Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1845-08-04
POPULAR EDUCATION.
al IL =.


AS casual reader OF the public prints notice dis,
position on the pan Of sumo Edt,rs and their cures
pndens Ia riie considerably the subject u Popular
Education. te inclined 10 spare an hour from other
very busy and exhanstng pursuits, To offer few irey.
Har e,afks accompanied by The result of some oser-
yaiiaG On the same subject.
have long been SATISFIED, Messrs Editors. that no
important yelornaon would be effected our education.
al system, uGYl the press and the pulpit shall continue
loud and long 10 call public attention the necessity of
some radical change. And sorry to find paper
>, extensively read. and occupying important place
IN our conmon"ealih as yours. having ite say
subject intimately connected with our future pros,
periiy decline. II am not Mistaken Gov Mellow.
ell last winter or The second or third time ia very
prcble cal ed the attention of the L.pi stature To
fhe painful ineflciency of our schuo system, W have
any thing THAI deserves The Of system aud among
other hudillatng conpaT sons, menoned the fact thai
out of every II % Of adult population could
neither read write il his Excellency had stated 10
iha honorable body, Gas fact which any of them could
easily know. they would take the trouble To ctuni }
that only ore ~ that nu.,Ler is found really possessed
pt those invaluable requirements Ia useful aud Profitable
extent, The truth would have been more nearly approx
"-'od Taking promscuonsly hundred free adult
wn'le Pers'fs, mi'e aqd fepae. Of my acqnainaree
which bellese 10 be average of the State find ac
cM'ng 10 the best If my ability ascertain from ten to
hileep wig ca1nQt read plaio ps rpun ON tombstone
ar sieh tdeH names 10 apy instrument Of wgiiino--om
twenty to itWy Who Will tel YOU they can read and
write. but VIII" would be nearly well of whou,
X owing HE all iateiirnm thirty 10 forty who can
aud do derive s'nail degree Of benefit from The ed
uratioh they received at schoo Atqut twenty possess
dear'e at intelligence useful tn lhemse YES and 10 those
around hrnv- while eight len mostly proies sio,Ial
men, are well educated aJ extensively informed. Eve
Jy reader can make sinar calculation if le is ac.
Hnan'ed with many persons ! aust remind him. how
ever. that lie Will he viii be more likely 10 overlook
ahree uneaeated persons than one who is educaled con-
spcuous wealthy Such some Of our railles lba,
we cannot remember names unless The owners are rich
ar Installed ian utlict This estimate has been made
IuSiiv trfnl birtut Il
cacuaiin embracing ihos from twenty 10 thirty is
Ta'her more favorable Among equal number Of those
t"hed within as narrow boundary would afford the
hl"pef, aud that not nculing town village fluid
one WHO enjoyed Stale bounty (for such il really ISL of
Al0O or % year for several wears al ,he University
-aid one who enjoyed the State bounty at the Military
Institute II three years, (boIh cal Inv
Mud about ten who have gone through lrreg uIar and
not very prl able academic Course here thew enioy,d
at least the advantage ofa chartered institution Their
education is ns'iy superficial because they entered The
academy with too lIle preparation aud cu.d not Tor
would m', reuaip flete lang enough to take a regular
course, i've GheFs forgot u menii0n were educated
al Emory and Henry Colege-ien or twelve others have
ny means y private AsFuctlgn, nein blQrood schools
and boardng schools acquired loerable ednca,ion-
about i@eH'y Of them were called "poor children :" and
tI several years during their minority enoyed four cents
w@ih of instruction every day they could be got To
school, or find scho get TO- they could find
cut who The commissioner was and he could ascertain
whether he had any money yet the ireasners he nds
which Inc cUuIu easily he
could find ou how many children had heen put TO school
and how regularly they had attend, d. Many of them
however. received less than the III Of their four
II It had been ten cents they would have been more like
Iy t" receive the fall value of Il cir money Some FIVE
or SIX OF This number could Cor would not) 90 any
sch' at all, and wholly destitute. The ming ff
dy OF this calculation. bng neither poor enough rich
enough TO reach either of The State premiums held
wealth and poverty, few Of them able 10 board long
noneh from under their parents roof five dolai
month. 10 acquire any Ihsng like eod English edn-
cation. have been left 10 work out t.erown salvation, -
subject to all the dlsacng and dshfarlenlng vexalons
which are almost ceriain await every individual exer-
ton 10 establish good neohbohood schuu. They
mostly huFeinl Scholars Of the connon ORDER and
ful members Of society,"
flour people not educated hey ought 10 be- and as
the interests IT tae Siae equIe We should Same close
ty into the causes hi n teDd such allure and resort
vigorously 10 the proper remed es; rather ] should
say enquire into the reasons why eXerion has yet
been made on The par If the State corresponding any
degree with the ackno" lodged Importance OF the object
which II is side Ted desirable Ia ACCOMPLISH II
docs appear Ia me that the whole subject of universal
or even general edncalun, ( admitted he ndspens,,
BILE as nearly all seem willing adit y embraces many
oi those difficulties watch Grs made legislation neces
Sary evu To the existence of civilized society 1t NAV
he urged by some that individual interest ought To be
Sulcient To ensure the progress of education This
might correct, if each i,dv dual could rightly appre>
clae IN Anticipation the advantages he would derive from
~ land provided also that each individual or family cnud
avenues to good instruction. The interest of every c-
zen requires that government. should be o1eaazed and
supported, that the militia should be trained; that the
court houses should be but county lines run, SC. Yet,
Will any one pretend to say that any Of these would be
well done. if each ind left free tribute
10 the accomplishment of those objects his time,
and IN his own way2 Roads will be. presume. con-
sldereJ matter of individual well as public interest.
as much 50 at least scboo!. Aad yet any
ceIve how he would get mill 10 court market, il
our road laws defective many consider them be-
were struck from statutes. and each individual
allowed to his road where he chose, and his fences
where he chose, aud open his gates and bar the
against ohers2 Similar difficulties viii beset ndv lna
exertlm To establish gooi common schoos-the only
places Of uca,ion to which he great Of aHy peo
pe ca" erer hare access 10: sufficient length q lime
NJ Themselves for the pursuit. of knortcdge.
These remarks will be cont nued.
BEDFORD.
RAIN AT LASTl We were blessed with an albums
Cant shower Of rain on Friday night which we hop
extended far into the country 1t is doubtless Too ate
save many fields Of corn but nevertheless We anclpa
great benefit TO considerable porhns olhe growing crops
Which have not been entirely blasted by the prOtrlcte