Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-11-25

lation and the individual wealth of the people
that there will be both more 10 educate and more
ability 10 pay the requisite expense. He further
assumes, that the desire Tor learning must neces-
sarily result from these causes, 80 certainly and
SO forciby, that The people will need no other in
cenlives 10 it. acquisition. Now, this theory is
O noIious 10 these objections: Isl, That il is un-
true; and, IDLY, 1t would be impracticable ifrue ;
so much SO, that in the very paper in which
"Ousis" frstpromulgares il, he utterly abandons it,
II is untrue, mol only because, as have before
argued, no facilities of transportation and of CON-
merce can materially benefit those who are too
Ignorant 10 produce the material for commerce,
nor will they enable them, without education, 10
benefit by the example and experience OF others !;
Out also because our own experience teaches US,
that neither The people in The lide-waer country,
who enjoy the greatest "iacililies oftransponaion
and Intercourse" are any more numerous 10 the
square mile, more wealthy more intelligent, or
more industrious, than those of other parts of the
State; nor have The works OF internal improve
ment already existing in our State, some OF them
Tor many years, materially increased either the
density OF the population or the wealth, industry,
or general education OF those portions through
which they pass. That such works, udiciously
executed, where they were needed, would have
that effect 10 some extent, among letter inform
cd and more industrious population, truly be-
lIeve and freely admit But that, NJ Themselves,
among an ignorant people, they could produce
such results, utterly deny, and support that de-
NAL BY an appeal both 10 the reason and expert
ence OF The public. | say his theory would be
impractcable il true: because, TO carry i, oui,
and 10 produce any such general effect as il anti
cipates, his great system Of State works must be
ramihed and extended into every part and county
oil The State; and its execution would require
the lapse OF ages and the expenditure oil more
than the treasures OF five OF the richest Kingdoms
OF Europe. Indeed, so sensible was "Outis" him.
self OF this truth that, after amusing himself and
the public awhile with this magnificent scheme,
in The same article he quietly lets il drop, and,
without word OF consolation, first coolly cuts d
all Eastern Virginia from the benefits q the great
System" and then, with as little compunclion,
leaves all ofhis Western brethren, both North and
South Of his great line OF connection between the
Ohio and James rivers, 10 their lamenlable con-
dition, which he had SO ieelingly described. What
then becomes oithis scheme, which was al once
10 populate, 10 enrich and to educate too The whole
and every part of the State? "Outis" SAYS that
! would make works OF internal improvement de-
pendant on system Of Popular Education, which
could not erfecually promote their construction
in less than 10 or IS years. Utterly denying any
such intention, but distinctly avowing myself in
favor ofthe immediate execution OF such as are ju
dcious and will be profitable, would ask, 10
whatdislant period in iuturity, would .OutsS 5" the
DRY deer the commencement OF the all important,
the necessary the urgent work of the mental and
moral improvement OF our people; their emanci-
patton from that bondage 10 ignorance and degra-
dalton, which make us byword among nations
and threatens our very national existence .
However sincere "Ouls" may be in the beleftha
he is friend OF Popular Education, he is fancy,
nearly singular in that belief.
But letus examine The assumption upon which
all this theory Of "Ontis" is built, viz: " that il is
idle 10 attempt the establishment Of efficient free
:" schools in population of less than twelve
"white persons to The square mile indeed over
"ihe larger portion of the State averaging about
seven" "Outis" makes the ratio OF whites 10
the square mile in Virginia only II 54-l00ths.-
Professor Tucker makes it - 6-l0ihs; and several
of the best Biographies would make it about the
same. Let il be assumed, without "quibbling,
10 be in round numbers Twelve. From what data
"Outis /" calculates that the number Of whites TO
the square mile cover the larger portion OF the
State averages only about seven" do not
know, and think they must be very far from cor
rect. But lei il be granted, for the sake OF argu-
ment, that il is the ratio OF the white population
TO the square mile over 3-5lhs Of the Stale. To
make up the general average OF twelve the other
25ths Of the Stale must have population OF
nineteen and half tn The snua re mill N>'. l..
us suppose each county 10 be laid of into school
districts, as near as possible of six miles square,
in which no scholar would have 10 go more than
about three miles 10 school, and The average
distance 10 school would be only one mile and
half In such district there would he lhirly-six
square miles, in which there would be even in the
most sparsey peopled counties, according TO
"Ouis's" estimate, 252 white Inhabitants. The
proportion which, according TO the census, the
No OF white children between the ages OF and
Is. bears to the whole number Of whites in Viz
gnia, is 26-l00ths. But as it is obvious, that at
least half Of those between IS and 20 would also
be tt an age TO be at school, We must include
them; which would make the proportion 32-l00
Th, would give in each such district so
scholars, OF whom We might certainly eI-
pect that al least 50-as many as one teacher can
we'll instruct-would attend the school. BY 81
mar calculation we would have in the other two
inbs of the State pa scholars 10 each such dis
tIict-of whom l40, or more than enough for two
schools, might reasonably be expected TO attend.
Now. suppose there are parts OF the State more
spar,ely inhabited than even "Outis' fancies
them 10 be, or TOO rugged and mountainous" TO
admit OF districts OF the size above mentioned,
how easy would it be, by locating the teacher be-
tween Two school-bouseS, 10 enable him. by going
only some = or miles al most, 10 teach halt the
year in each: which would be three times as long
a period as the average attendance OF the in
digent children under our present system. | sub
nit then, to every candid mind, that not the al
tempt 10 establish schools in our State, butthe ar-
prehension of its impraclicability, best deserves
10 be considered "idle" Nor do conceive The
notion that the weallhier and independent classes
Of the country will not send their cnidfen
to such schools, has any better foundation
in probability. Those who entertain that OPT
MON have formed il from an observation oil The
oneration of our present system. But make the
school and the schoolmaster as we may easily
do worthy of their patronage and regard, and
there is but little fear that they will not send their
children 10 school which they contribute to sup
port, al which they may receive instruction al a
lar less expense than al any private school, ana
which may be placed under the constant super
vision oil some Of the best and most intelligent
men in the country. Fortunately, the spirit OF
feudal aristocracy, which viewed poverty as
leprosy or plague preventing all intercourse be-
tween the sons of the wealthy and those oil The
poor. if il ever prevailed extensively in our land
is "a pidly departing from il: and nothing can
more effec,ually eradicate it, than by making
that intercourse obviously 10 the pecuniary inler-
est Of the wealthy.
nOulis" crilicises my statistics, in which he
discovers an rsighl'-purely accidental, !
can assure him, and owing 10 mistake, COM
mitted BY the person who copied the table, in the
location OF Pocahontas county This, however,
very slightly varies the result, which showed
thai, in Western Virginia, a larger proportion Of
their poor children were at school than in East
ern Virginia. IT'S true, he proceeds 10 show by
s,a,isiics the accuracy OF which regret | have
not time to examine, that they did not spend, on
an average, quite as many days at school as in
Eastern Virginia, for they have deeper and more
permanent SHOWS 10 go through, and holder
streams 10 cross But does "Ouis" propose, by
his system of Estate works" to lessen the SHOWS,
check the mountain torrents, or TO carry each
child TO school in canal boat or railroad carl
And does moi the FACT that there is This larger pro-
portion attending school, for nearly as many
days, prove that there is no such impossibility, or
even great difficulty in their attending, as he re-
presented
"Oulis," like your correspondent TX. Y. T..
thinks il strange that in referring 10 the statistics