Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-12-02

ground ON which this subject IS 10 De treated
whether as private affair or stare siii
/ IC in lis Judgment. il should be Hsa'ea a
private business, which ought 10 DC i ~, hhe VIC
requirement of property, TO every n,"n ~, ,ho
| exer,ions-those 10 receive much VINO nave 'he
means 10 procure il with and those nothing, VINO
are wi,bont The neans-and j, determines, IN
| consequence 10 add nothing 10 The provision 81
road. allowed l,r lis hen :il-ii tins IS lis JuuS
meGi il is hiohly proper thai IL should he h.aue
\ knoWn that the necessary steps Hils"' - '"Ne
nv ,he peonle themselves, either TO reverse II
or 10 carry il into effect. IT, on me olie' '"i.u'
the sounder Judgment j. eheitdi.s"' "'as -
cation is public as well as private conc .,:.
that, unlike the requirement OF lio?e!, -. NJ.
can be pursued by each one LOT h'n,'e., ",anen,
| depcndauce upon others, us Only pei ~, ~
success depends upon the effectiveness OF .he
co-operation with which i, is conducted mar
This co operaIion can be more MY seieo py
| rnbiic authority than By casual and voinn-
iary arrangement and further, iiiat e"uUit'on "
100 sacred an element in the well 9eihs a'lc sa,S
IL Of a State governed like ours, 10 nc e.' ~
hazards Of unorganilcd InciVhiudi c"i'io,.'".'o
il this is lis opinion, Il iolo"si ''''. 80. -
! lie aid, which il recognizes aS eS'i"",a
in the case should be exienced 10 ever! i"e, -
education. and every description OF leaiher nc
| frs, rudimen,s Of the language, and ne h'esies'
/ artainmen,s of ,hs scholar should BE- PROVIDED lor
| - he ot,sc,s ~ ha accomplished The pro
| vision which i recognized as due TO all,
| should be sni,;cien, Tor all and IN The case
| OF primary instruction at least, ~ shon,o "
Tree 10 all Nothing less IMAM 'hiH WIZ g
4 tisiy the obligation assumed, nor tnI ""
10 he supplied, and nothing greater cou'a oetnee,,
ed for The honor advancement and renovation oi
The Stale. Once establish education upon lhis
basis oi public literally and justice, and wa.ch
! oyer and deve!crc il afterwards in The fostering
and determined spirit which esleems notnhs W NC
done whilst any thing lepiains, 10 do, aud virginia
will soon throw from her soil the reproGch anu
The pain of rearing upon IL a BODY o. chiuteh our
numbering the revolutionary soldiers VINO gave
US HE power 10 rear them as we pleased, ana 10
whom. from year 10 wear, mol a moment OF IN
stiuction is Afforded by The Slale nor ahorGco al
| ALL
1.-THE Legislature can agrec upon The prel'min-
ary principle that Education is State cnty or
| SAFE trust, which ought 10 be provided Tor ov
law. il can have nodifficulty in determining upon
The point 10 which lis fiiuciary labors should be
chiefly directed "A single glance al The Statistics
of This subject, will show, that the greatest want
which we suffer is that Of common education, ara
the greatest sufferers are, OF course, thai very
| mass of our people upon whom he Stale depends
tor It's supper; and defence in every pos, ible
event. and who are therefore especially entitled 10
be spared from 50 undue share OF a public mis-
| fortune. I'm the higher grades OF education ihis
want is lar less seriously felt The numhrr oi
pupils al the University, Colleges Academies,
/ Classical and Grammar Schools OF This State,
being something less than two per cent. on our
whole population is greater nevertheless IMAM Is
To be found in any OF the States, except those OF
New England, and is less than il ia there, only BY
an nconsiderabe lrac,ion difference, which
is unQuesiionaby owing 10 the greater facility
| u. .,h ,,.lin aIp
in the midst Of a country and village population,
50 much more crowded than eur own. As an
evidence Of this, il is shown BY The late census
that The eleven thousand and eiehly-thrce students
which belong 10 the Grammar Schools and AGA
| denies oi this State, are distributed amongst
three hundred and egbly-tw schools, being an
average Of lwen,v.ninc 10 the school, whs; he
t. 700 students OF like kind in New England,
are parcelled oul amongst Us0 schools, or IN he
proportion, separately OF 81 10 each school III
Maine, So in New Hampshire, &c in Massachu-
s.,s. and upwards Of 20 in New England gene
rally. Thus more than four times The number
ni scholars are taught al less than twice the num-
Der of schools, and consequently al something
! like proportonale reduction in The expenses OF
| each particular one In other words, We have an
| almost cana! ralahle number Of our young men
taught al our classical schools but taught al
higher than equal rate OF expense; iact which
shows inconleS;ibly lha, the desire Tor his degree
OF education is as strong, if not stronger here,
than any where else in The Union, because sub
hitting 10 greater inconvenience and expense in
order 10 be eraisd. Ii is, indeed, in This very
spirit Of our people for academical and collegiate
education, and The 9leat relative extent 10 which
they have been able 10 acquire II. that we are TO
look ior a main cause OF that high intellectual
character which This Commonwealth has al all
times enjoyed. She ha, never wanted Tor Tic &C
tive and cultivated mind hich her public or pto-
irssional departments icquIrcc-ia> never sus-
tanned as 10 these, a reproachful comparison win
The hes, OF her sister communities, and may 10
truth have been the less able on this very ac-
count, 10 realize the wIe!ched inierority OF her
common education, or the dcplorable degree 10
which il was inpairng her highest capabilities
Realizing i, now, however, she would be The more
wiliully and cruelty guilty, II she permitted lhe
spirit and advantages oil her people upon lhlssun-
lecl 10 be crushed and denied any longer. Only
consider that of the 600 persons in this Stale
who are OF a suitable age 10 be taught, lhf j.
between =. and l6, i6 900 only are reported as
receiving any kind of education; and il The 10000
and upwards oil these who are credited 10 The col
leoes, academies AMI classical schools be d, duct
ed, there will be left but $4,000 who are going 10
common schools, and 100000 who appear TO be
going 10 no school whatsoever
Such stale OF things in The midst OF cvili2a
ton like ours, and abIve all, in the very heart OF
liberty and Government like ours, Is abso-
!ulely appalling and calls for redress with pow
er Of enllealy 10 which words can add nothing.
Let the fostering hand OF the Government be ex
tended Tor this redress, and extended 10 those in
chief who are most depentari and most IN want.
In our case the first and controlling duty rs the
facts presented demonstrate. is not 10 provide for
the higtcs, grades Of scholarship 80 much as is
hGmhlesi elements; il is 10 remodel our system Of
common education 10 such exien, that we can
offer the alphabet Of knowledge 10 all who will
receive il, and can rescue al once from The cesl-
ny OF unlcltcrcd ignorance the helpless and neg
lected thousands of our youth, upon whom il no.
thing is done, ii will nc liked beyond remedy and
forever II cannot be TIA, this patriotic dur wi!
he declined and cvaded any longer, and the great
body of our people lett TO struggle as they have
struggled before. Here, al least, j, may be de.
manded, that those who support all, defend a and
govern all, should moi, in addition to this, be
pecied 10 suffer all Buff this is not to be SO; if
The wrong and injury already done are 10 DC siup-
pei; il the melancholy distinction OF sharing an
equality in uneducated population with single
incrcan rival is 10 be cfiaced, and our lahors
are hereafter 10 elevate the mind which our neg
lec has done so much 10 crush; il this is 10 be
So not an hour nor an energy which The Lesis-
la,ure can command should De lost, before this
work oil justice, bore aud renovation shall have
been begun.
have Submitted in former messages what
seemed 10 me the germ Of a suitable plan for the
accomplishment of This work, and respectfully
refer 10 il now as capable, in my judgment, OF be-
ing successfully malured and applied That plan
was, generally, 10 establish in each county, with
The consent Ola majority o: lis tax payers free
schools for COMMON education. To rely for The sup
por, OF these schools upon The quotas OF the present
school fund, and upon such additional sum as
might be found necessary 10 be made mp OF cona-
" and State taxes united in given proportions
To place The schools wherever adopted BY county
vote, and all matters connected with their loca-
lion, accounts and management, under county iri-
bunals, and hesc, in urn, under the general sn-
pervision OF some central and controlling head;
and 10 authorize each county 10 renounce The plan,