Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-01-24
ALGERNoN SIDNEY.
FOR TIE ENQUIREH.
LETTERS ON EDUCATION IN VIRGlNIA-No. l.
In EnrsrnaE H. la,aeu

ana general lntelHgeice, 10 exert very oeh'B" ""
huence Stale interests Among those interests,
none ranks higher in fundamental importance than
Education The proper education of apeople termed
by the celebrated Burke, .the cheap defence OF
nations" Whether regard the positive or negative
good effected by the proper mural, and intellectual
training of citizen, intelligent man can ia'i 10
perceive that the State is benefited. BY as much eV
one ignorant and vicious man may produce-oy as
much evil as family Of children raised under his aus
pieces may inhict-by much expense as ms wees anu
those he occasions may ncur-by as much us MS Ia
ure perform the duties Of good citizen may subtract
from the welfare of the whole-and, on the other heho'
by as much wealth and knowledge as all INDUSTRIOUS
and intelligent man contributes TO the whote-oy as
much of these his family and descendants coh'f'
bnte-and by rs much evil as his personal conduct ana
example preven'-by much is the State loser OF
gamer for every ignorant and VICIOUS aou VI io e'!
upright and intelligent citizen.State pocy, plans 'or
Improvement, the selection OF wise anu goou ru'els,
obedience TO the laws, economy OF expenditure, anu
increase Of revenue the character Of our laws, and our
moral and political weight in the Conederacy are an
deeply and intimately connected win the popular WI
tue and intelligence But, Sir, am persuaded mat 10
you and most Of those who shall honor my essays
with a perusal these hints of long and well established
truths are sufficient Let their brief statement here De
considered apologize, for respectfully soliciting your
attention to that department OF our interests, now COM
mted TO supervision, with which they siano con-
nected Not subtraclng from the Importance oil other
subjects over which you called to look with a
walchul eye-acknowledging that our schemes OF
internal Improvement the susenance OF our agrIcui-
tural and commercial interests, and the preservation OF
our State Rights, together with the contribution OF our
portion to that of national rights and honor are all
matters Of deep concernnent, from which we have no
desire TO subtract one item of attention. it yet remains
TO be shown how the of education can either pro-
perly or with safety TO our other great interests be
overlooked. On you, SIR, IN your Official capacity,
much depends. In that capacity | address you
| 1t is hardly necessary for an obscure individual
to inform the public, that your individual know
! ledge intelligence, zeal, and energy, afford good
around of hope that in this matter you will answer
the expectations OF all, and redeem the pledges OF your
] friends But you represent the State. Address.
ing you address the People of Virginia. and am san
gnne hope that there may thus be secured that at
tenton and interest for this great subject which It's
intrinsic merits and former able advocates having fall
cd to elicit from many Of our Legislators. IT would be
vain presumption for me TO expect as the reward oil
my labors.
Although the trite positions above assumed, receive
| ready assent among our wise men, and nothing IS
more common than the admission of the Importance
and, to Republic, peculiar and fundamental import
ance, of virtuous and intelligent people, great d.
versy Of opinion the best OF securing
so desirable result
BY some it is common 10 silence all discussion and
oil propositions for change by reference TO our State
history and boastngs Of our position in the Coniede
racy Such assume that we already far IN The ad
vance Of the rest Of the world, and hardly be per-
suaded TO hear or believe any statements derogaory to
| our State intelligence But with ALL that the partial!
esteem of flal judgments may dispose US to add 10
the truth, and high estimate of the virtues ct our
ancestry, constrained to acknowledge that, IN
point of general intelligence, Virginia is in the rear
ground of many of her younger sisters, and even her
daughters. Some years since, Governor Campbell
informed the Legislature, that about one in six or seven
Of the signatures marriage bonds, recorded III the
clerks's offices, was made with cross MARYLAND
what yet lamentable that this ratio existed
in 1888, very generally the in 1873, after TWEEN
ty years Of Legislation and the expenditure of about
one million of dollars TO improve the intelligence of
the community.
The legitimate inference from this statement was,
that Of adult population supposng fe
males generally ignorant malice, could not write;
for it is very properly supposed, that ability 10 write II
possessed would certainly be evinced on such occa
sion rs that of marriage. So much aston
shed others offended and others greved, account
Of the deductions made, that many, easily doubling
~ hat they desired to be untrue, at denied, either
the accuracy of the investigations the correctness of
the statistics, the fairness Of the infercnces and
facts which should have called forth the jealous Efforts
Of our Legislators, in devisng remedies for the evil
disclosed, but served TO lrrtate, where they produced
any effect Bnt the has been taken. 1t appears
that, of $4,000 ,ehte adults in the Slate, there
$4,000 who neither read nor write That gives
proportion of SIX of all persons 90 years of
age who do not possess the elements Of The know
ledge requisite make them the intelligent people, to
whom our Invaluable institutions committed.
aware, that the accuracy of the census has been
questioned but there other data, such as partial
Investigations by individuals sections Of the State
on which the conclusions based. If the
Of the official census be impeached, would
all other enumeratons-and for such increduous
minds, no testimony is sufficient. II is honestly be-
lleved that candid examination of the state Of our
elementary schools the character of the great mass
their teachers the books and the modes fnstructon
and discipline 10 which the children are subjected,
would leave no impartial mind much doubt of the
correctness of the census To appreciate fully the
actual condition of Virginia, assuming (as it ordinarily
is admitted 10 beg ability to read and write the
rect index of intelligence let statistical view Of the
condition of some other States be presented Without
troubling ourselves with fractions, we may say, the
ad ult white population is generally one half though
often less may be seen by inspecting the Census Of
Virginia for, in white population of 100000, there
are 400 900 under 20 years of age. in the following,
we estimate it at one half:
In New York, adult population 100000, of whom
Al 600 are erate, or in q.
In Ohio adult population 100000, Of whom $500
sre illiterate, or in II.
In Massachusetts, adult population 800, 000 Of whom
500 are illiterate, or in 60
In Connecticut, adult population 10000, of whom
526 are erate, or IN go.
In North Carolina, adult population 242 900, Of whom
sc 500 are illiterue, or in nearly.
In Michigan, adult population 05,O00 of whom 100
are Ili,era,e, or in so.
In Georgia, adult population $4,000, of whom &c..
GOO are terate or ! in nearly.
In New Jersey, adult population 10000, of whom
900 are illiterate, or IN ~
In Alabama, adult population 10000, of whom s. 200
are illiterate or in Z and half
In Kentucky, adult population 100000, of whom
40 600 are illiterate, or ] in seven and half.
These have been selected at random, and after wr-
ting this find, by cursory examination, that have
included here the extremes Connecticut and North
Carolina virginiu, however, ranks among the owest
on the scale Virginia, the mother of States and o
statesmen, the birth place Of Presidents, the Oldest
State of the Confederacy, outstripped by Ohio and
Michigan, bn yesterday desert Territories. Will our
Legislators for few weeks lay aside party discussions
and Federal politics. and look at this fact which should
rouse every Vrgnan TO exertion To what, then, are
we to ascribe such state of ignorance in
nifty. Reasoning posseriori, we might justly infer,
that grea. defects exist somewhere: By The best &C
cd The State is well supplied with schools, and that for
these schools there are teachers and books Of some
kind. Reasoning priOri, we presume it will appear
that The effect has been the necessary result OF Inc causes
): :,o.oo ,,I,;oh NAV he suInmarily arranged under