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

In our humble opinion parity OF reasoning womb
distranchise him who is TOO ignoiap, In ,nJ.,s,,,
the nature of the great questions Of publc ;n,e,e.
which are to be settled by his vote, If |, v,,. 81. !, !;
not as easy TO dra" jus, line of discrimination il
the world oil mind as il is in that Of morals
MIR. Smith, IN the course Of his Lecture. adver,ed
incidentally TO the excellent School system rPrus
STA, the efficacy OF Which he has had an opp,rtuni,
OF testing by actual obseryation-and he informed
us that the monacbs OF The adjacent countries we,
already following steadily in the footsteps Of the
Ptussian king. Asinnishment is not unfreouenil,
expressed, and VIC have ourselves not been s,.,,n,
''o'' '"a' 'ee'ng' "hen NC have contemplated the
s'upenuous eorts oil these sovereigns to eniirhteu
the minds oil then subjects. i, would seem tina,
they were undermining The foundations of ,hei, o.r
thrones, by communicating the volcanic fire of incl
'igence TO The masses in whose Ignorance they have
heretofore found THEN chief security. And this may
and we believe will, ultimately be the effect OF Their
policy. The heaynss Of the excited pillows may be
for time unseen and uncli, weighed down bcne atl,
tue pressure Of long established and consolidated
Power, which is sustained by the tady -dssip
Prcjudices even of those whom i, grnds dust and
ment essentially unequal and unjust in theory and
so oppressive in their practical operation forever
defy the scrutiny Of human minds far enlightened
as to know their rights, their power TO west them
from the despots grasp. Mr.. Smith, however, fur
nished very rational solution of this apparent incon
gruity of means and ends. He said that Napoleon
beneath whose touch thrones crumbcd and empires
we,e o'erlrown had aue these monarchs the secret
oihs power-thatt wasby securing the favor & WELD
ing the arms Of the masses, which contemporary mon
arohs had neglected, regarding the great body OF
the people as mere 3" hewers of wood and drawers Of
water" for those especial iavofiIes OF Heaven, who,
in the language Of Mr.. Jefferson, come into the
world, booted and spurred. to ride upon their backs.
Since the downfall of Bonaparte, whose bnef but
brilliant career dniused un~onted degree Of ligh,
mouarchs have learnt the lneliciency of ply
steal power 10 leuer forever the ETHEREAL sou--e"d
hence, by combination OF philanthropy aud policy
they seek make Il mind the instiunen, ofits own
ensIavcmenr, by placing the tuition OF the children
under the control of the king and by rendering it i'm.
perative that every child shall become pupil in the
public schools, where they are taught, as soon AS
their minds capable ofleceiving an idea at all,
to "honor the King" as the anoined heir of heaven,
and but little inferior in power to to the King OF
kings" THUS moral and educational Influences
made it were, the very foundation Of despotic pow
er and, when we remember the force OF early i'm.
them down 10 Old age-the stings of C nscience,
when we SIN against the moral maxms and the rcli-
glons creeds Which we learned from parents lips,
or which were perhaps more indelibly impressed up
on our memories by Tie birch OF the less tender ped
nsvsuc,-itls impossible 10 question The sagacl'y'
which, abjuling standing armies, and other means
and appliances of mere brute force, seeks TO perpe
uate political abuses by perversion of the very
means upon whrl the friends of civil liberty rely
for their ultimate subyerson. But iftb be true. thai
despotc governments find their strongest security in
thus improperly sNaying, while they educate the in
tellect is it apparent that free government like
ours will not the less certainly derive selfperpe
eating energy from the education of the people, con
necied with proper direction Of their mental aud
moral facul,es-that, taught to regard Liberty as
the first OF earthly blessings and their minds far
enlightened TO lie enabled TO know the tenure by
which is held the people will no, be less ready TO
sustain it, than qualified TO detect the dangers that
may assail its existence In this view alone, the a
doplion of efficient system Of education is OF ioap-
probable importance and he who contributes to its
establishment will have achieved work which will
en,i,le him to be regarded public benefactor.
Forgetting "Whig and Democrat" for one day,
in pursuance of Mr.. Smiths counsel, we have in
fcted a long and we fear uninteresting essay upon
our readers II not 10 their TASTE however they
can throw il aside.