The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-10-23
BRANDON, Thursday, October 23, lS46

otuuI ~ iil--CiCNuliuu anu DuIt'
. OF moral feeling, and intelligence TO guild,
it wisely in the complicated affairs of hu,
man life.
Civil government, then, accomplishe,
lis object, not when II punIshes crime, bu
when 1t prevents its commisslou,--not by
providing jaiIs and penltentiarles, but by
preventing the necessity OF their existence;
by training the people, as far as law
con properly lnlerpose It's power, to intel
llgeoce aud The love Of virtue. The faith
ers of our State felt This, when, with char
acterlStic wisdom. they declared in the
constitution, hat " laws for the encourage
ment Of virtue and the prevention of vice
and immortality ought 10 be constantly
kept in force aud duly executed and a
competent number of schools ought TO be
maintained in each town, for the conven.
lenl instruction of youth, and Que or more
grammar schools be Incorporated and
properly supported in each county in the
STATE" Thus were The encouragement of
virtue, the suppression Of vice, and the
maintenance OF schools. deemed so vital 10
the welfare of the State, as to demand for
'hem a special provision in its organic
Jaw.
So large a portion of my first annual
message TO the General Assembly was de-
voted TO the subjec; OF education, that |
deem II necessary 10 do liltle more. now,
han to refer you, as | most respectfully
do, to that message for my viewsin regard
70 1t.
The present has been truly denomina>
ted an age of progress. The human
mind is vigorously Selling and carrying
out to practical results, the momentous
truths which respect the relations of men
TO each other, and the appropriate means
OF accomplishing The purposes Of human
society and government. AT The founda
ton oflhls vas: movement lies the great
work of Education--!he work Of develop
ing, and giving a right direction to mental
and moral power. And if human gov
ernment is to be regarded as an institution
designed 10 perlec' the purposes OF society,
and improve the condition of man upon
earth, it needs no labored argument 10
show, that education, thus defined, is among
the highest duties of those entrusted with
its administration.
Nor should it be forgotten that there
are rights correlative 10 This duty. Every
child in the Stale has a right to be educa>
led-a lleht as essentially reciprocal TO
the claim of the State 10 allegiance, as is
he right Of protection. The question
whether the children Of a State shall be
educated, is no more Il question Of mere
expediency, than is the question whether
he people have a right to protection from
toreign aggression, aud domestic violence.
Indeed, protection from The effects of ig>
norance and vice is, itself, protection, in
he highest sense, from all the dangers
which can arise within the limits of d
State Would we have obedience 10 law!
Let the children be learned, in the com
mon school, as well as at the domestic fire.
side, the duty of se!t.controI, and Of rev.
%ereuce for the law of eternal rectitude
written in The word OF God while the de-.
velopmenl, in just and harmonious proper.
tons, OF their whole mind, shall give them,
a; once, a conscious sense of the worth of
miud, and an intelligent conviction Of The
great purposes it is fitted 10 accomplish.
All The children of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
y the children of the poor-sland in the
attitude of just claimants, IN respect TO ed
u%ca,ion, upon the fostering bounty, and
guardian care OF The Stale. Aud what
has Vermont done 10 satisfy this claim !
We have, indeed, declared, by law, that
"each organized own shall keep and sup.
port one or more schools, provided with
competent teachers - that The towns shall
BE- divided into school districts ; that Ger.
tain district officers shall be appointed !;
that taxes shall be assessed and collected
10 build school houses and support schools;
and that. to the income arising from these
taxes there shall be added, for the current
use Of schools. the annually accruing in,
lerest OF the surplus revenue of the United
States, deposited with this Stale. And
here, with the exception OF making provis.
ion for certain returns of school statistics,
we have left the matter. If school houses
are built, we have taken no care whatev~
er for their proper location or construction;
and ii teachers are employed, we have
done nothing in regard TO the all.impor-
tant matter of their qualifications, aside
from the barren enactment that they shall
be "competent." What shall constitute
competency, or who shall Judge of it, are
matters entirely overlooked in our legiss
ialion. The result is, an admitted and
Iamentable deficiency in the qualifications
of teachers; great and manifest defects in
the modes of instruction. and confusion
and want of uniformity in regard to The
books used for that purpose while a large
proportion of our school houses are located
In highways, with little regard to comfort
or fitness in their internal structure, and
as little to taste and beauty, and conven-
fence in the grounds connected with them;