Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-11-02

nent If The lands, and hs acquisition % the iand is
derived exclusively from tie trans A;cghany portion
OF the STATE We have ra;Gs, There i'ff "t upon 'nc
bounty I'M; upan the Justice 81 tax LEGISLATURE, ana
aus, liza, t;!e CCnvcncn H, lAae VIZ. v'%w oi 'i:s
sn!rtt into It's cons 'Gcr"ti"'
IL may cot be i.c 10 STATE !" s"' !a' " hen
lad ,ha honor IL represent ii,s DISTRICT n tic Senate
.ou twea;y years ago. the umiscfs:iy "as thea sling
,n,- inr lis existence all he r"%tiin Influence I"
Mr. Jefferson brought to bear N ~ aver bat '''e
we're many !nenbcrs, especially from the West, WHO
.r!t jealousy towards H. They supposed that was
no arsocrac and ttcssse It's uaiG:t a"d besides,
hat It MAS beginning where lie sJs''n ri education
ought 10 end that preliminary 10 me endowment
Of al University Tor te higher branches 81 learning,
the intermediate and preparatory scaeo!s Should he
provided We were told, III .epy 10 these objections,
lh. 1t was the scheme OF the !i,ei. q! education 10
sapin T., bi extremes VI The system; lie primary
schools al The eud and tie Lnve!si 1t t'e oi!is
and that the intermediate schools mist necessarily To
| soon provided that this pian was nrc' ssafy 10 sNe
effect To Tie entire system, and iiiG II lie mt i'eoi'c
schools were iirs established, that there IVES daa9ef
that tie Legislature might stop there, ana ieafe Tue
81 stem Inconplete-anG the representatives Oh Tue
West were oid that nothing had been done llere 10"
education ana as the Middle and Eastern portions oil
the State had already some Seniin5res established
amopg them that the establishment OF the Intt5n'e-
date schools would, Justice, coii'eHCc IN ,e west
Friendly 10 the cause Of education everywhere, and
believing that were destined soon = nave system
of education in my native State worthy OF her, COM
mencng V It'll primary schools, ana ascending 10 The
hirbest pont OF atlanabe education, contributed my
aid 10 the University and lar twenty years since,
have looked for the ieriectinn ct this splendid
scheme and instead Of The State beng distinguished
tor the general diffusion al knoWtde among It's cili
zens ain compelled to wnrss actual falling oil IN
The number of those who have received the benefits Of
,ducaton-and beran 10 despair OF any valuable &C.
ton on the subject By the Legislature, until that body
shall be remodeej, aad the free ,ohuc population Of NE
! Hest have its Just weight IN the councils OF the Go
vernment In the mean time permit me through you,
10 suggest lie Convention the propre,y OF appealing
directly 10 the people arouse them 10 tac necessity q
educating their offspring The people o Tie West al
though poor, have The means and above ALL they pave
the energy and II they Will il, they can do n'ueh 10
wards the education OF their children from their own
resources. They should io'n local Or ne'glionf'""a
associations for tie purpose. Iig clergy. "i,i sfe"
propriey should be lnvoacG to give .eit a"' i'"p',
| upon them, that acknowledge Is power power '"'
rood. For the statistics Of cr:n'!"i JURISPRUDENCE
aLunda;t,v prove that in ali places rs cdncaii' has
advanced, crime has diminished. hAa' hope 'iie
| Il would be inr the pulpit
letter, and if done nothing else trust INA,
have satisfied you Of my zeal IN The cause OF popular
education s' Very respectfully yours,
CmAElrs LEWIS, ESQ. L. DUNCAN
Outlines at Plan far the improreme"t IF Common
ScsQOiS ITaiRdd, prtDdTtd at Nr Ttqgfst ~ inc
| k0nascha LgccG.a-Ey Henfy Ra9ner.
| In as few plain words as possible | shall endeavor,
first 10 point gEea, defects III ii present state
Of our Common Schools, and then = present The out
lines Of better system.
two things Tor tie education OF het 70 III. FIRST I"
establish University a. xpenss OF about goo,
where the rich may educate Their sons at an ex-
pcnse not very much greater than al Colleges, which
have cost the State no,hing and .secondly, 10 give
$4,000 year TO the counties 10 pay Tor Tie schooling
poor children, at such common schools as may hap
pen 10 be found each npgEborhccd THUS tie V i"le
Literary Fund Of Virginia las been divided between
the grand University and those who Gust beg l;,!e
common school learning as PauPefs Our business al
present is with the ELECT Of this charity nnd.
Ii appears from Gov CampbeIi's messas &c TO cur
Legislature that after this fund had ven twenty years
IN o,ieraitcn sensible Improvement had taken place
IN ie education Of the poorer c'asse~ ci Gu. czeas.
As large portion Il lie young men who tale
uut marriage ceuses unable II s!h ticT names 10
The marriage bond THIS is proof positive thai isno
rance prevails as much is ever.
b. The as. report Of the Second Auditor il appears
that the number Of children "a1 received a;d from ihc
charity fluid is about - eco; While aao;acr 25,uG0,
poor as these, have 10 - wthnl. aid and Therefore
without schooling. The twenty i've thousand ho are
chosen the benefit, ut no useful icafnlns
especially when tie parents are too ignorant and Too
careless 10 teach them al home Most o these poor
children, who 70 bat ie@ days few weeks 10
school will never learn 10 read write and cyPhef with
ease and pleasure and therefore they Will not practise
what they learn but som forget altogether. 50 tie
mos, q: lhls valuable !uuG is wasted; and the
because the greater part &C country schools III Sr
gna laugh, by men in no respect quail fed 10 teach
sometimes BY lazy, drunken Migrants, who deserve
to be whipped themselves instead OF being entrusted
nth the whipping oi The poor children III thel! schools.
Some teachers good, some bad, very bad; and
as tie schools Of The country kept perfectly loose,
without, s. stem or organizations, or regulation, as 10
time place. teacher, method, terms, or any
thing ,lSe-uo wonder that they shifting, and
cfirn as bar!cn as The sands CT desert
What TO expec, when the poo. children Of i.-
norant parents pat 70 oi these shifting schools,
and attend so;neiimeS week or more, aud nov ana
then day TWO u ,uie as many 10; and then The
school breaks up, they tuned out that others
may take ,eir places In tins way twenty years may
pass, aud len another Governor may report 10 the Lee
glslature that ignorance reigns IN Virginia as exien
slvely ever.
aiuc! more might be said 10 point the defects Of
our school system, but we need not urge this subject
any further, because nearly all intelligent men sec and
iorc Tie present stale Of things. The only Question
| IS a5ou, remedy. Some think that nothing can be
done; some propose AZ increase 9th Charity fund, ana
others !i-way measures.
There is but effective remedy-a system Of dis.
trc, schools, supported BY tax OH property.
! l. Let the inhabited part Of the State be laid off in
school districts OF the most convenient size ana i"sn
and q GOOD scho 'iApuse DGlt "hefe Wahteu, III VI
near la centre OF population. Scattered families, vino
canno, conveniently send their children 10 school might
be LETT on, un,i! tine population increase around them.
81 Iu1cious Of districts ali the other ID
niilrs d the State might enjoy the benefit OF good
school Now many deprived Of this bene;i, from
the ucon vencnt location Of schoohouses, and The ntu
ence Of one or few persons in the nrighborhood who
get every thing arranged for his accommodation.
= Let the school districts be ccssed; those winch
are able and popuous TO constitute Ike first class
.I.@ ,lo
able TO have school three four months in the year
or what would be better, eight months every two
years Between these classes let there be two or three
Others each 10 have school during certain number
Of months, according 10 their ability.
II The expense OF maintaining school throughout the
year IN every district would be great The weaker
districts must put up with less but IT will be grca,
improvement D! their condition, II tiey can have q
good school regularly kept DUNG part Of the year.
3 Let tax be levied on properly ANA collected b..
,Jc IN the 10 be-.