Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-10-10
Per TIC Enquirer.

"TC ALL CANDID MEN'-(REvlsWkp3
In Tie Enquirer OF September 2oh . a" a W.,
c,e having In above CAPTION and signed =.
sinian." whose object seems 10 be, 10 sho" '":
the sparse population Of Virginia IS mol a P'o'.,
nent objection 10 a system OF general educ"''"
We would moi, in any degree, dampeh '"e
conmcndable ardor Of "Virginian, ner ~ ~
believe lha, the sparseness OF lhe popu'd''o"'
any other inauspicious circumstances IN '"e -,
pecl Of the country, present an ihsuii''o'
barrier 10 general system. 49,.
LEI The generous sons OF the Ola Dohi'"'o'
arouse themselves, and they will Use SUI -,
every obslacle-not without sirusge'
shoulder must be put firmly, strongly ana pe'S'-
veringly TO the wheel great WORK ! y y .s:.,,
a mighty foe 10 be overcome Let no one mn"
The victory easy-bu, manfully encounter me az
pine wntry depths, and on 10 certain c"nq''S
We cannot, however, persuade ourselves 'ua'
,he .,,,;s;cs of "yiIeinan" at all invallda'e INC
objection 10 system OF general educatoh' d.
sing from The sparse population. Taxing ,n'
Stale OF Virginia as a standard OF Go a.p innhs
s.Viroin;an" SAYS, "iMaine, with OILY s. luo'ns
more whites per square mile, has seven !ines 40
Inv in urinary schools, and only one.tweiilh DO
m.ny WHO cannot read" This apparent paid
Joy unfortunately for his argument Is ~. 80
with The exception of few back selll1 san.'s
one.half Of Maine is an uninhabited wiu.lur
and her population is, IN iact, TWO anu =. ia nnn
three Zines as dense as The white PoPu-
la,on NJ Virginia. This is a great adVan-
,aoe. but great as it is Maine s:ves 10 eaGh
scholar but eight weeks Of schooling WI
cbiran. with only 29-l00lhs as many Wn"es
- SSc square mile has nearly three limes d.
many al SCHOOL, Alas for The inialliDIii'y u
6ouresl II we take into The comparison ohIy 'ne
.e,,e3 mari of Michigan, her population Is io' %
snar.s rs thai of Virginia; and, if We iuflheT con-
slider Thai 1921 Of her population are 70 oe ,ou ii
in eighteen medium sized counties, we snai, L u,,
cover thai Michigan, instead OF only 2'-iuo'nS 40
many 10 The square mile, has al ieasl .~iee a.
MANY. "virg,nian" introduces me s'a.s,'.a -
several other States, which, il they prove any
hing prove only that Virginia might make some
mali improvements but il is doubtiul whelhel
they have The least tendency 10 show, lhat sparse
nonnIalon is moi a prominent obstacle 10 educa-
,ioo orcycn that the citizens oil our SISTER SCUM
ON States ale in any degree 10 be accredited lot
suneriory in energy, or taci, or WISDOM III inc
,pplica,ion of educational appliances. For IN
stance "Alabama has l0lhs as many per
sou re mile one urtWo per cent. more al school,
aud eighteen per cent more who cannot read
We have moi examined closely, but doubt moi, that
The populalinn Of Alabama is not 50 equally on
fused as that Of Virginia. II so both lacs (other-
wise paradosical facts are accouniciior, 10 WI:
The fac, of Alabama's having more IN proper ION
a, school Than Virginia, and also the tact OF her
having more unable 10 read "Louisiana, with
only 3l-l00lhs a. many whites per square mlle
has 41-lO0lhs AT primary schools, and llllle more
than one.lhiid as many unable 10 read Fer
haps the small difference in proportion between
3 lQ0ihs and I1-lG0ih> is also due TO more un-
equal diffusion OF poYuat;on but The proportion
zone third rs many unable 10 read, IS due 10
something else Are there not fewer poor citizens
in louisiana? We wcnld suggest, that one prom-
nent reason why Virginia has larger proportion
of illic!ate persons than some OF The other South
ern STATES, is his: Many of the wel-cducaled
classes have been Tor years past emsraling from
Virginia, seeking homes in The new States; bui
The poorcst ana most ignorant have all remained,
because they know nothing better, or have not The
means 10 20. Thus, Missouri, whose education
statistics seem 10 "Vir.ihian" 10 rcproach The old
Dominion. hasIccei.cd sWarms OF The intelligent
sons Of the parent STATE; but the population OF
Missouri is also very unequally diiiuscd Enough
II every case were rul 10 the iesI, II would be
seen thai hc differences against Virginia result
from causes entirely independent OF the question
as 10 whether sparse population is valid Oh.
lection 10 general system OF education. onod
crat demonstrated n. ] Il.