The North-Carolina standard., 1845-09-10


EDUCATE TIE Fo0R cHILDRElgl
The Richmond EpquifsS which is desOtipg
is nilaence il the most praisewouhy manner to
the cause of public instruction in Virginia, has
lhe following liberal and sensible remarks :4
s.In The InDyement now being made stoseuIighfe1'
The ienorance which ostFshad9ws Yirginia:sit Is
Of but hule consequence 10 consider yhsiher this
Democrafic, or thar Wing county, is the most
deeply immeFsed in intellectual darkness. In the
lirsf place. we do NOT see how any political capl-
tai can be made out ofit-bul, above allt Is most
anxiousY TO bes.desred, that the hand OF party
should be kept away from the subjtct. there -
one QUESTION, upon which all parties should. unite
without any rivalry, save q noble emulation N
prosecuting 10 success good cause, surely ~
should be The subject of Education, which Is des1
tined We sincerely trust, soon TO feel the GENIAL
warmth of popular sentiment w all agree that,
in every portion of Virginia, lam entable e1gnor-
ance prevails-ihat the a the
people sre grossly neglected and shamefully suffer-
ed to wii6er away,oa all feel an anxious wish
thai some wise 81 stem should be adopted 70 shed
lis blessings upon Wing anG Democratic counties
alike Indeed, FOR the sake of political success, u
should be the aim of both parties To- ditiuse the
.liuhtsof education Each paf9abelte yes that its
own principles are based upon reason and truth.
and that, if they be fairly presented 10 an intel1
gent audience. the victory will be decreed 70 ITS
own doctrines. Lei, then, the two parties emu
late each Other n eni,ghleniIg me masses SO aha
y
fairly of the merits Of each party, and award the
victory accordingly" So
2 The above observations apply with as much
force to North Carolina as they do to Virginia.
notwithstanding The provision in our Consiitu-
tion, adopted in l776, that school orsschools
should be established by the Legislature for the
convenient instruction of youth, with such salaries
to the master, paid by the public, as may enable
them to instruct at low prices" ard nOtwithstand-
ing the perpetual calls by the masses for thelights
of education, joined to The startling fact that more
than fifty thousand of onr people cannot :ead and
wrile, too many Of our public men have been in
different to the subject, and even now our system
of Common Schools fails in many respects to
meet the wants of the poor children of the State.
Our forefathers were deeply. impressed with the
importance of public instruction. as their injunc-
tion upon the Legislature to establish schools for
the instruction of youth at g lOa0 prices" abund-
antly proves. They knew that the sublime and
happy institutions which were passing beneath
their hands, to operate upon themselves and upon
their posterity could not be upheld and perpetual
ed in their full purity and vigor, without such
aids and influences as afforded by an effective,
universal education of the masses. Hence their
anxiety Hence the solcmnity and weight they
gave TO the subject, by Incorporating II with those
great principles which belong to our fundamental
charter The rich, they knew, would take care
of themselves by educating their own; but they
knew a also that the poor would be with US always,
and they sought TO establish that equality, which,
whilst i should give TO the poor man the right of
suffrage, would at the same time furnish him with
the means Of knowing how to exercise il for his
own good and for the welfare Of the community
This is no party qnrstion-and God forbid that
it ever should bel We repel with Indignation.
the imputation that the democrats are opposed to
Common Schools, or to the education of the
people. On the contrary, they are for it, and
ever have been for it. Do they need authority
on such subject2 No. But iftthey did, they
might proudly point to Washington and Jefferson
the former the father and President Of all par
lies, and the latter the acknowledged and immor-
tai head Of the democratic party But The demo-
crais are more cautious tout Of respect, we will
not say more Prudent) than their Wing friends
They did not and do not wish to endanger the
success of good work by, commencing il fsebly,
or by prosecuting it in. such a way as to excite
lstrnst among the people as to its capabilities Of
While they cannot reasonably hope
70 see developed and established, all at once, such
system as prevails Ia r,ore favored and enfioh-1
ened States, they nevertheless desire, il outset
% base the system upon welI.tried principles, to
provide good teachers, and indeed, if they cannot
10 more at present. owing to the limited resources
If the State, 10 deposte the germ, which shall af
erwards grow up, and grow on in increasing
lealth and vigor. More than this we are moi at
iberty now to say especially as the subject is not
xciting to any considerable extent the public
mind. 9esi r. saaef
While upon this point We may as we'll add a
v0rd or two in relation to Edgccomb. Her
'eople have been charged with being opposed to-
Common Schools, and Tidicule, equally unspar.{
ng and UNJUST, has been occasoaed by thisacharge
nd poured out in various quarters upon her en-
ghtened and patriotic citizens. ! The charge is
,tally unfounded. IF she has voted againsts Com
hon Schools, it wasbecause she deemedlh present
ys.e inadequate to its purposes, and because some
her people are too proud to have their children
ducated by the public Treasury. The latter $
eason we seriously question, though is existencel
extremely limited--for we hold that no man oft !.
'ealth, however he may choose to educate his ,
,vn children should withhold The snnoll s,,,,