Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-09-16
POPULAR INSTRUCTION.


Quite A respectable number Of ladies' and gen.
,lemcn attended at tie % Presbyterian Church, on
Thursday evening last TO hear the Lecture on Pop
,iar Instruction, by the Rev. b. Ii. Smith oil Dan
y,Ile.-notce of which had been previously given in
This paper. The object Of Mr. 5. is 10 awaken pub
lie a,,ention 10 this all.impcrant subject, aud,
through the fundamentally Of an aroused aud en-
frightened popular sentiment TO Influence the action
of the Legislature in reference TO ii; and every
phanthropst, as well asevcry man who desires that
the free in,iitulions Of country may be perpetual
ted, and that the government shall be wisely and
properly administered, will cheer him in his ef-
forts. While the despoiic nations Of The old world,
and many of the free States OF this Confederacy,
tsomc of them " born but yesterday,'') are laying
\ the foundations Of efficient systems OF Public H.
strucon, surely it is time for Virginia the moth
err Of States and Of Statesmen" to revise her waste
ful and efficient plan-wasteful, because il draws
annually very heavy sum from her treasury; inefi
Client, because judging by the comparative statistics
of 1919 aud 1888, their large expenditure seems TO
have been productive Of no benofcent result. In
deed no one who looks, even specifically, at he
organization Of our School system, and OF its ptac-
teal operations, can for moment doubt that
a ust regard to economy well rs TO the improve
ment Of lie children oftle Commonwealth requires
radical revision and thorough change Of our laws
upon this subject.
Mr.. Smi,h very forcbly pointed GU, several OF The
mos, prominent objections to the present School
system oil Virginia. bu,,we shall TO h,m the MUS.
aioc 10 empt to repeat 10 follow the train Of his
arguments. One of The most objectionable features
OF our system certainly, is that which requires lha,
the benefcaries Of the school fund shall be too
poor TO pay for their own instruction--compelpc
APPARENT 10 achnow ledge his utter poverty (Which
few are not TOO roud TO conless) before their chill
'dlen can be entitled to tie magnificent boon OF
cents per diem And then, in The general, what
sort oi teachers they, who be hifed for this
sslly sum- the difficulties ate, ding the collection
OF which, after il is earned greater than the al
ready half-requited labor OF earning il =, They are
just qualified. in the general, 10 m,s-teach the chill
dfen couf led TO their care in every branch of educa
item save perhaps uSs sinlrcs elements and com
binaions Beyond rlIese il they go AT al, ii is only
10 cneraft errors upon the mind, witch, more
competent teacher ccetding, would require twice
ahe timete eradicate. Ileuce il is, that Of the num-
Bier ameng rs who can read We find so many no, on
], deficient in a knowledge Of grammar, but abso.
Iotely 'iooed and grounded" in the most ludicrous
efrors,to which they rigidy adhere Il violation
of The pla'nest rules were an instinct rather than
habit. And OF those "ho can write, still more limit
ed IN number than those who have been taught 10
read, how few understand sufficiently the properties
oil style and manner. as to iudte an ordinary
business letter, which shall be,ray the grossest
bluhders. from the " Deer Cur" which
saw nj the beginning of opisile, tcritcn By
member Of The Virginia Legislature, 10 the pot
hooks and hangers" which stand for letters and
equally iuzzling to the curious as the hierog, PHI
acs OF the Eg. plans, because other total dsslmi
i"ihy TO the characters they intended TO repre-
sent Such instruction as this, we may well n,a
CINE. is scarcely north cents per day--as The mind
had AS well run TO weeds in perpetual ignorance,
to be PM under the guidance of heads which them
selves !" cannot teach and will learn" Time
md money arc, in such cases, both wasted The
discrimination. therefore, between the poor and the
tith should be abolished as has already been done
IN Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, &c. whose
admirable School systems standing rebuke to the
wfctchedy organized aud worse conducted plan OF
Virginia and the duty Of teaching should be
hded only to tluse who have Teen themselves tho
roughly taught, and who have the faculty of
munlcaiing know ledge to others.
III tut aHpointn ent oil School Commissioners
too tl"re is a radical defect Sufficient care is not
manifested, by our county courts, in selecting per-
sors NOT only properly qualified. but willing, 10 dis
charge the duties Of The trust and perhaps as was
suggested by Mr.. Smith, these duties themselves
too ,nultudinous and arduous TO justify the hope
that they will ever be properly performed by
compensated Board
No one doubts, we presume, the great, the vital
importance of the universal education of people
upon whom devolve the high and sucmn duty of
periodically reviewing and passing judgment upon
the actions of their agents IN every department Of
the government. How, otherwise, can they be COM
psten to understand and decide judiciously upon
those gre NJ questions of National and State concern
"hich are continually presented 10 their cousidela-
ton What other guarantee have we for the sta
b'lly OF our institutions What shield is there be-
tween ignorance and The arts of The demaso ne, bur
tins E! he education Of the mass 49, POLITICALLY
speaking, OF no Of importance in desporic go
seinments, where the will of The sovereign is the law
oi the land, and where the sole privilege of the sub
Jccts obedience. witho nj in, csiigaton But here
where The governed The gove,nors,-wbere The
people constitute The ultimate tribunal before winch
all questions touching The national honor q interest
as veil as individual lights, are argued aud tried
ana 'om whose decision there can be no anpea, -
'HeeP' IL DC Ike that taken from The Macedonian