Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-12-03

duty II should he to examine the whole system, nad Sc.
lee, from the mass such parts only as would he mas;
available III securing a sound, practical education-
lhrie IS no question: that the books thus selected could
BE- printed in the Stale for as small a sum as in any part
OF The Union, and secure 10 every part Of the State the
same instruction.
>, FoX EvQrIaEn.
Eiucai;o. Cnst,nti,u.
Awaiting myself Of the cour,e,m, invitation nj ,ha
Editor. offer Ia the public n f,y: ID. -y,,;,us IN rs,,v
Ia ~ S'rs,nian, VIII" appeared in gnu, ,,r,r Of In.
2i., n,,ant, on the subject Of the Coavcn ~, and Of
| District schools. waa not mistaken, is "A i ,,n;,u
sunposes. as 10 tin object oi the Convention - laI Ia
meet a, Richmond IN December. The facts are ,~e
4 Convention, the object Of which was 10 urge H..
claims III the colleges, academies, and iniermediat,
schools, was called 10 meet on the hrst oi December
afterwards at Il meeting of a District convention in
the town of Lexington, an Education Convention to
meet in Richmond on the NH Of December was Pfnpo
Sod. This last date being considered The most snitape'
all parties concurred in that day for the Convention
the objects TO he considered being virtually the same
fully concur with the ''many' who think tliat lhe
Convention will not be restricted TO any particular sys
ten, s.but that il will be AT liberty TO propose, on mature
Leiibcration, such system as viii be best cslcn!aif'
10 secure the Stale from any increase oi the vas
amount If ignorance which now prevails.
In speaking of a system adopted by Tie State, s"lii'
twenty years AFRO or more, meant The plan Of d'sbu7sr'
meut Of public money for the promotion .! the cause y
educatjon, adopted ty the State; and that plan or sys
4 ltil Nu tt'Iitt LN y 49, 1919 ''
tain j, TO the present day: That plan did provide large
appropriations Tor the education of poor children
which appropriations have been increased until Tue pre-
sent annuity for that object, amounts to S'U,ODO per
aunum, besides some $4,000 per annuni, '"r The edn
cation Of the deuf, dumb, and the blind So that the
moor and unfortunate receive $50, 900 from the literary
fund annually, aud the University Sl3,ouo per annual
the remaining income aud NJ other class or sch""I
any ,!,ng i!om said fund. Yet this sam" system
"lunr aga determined upon, did propose to provide
for tie '.cu.lrgts, academies, and taitrmedtitf Sfhno'S,
and Is our legislation viii si,ew, did '.P!edse CONSIDER
able appropriations ir The purpose, AID ay Il resolution
al la;r date, passed hy the General Assembly, The cole
res AMI academies were called on 10 furnish TIE L'sisia
ture w!i such information as was necessary 10 chan'e
| ,ha, BODY to make The proper distribution. liiis NOR
nation was furnished, yet the system has not been
"periecied" By carrying out the piedsc. But"A 'if'
ninian' says that these Legislative Il hedges are ho'
binding, and cannot he sustained by the principles Of
"naturnl law" lie must have singular views on me
''principles OF natural law;" a Ia" that renders var"
i" pledges 10 The University aud primary sciiools, ana 10
the DEAF, and The dumb, and the blind, but TO n"''dy
else. hope we shall find that the llrginians genera
Is have not adopted this "sysiem o%i rtii'cs.
Now, what is the system" of"A f~i:ginlan, a. ~
die stcd nv his writings He "rntcrtaiHS . lish HIii'''i'
of the University an institution winch docs not have
an average If more than l5D Virginia students, which
cost. counting the value Of the annuity, s1t'',ooo, ahd,
.! course, each student costs the public $s3JD per al
num-, besides The fees and expenses PAD by The slaae''
himself, which are as great AS al any other institution
He r~epudiates colleges and academies altogether, OF
refuses either to encourage the founding or supporting
such institutions. Ii Il parent cannot send his sou ~
The "UnIyersity, he must send him 10 the poor school
or district srkoOi somewhere within he i've miles square.
This must be the case, 50 far as his system IS concern
I'd. But the p-o-o.r;-he fasS as u Virginia "as l
treat poor house, and as II no other portion VI The com.
nnni,y deserved Il moments consideration, except,
perhaps, the one in i,nf thousand Of the "hiic pnp-ll-
ia,i,n, who % 10 the un.versIty-To Tea1, "rdf a"@ cy.
pAcr is quite su!icicm, for all the rest. THIS l. truly M
ari,tocralc plaza plan which the good sense 81 u"
people OF Virginia has repuisatcd, aud will always r.
pudiatc.
virginia will moi consent to a plan which viii leave
all schools to %lausuish and die, that are intended 70
,eac! higher branches Of learning than Ttadtng, nrti'rS
and arithnIrtic, except the school that teaches one N
four thousand Of the white population. Fortunately
for us, "a N,rginian" has made reference 10 The prac-
tice and statistics OF other States, and has she"n mat
States North and South have made liberal approP'ia
tons to colleges and academies. THIS is what wouio
have Virginia Ia do, but not to the exclusion Of district
or other schools. But protest against the conclusion
he seems to come 10 from his statistics, that because a
very small proportion vf the population are educated nj
cnlIcpes and academies, such institutions Should be cA'
cluaed from the advantages oil State patronage. iniS
conclusion wonid bear very hard on The University lo'
which a. Srginian' cm.eTiains sucn n high esteem
Who ever expected that III tins nr ans other country a
majority would be educated al a college or even acade'
my:
As to district schools, | b. n means "isl 10 Vf
understood 10 he IN opposition 10 ,iiPtn. az MOI, WIN
the little information possess, feel prepared 10 decide
# a better system can be devised for dis5nrs'ns The
primary school fund of $4,000 per annuni, or II that
can be increased, let II BE- done. II 4 plan can be Gs-
yised which will ehsnpen primary education to the
mass Of the people, and al the same time MAKE II iTe'
10 The poor, ] heartily 20 for such a schcme. ! hope
The convention wt.i lfown upon such slang as Ia, bee"
Tor i long tune used ny small politicians 10 MAXI their
own fortunes, protesting 10 be thr nursing fathers 81
the poor, the peculiar guardians Of tie l"6c peoPls.
hope !; viii proceed 10 consider the wants and 'i't'-
rests Of al classes, and adopt and recommend 4 lnSi
and enlightened plan. protest against the fashion o!
coniounding the independent working men, and iie
one and the two h~ogshead men with the Po0r IN
any svs,em to he devised. In any good system 4
reasonable provision must b. made Tor the INDECENT,
hut facilities must be at the same time given To others.
We must have good primary schools. We must foster
colleges and academies, and we must support the nj
versiiy or something like il. If all interests are m
tended to be provided for, the task viii be an easy one
for the Convention and the Legislature: bat If tn"
plan determined On, is TO be partial and unequal, the
tax. payers sill .veto it, J."