Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-10-14

. We COPY the following article from ii
Southern Refofmer, a spirited paper latei
5. established al Jackson, Mississippi. THE edi
tor takes a right view Of that important cub
J jet, and though it was written fur that state
we think IL liz equally applicable to Louisiana
PUBLIC EDUCATION.
II is a matter Of right that iii Htefy fte
state a Wen Regulated SYSTEM Of public edu
cation should exist for, I'M the intelligence,
Of the citizen must rest the vitality am
strength Bf A Republics If any thing oontri
buted TO the downfall Of Greece and Rome, i
was the prevalent ignorance of the people
So long as men know and feel their rights in
society, The ttedulity upon which kings and
tyfants fstten and exist must be unknown
The portals of a Republic will long be sacred
to Liberty, and the fires Of her affairs burn
in the busoms Of her people but let a nation
ever go free, become Indifferent to The Fight.
cots formation of The mind, and che is Al
once prosttuted to the most corrupt Of gov
ernments for where The virtues Of a rapub-
lie ea1tssst govern the thoughts, they will ne.
feFadffect the acts Of its people, THESE acts
VIII corrupt as their intelligence sinks, until
all former beauties have faded, and the power
Of kings gfasps the remnants of expiring H.
berty.
While education is the inherent right of
every citizen Of a Republic. II has been too
often neglected and despised. We have ma.
NY painful evidences in our land. Not ex-
tending our observation further than the H.
inits OF our own rich and popululs state, there
much TO tehsnfe and condemn We have a
white population, by the last census of g7250
There are, between the age Of fire and tttsttv,
SI,3ut. The whole number of persons uti-
der twenty, not capable of reading and wfi.
ting. are $500. II may be truly said, there
fore. that full one. fifth OF the young men Of
our state do not enjoy The blessings of eduea=
ton. If this picture shall serve as a common.
tary on our love Of country, we are unworthy
Of The trusts confided to our hands. suppo-
sing, for a moment, Que in five of our p~osteri-
ty, a large portion, no doubt. the heads of IA
milies. shall know our institutions only by
name, their blessings only by the conduct of
those around them, how long shall even the
ballot. boz sustain the glorious boon beqleath-
ed us by our fathers for the benefit of all after
ages1
We can alone find The solution to those
which have sprung up in our wi wealthy
state, In the want Of q Well-devised general
system Of Public Education. Il is true, we
have a large literary and seminary fund sci
apart for this purpose, yet what has il availed
US What will IL ever avail us 81 long as
there shall be mo rigid, searching enquiries
instituted into the appropriations. so long may
the peoples money be squandered without OBJ
iect Of end. Without some general efficient
system, it were better to follow The ~retrograde
movement of some of the other states. and
cut off all the appropriations for education, or
at least, reduce the profigacy Of an outlay,
securing no substantial benefit to the rising
generation.
This subject shall. as our opportunity offers,
receive a thorough investigation. We have
commenced the work of reform, and our eff
forts to extend the blessings Of education
throughout every district and township in The
state, shall only cease with theft corisunima-
ton. The greatest patrimony a state can
confer on it's children; must be their ednea.
ton in its precepts aud principles These
are the pillars Of our liberties, and in their
strength rests the peace and security of our
glorious Union.