The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-10-25

Pi PIC du0 "a SbDu ~ tIC dC-
tive scenes of life, can hardly ever fail to
make useful, praceable, and moral members
OF society. And those who ale moi thus pre-
pared, though naturally well inclined, may
easily be made Instruments of disorder and
mischief. Society has, therefore, no secu-
riiy, except in the early education of its
members. SelEinierest is thus made the
mems of compelling us To discharge the
highest of all duties towards orr fellow men.
That portion of our lives, which Is employed
most proftably for ourselves and our own
children, Is probably the time we devote to
educating the children Of olhers-as the
greatest of all benefits is that of living in a
praceable, moral, and well governed COM
munity.
knIwing that you fully unite with me in
these sentiments, ] do not hesitate neain to
press upon your attentive consideration the
subject of scho"ls and Summaries of leain-
ing. In pursuance of Il resolutinn passed at
your last session, | appointed Il committee,
charged with The duty of inquiring into their
condition and the best means of improving
them. Their report, which has not yet been
received, will probably be made during the
present session, and | entertain the hope
that it NAV greatly benefit the rause of edu-
cation. There Is reason To fear that the in
divIdual interest, in our common schools,
whirh was formerly 50 observable among our
citizens, has lately been declining. II would
be natural, perhaps, that this should be the
case, aS, at an early perind, these schools
depended principally for their support upon
the separate arrangements and voluntary
Contributions of each school district. And,
~. .,r .t.l. h,nn $1,000 -ar, ,r..r
more and more at The public charge, the ne
cessiiy of such voluntary support would be
less and less felt, and, possibly, the intro
ductinn aud progress Of a new system has
been allowed to supplant the old one more
rapidly than it should have done. II private
interest in the subject has thus been with
drawn, only in propnriI"n In the increase oi
the public fund even, the effect may have, and
probably has, been unfavorable. Individual
e~xertion, which springs from a sense of nc
c%essity, is active and jealous; and to render a
sytem of support, in schools at the public ex-
pense, an adequate substitute for the %volunta-
ry system, it is indispensable that it should be
accompanied by some general plan Of public
superintendent and management. Such a
plan should embrace all that is essential to
secure a perfect knowledg &c of the whole sub
jectof education, as it exists throughout the
Sta a careful application ofthe school fund,
and an adequate support Of the necessary
schools.
SIEVE al states have adopted systems sim
lar TO the on | reco nmrnd, and ! would
refer you part cula ly II that which exists III
d. - L I-.Iuo, orl - .La ~
Dor S which are annually made ind it
by an off :er charge with d e duty Of their
supcrin eI drnce. | have ben I r:iily M
pr .ssed tn Ice utility Of these reports,
and indeed, | an unable TO perceive how
hey can he Dispersed with, if our schools.
are TO become ob;ecis Of prblc care AID
snp,orf. Without Them. it is diff Mt TO
II dersiand how the public can ever be-
pos e,sel, of the knowledge necessary 10
heeir proper management.
The expense att nding such reports, and
the examina i'm and enPuiri : Of which they
are the result, woul not be con iderab e.
and even if il were, it oug't TO cons'i uir
no hi CT OF the plan. if | an correct III
my view Of lis importa' CT. But il seems
t. m that. il a vie aud %eilicI'nt system
" re adopted, AMI on SC DOL fnd and
C oo'< place under tn imnrd a'e care
ola f. THU officer. a s'%firirnt ay ng might
BE- ma !e 10 dcfrav all al i ionl exprn rs.
w thoui attempting 10 Pr--ent new reasons
for "A liberal pruvisinn { r our c"feges a d
iaher chouls. ! would again urge the subject
upon Your consideration. 1t is for y II TO
h W Ii ,ral a provisi n the stale Of
our franc s will adrit 90. But ] nu-t b
e mi { d 10 say, thai, in a %rommunIt! ! ke
ours. education, in IN, of : branches, cugIi
moi 10 lie suffer dt' languish, lr M any mo
Iiv S of economy.
The business prosperity Of the state, and
the uears of improving it, deserve your con-
tinued and constant care. While every one
is left perfectly free in his own pursuits, 1t Is
in the power Of government TO accomplish
things to which individual efforts would
be entirely unequal. Government may IN va
rious WAYS afford %salutary aid TO the enterprise
and industry Of its citizens, and 1t seems to
to be one Of its first duties to enquire
what it can do to improve them. Our clt-
zens have become so dependent upon inc
Growina of woul, that this article may be said
TO be the staple of the state and regret to
that the extreme depression in its price is
not only the cause of present Inconvenience,
bu, Of uueasiness as to the future. The rich
and almost boundIess plains of the great west
are becoming covered with focks Of sheep,
which will soon furnish supplies of wool in
such abundance, as, l fear, may seriously al
the sale of our own. But as the west
can also produce everything else cheaper than
the Atlantic States, it would be in vain to at
tempt to compete with them in any other pro-
duct destined for the general market. Our
study should therefore be directed