Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-02-22
LEGISLATURE OF VIRGINIA.
REPORT
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.

HOUSE Of DELE0A
REPORT
OF the Committee Of Schools and Colleges, upon the 10
rcrnor's Message and the Aenorial Of the Education
Convention.
The Committee of Schools and Colleges, to whom
referred that portion Of the Governors Message
pertaining to the subject Of public instruction, and also
the Memorial Of the late Education Convention, have
considered the same, and beg leave TO submit the io-
lowing Report:
The suggestions contained in these important docu-
menis, have required Of your Committee the most ax-
ous and deliberate consideration They embrace m
portant proposals for the ameora!on of the existing
system of Public Educatiou; and, with certain specific
recommendations, also, combine general views upon
this first and great concern of the State Without
some portion Of that zeal for popular education, from
which these public efforts in its behalf have proceeded
or without full recognition OF lis vital Importance,
your Committee would not be qualified TO pursue their
enquiries in spirit either satisfactory 10 them
selves or auspicicus of any good result. To the
people of free Stale, whose prosperity or decay
must be determined by the prevailing state OF m
telligence or Ignorance, the necessity Of providing
the means OF general education, presents ques-
on both free of doubt and unSscepblc OF debate ii
becomes the Sateto the foundations OF It's own
perpety and provide for the most essential ends o us
existence. To find frcedontrue freedom undepraEed
by anarchy or NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. with Per
vadng degradation OF mind and morals, would he
an anomaly that could Re predcacd neither OF The his
tory of the past, nor any rational anticPailons 81 the
future Accordingly Is the public mind IS elevated IN
the scale OF learning il escapes from the tramlnelS oil
vliacd tastes and reaches 10 positions where The con
quests Of the past become the groundwork Tor higher
attanmenls and wider scope is ator led Tor The means
Of advancing the moral and intellectual progress oil
society. 1t would be fatal deluson TO suppose that
under the neglect decay Of education, free insu
tons could preserve healthiul existence; the very
fountains Of political power would be locked up IN
banelul siagnalion, and instead OF sending forth re-
reshng streams, would blast, by moral miasma'a, the
f,;r hona IF i,pnrn a
men then, of selfprcservaton should be suihcIent
incentive under system Of Government, 10 lay
broad and deep the foundations OF universal! education
While under different system, this cause has been
made by arbitrary edcis, the subject OF wonderful
and instantaneous movement, though shut in and con-
fined by too narrow and rigid formulares, the slower
progress 10 which may be doomed by line necessity
of greater liberay and Difference TO the popular VIII,
should be no occasion of encouragement II large
masses be not moved with the same promrt,udc that
distinguishes the conduct Of single and arbitrary Will,
il is, nevertheless true that the direction. once
taken by them, is less subject TO the fluctuations o!
caprice, more constant in It's dnratIon and for that
cause, perhaps irresistible in the end
In this view, your committee cannot withhold their
fluctuations upon The evidences that happily exist OF
the prevalence throughout this State of strong public
feeling, awakened by the exisencIes oil this important
and fundamental department. During the last year,
besides the action upon this subject Of many primary
assemblies, there convoked in different quarters Of
ability and Numbers, the result of whose labors has been
submitted the present Assembly in imposing form
to challenge large share Of lis attention and debera
ton. The interesting expostions made By these bodies
to the public, besides eyncng laudable aud patriotic
interest this most vital Of the State, con:ln
ma pertinent structures upon the of the present
system Of schools and valuable recommendations for lis
entire reorganization These manifestations Of pub
lie interest to devolve peculiar obligation upon
the representatives, Of the people, 10 respond to the
cfafta pf thpir
certy with which they shall seek and the wisdom with
which they shall con,ve the means OF renosatIng The
languising systems of public instruction; nor is 1t seen
how this task he evaded at the present time without
mourning the mputa0n Of insenShlty 10 the public
wishes, and nexcusabc derel,ctlon ofknown and
acknowledged duty.
Under this conviction, your committee have sought
TO enter upon the consideration OF the communications
referred 10 them i'll such spirit of CAUTIOUS and candid
investigation, and with such enti!e freedom from all the
bias of prcconceved opinions seemed 10 them TO fur
nisb the best guarantee for the ultimate attainment Of
sound practical results The first and prominent claim
upon their attention is regarded as consisting in the
wants Of primary education. II properly the snbstra
tam which rest the costly formations fenlarged
science To neglect while fostering the higher grades
Of learning is practical error not far removed from
the folly of rearing splendid superstructure without
pans-takng effort 10 secure stable foundation for it.
The existing plan, therefore, Of primary schools has first
engaged the examination Of your committee. Before
pronouncing upon the defects which charged upon
H. they have deemed it their dutyin consideration of
the period for which it has been permitted to endure,
though entrusted TO the administration Of capable off.
GERS and regularly subjected to annual legislative su.
peryison-to investigate its results with and
tain lis actual operations by The tests of fair udsment
and impartial observation Ii not lightly be pre-.
sumed that such plan could have been originally
adopted in total mlsconcepton Of IFS probable effects;
and still less that il could have been suffered 10 continue
in state Of hopeless nefciency. Any wholesale de-
nuncaon therefore Of this pan rather the result of
indscree hostility than of mature reflection, and is TO
be deprecated as equally nimca TO useful enquiry and
wholesome REFORM
But measure of indulgence which these consider
atoms can justly beget, the lamentable dis
parity between the objects sought, and the results
tually accomplished by this system To be satisfied Of
this, we have only TO recoec that it aims at the ele
mentay instruction OF all the INDECENT children of the
Commonwealth, and then TO contrast the number thus
annually educated with the whole number returned by
the school commissioners as entitled to this provision
The form which the Second Auditor has prescribed, un
der the authority OF act of February 18th, 1922 for
the annual reports Of these commissioners requires
statement of the whole number of poor children
in each county and town entitled 10 tie benefits OF
this fund, and the number Of those educated by it,
If We properly estimate the natural remssness which
attends upon the discharge Of all gratuitous func
TONS and allow for The well known and deporcd in
activity ofthesc commissioners, shall be CONSTRAINED
to admit that, in all probability, their annual returns
fall very far short Of the actual number of poor child
rem in the Commonwealth. Their accuracy, as to the
number entered in the schools has other and
better guarantees, and not susceptible Of any
able doubt Nevertheless assuming The correctness of
these returns, yet witness most Notifying result
in this comparison Leaving to this plan all The amelio
ra,ions which long ofexperence has given ii,
find from the returns of the last year, that out of
1898 poor children it only made provision for q, 2
If we refer back 10 more remote periods, find this
difference greatly increased: in the year 1880, not one
half by several thousands were the subjects Of this
charity The progressive diminuton however of this
disparity, is strong testimonial TO the benefits OF
the able aud vigilan superintendent which has for
many years been exerted over the system. But still
this Improvement is far small 10 content the awak
ened desires of the people, TO prove the adequacy
of the plan to the public wants.
When TO this lan,entable contrast add the disclo
sures Of the recent census, showing that while this sys