and not mere sorvile
imitators. While taught TO revere all that
is good, or glorious, or valuable, o. great in
the works Of by.gone ages, they should be
made to feel that they too have an indwel.
ling spirit, whose high presogatlve is to OK.
tend the boundaries Of knowledge, and moi
remain mere floats upon the wide ocean OF
human existence. off you would know
what the effects OF thinking are, compare
Athens with China. Here three hundred
millions Of people, more than onc.third o.
the human race, whose history goes far back
into remote antiquity, and who commenced
with 10 small share of the arts and scion.
ces, but who have added not q single part.
Gle 10 knowledge, nor taken one step in i'm.
provement; whose only policy is to prevent
innovation, and whose only power is to per.
petuate succession. Hero another people,
whose population does not exceed one hun
dred thousand /; whose place can scarcely
be found on the map; who commenced bar.
barans; yet who have given to the world
new sciences and new arts, and whose
mighty men infused into language thoughts
that breathe, and words that burn who re.
conquered their conquerors by the spiri. o.
eloqucnce, aud whose renown has filled the
earth. What makes this mighty difference
The one learned TO repeat, the other 10
Thinks 1t is maxim of oldcn time, and
a maxim too, which produced one Of the
greatest revolutions ever effected in human
society, I" that man by nature is and ofrighi
ought to be, thinking being" Hence I" il
is decrced, that as matter of policy, Of mo.
rality, and of religion, he ought not only 10
think, but to think for hmseT"+ 1t is to
this principle, more than to any other, that
the people, both of Europe and America,
owe their best literary, moral, and political
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which have blesl
millions of the human race, and which are
yet daSssA u, as We trust, 10 bless unnum-
bercd m$iions in all future time. No sci
encc and no art is more useful than that o
educating men TO think and act for them
selves. IT'S education that makes the man.
The civilized man Is superior 20 the rude
African, because he is educated. Go
rect instruction raises man above the dc.
grading dominion of sense--teaches him io
respect the voice of reason -remnds him
Of the necessity of subordnation TO cons'i
tuted authorities, convinccs him how mucl
individual happiness is secured by submis
sion to good laws-and even expands his
feelings into the purest patriotism. lis in
struction which leads man to understand
the tics which unite him with his friends
with his kindred, with tho great family o
man, made up of all families; it makes hi,
bosom glow with social tenderness, and cna
bles him to gather his purest happiness from
blessing Others, and seeing others blcst. "
Since all men have one COZ mon Creator
and arc born free and equal, being made o
one blood, for TO dwell OIL all the face Of tn,
earth, the distinction between noble and ig
noble birth is mere fiction of the imagi
nation. 1t was carly suggested by prid,
and selfcsteem, and has been fostered b,
wealth, and perpetuated by the power o
the sword but il is, nevertheless, as un
founded in principle as it is absurd in prac
tice. Where ignorance prevails in the grca
community of the public, this distinction ha
Obtained all the force of truth and the sane
ton of law; and the most enormous an,
grossest abuses have grown out of it, an
been perpetuatod for ages; under this sys