Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1843-09-01
VOL. 80, NO. 52.-wHOLE NO. 1924.

Instead Of the untold blessings of Free ndepen-
dent, enlightened and chrislanized community,
winch now overspreads this republic, the tact that
such mn event had ever occurred, would probably
I've unrecorded in history.
| Again. we ask, shall we never learn from the
past experience OF mankind d? What should we
now think of the wisdom of the Pilgrims. it, in
their early history in the time Of their need, they
had most soemnly set apart aportion of their
scanty p'ttance," 10 educate generation Of their
descendants 260 years to Gomez That, to save us
from paying the trhng tax, WHICH we nov pay
TO support our schools they had trenched II pom
their short ahd scanty means of education and in
stend Of bequealhiDg TO us intellectual and moral
| wealth, they had transmitted to us a fund, with
directions TO educate ourselves! Could we enter
tain for them the respect we now do, knowing,
that oil their available resources were Immediately
invested in bank of mind, where the increase
would certainly be like geometrcal progression,
always advancing, instead OF a metallic fund, which
rust would surely corrupt, or which thieves might
be expected to steal !? But what justice could
there have been, in the Pilgrims anticipating the
burdens, which ought to fall upon each generation
of men in their day? The burdens to be up
on n generation to come in sustaining the institu-
tons OF the country, will not only be toIernbe but
douhy saluiary. And why not let every man and
every generation of men bear their own burdens?
Such is the condition of humanity that without
PRESSURE without trial, without conflict, the perfect
man in all his proportions cannot he Developed
| Ii is the tree, always rocked by the blast, which
alone can resist the hurricane What is true
Of men is true of communities of men,
We say again, man is what necessity makes him;
| and a generation OF men will be what the circum-
stances and complexion of'the times make it, IL
is not want but wealth, which may dissolve the
bonds OF society. 1t is not national perjury, but
national plethory, with its concontants, luxury
and sloh which will ind1ce national paralysis
w hat may he done The infancy nj sOclptV
by people in their penury and poverty, may be
seen in the history OF this state. The present and
past generations have been educated by those poor
in resources. The money required was collected
by private contribution or 10y a direct tax, and
this not from The abundance ofthe rich, but OF the
penury of The poor. This has been done while
laying the foundations of the future prosperity of
the country. More than $4,000, of the debt
due the school fund, was swallowed up in cree
ting the State House, monument OF the liberali-
ty OF The present times, as enduring as tile MASSEY
granite of which it is composed. But for the at
| tempt to accumulate The School Fund, the State
of Vermont would not probably have owed one
dollar Had the Legislature passed the law last
session. directing the Treasurer to cancel the debt
due that fund, the State of Vermont could have
met every dollar of claim upon her Treasury, lea
wing the U. 5. deposit fund untouched, aud sur
plus, ofprobably $4,000 due the Treasury. And
can il he lnst that to- all the burdens, inseperable
from the first settlement Of The country, there
should be superadded direct tax upon men, who
have educated themselves, TO accumulate fund
for the purpose OF excmpling the men OF another
generation, from The trfling tax necessary 10 edu-
cate their children?
Is it unreasonable that our successors n century
hence, should tax themselves TO support common
schools, at least 10 The extent required to the
deficiency of tie U. 3 deposit fund, appropriated
TO this object? And here it may he proper ~ re-
mark, that in some towns in this slate, the u. ).