Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-11-04
MISCELLANEOUS.
From The Charleston Eusning Ne,cs,

Ting ne" Idu tudoS, VI CiSSHoo "oHe
,ories-of extending their commerce, or
improving their agricultural resources, as
means Of increasing their population, their
wealth aud political power, there is one
subject upon which we hear but little sald'
Notwithstanding that by it alone, that pop
ulalion can be rendered happy, that wealth
advantageous 10 the State, or that political
mower safe iu the hands of the people.
Itawere idle to expa,iale on The advan-
,ages or even the necessity IN popular
government of general diffusion Of tho
blessings of education. From the days OF
the Romans, when one of their brightest
philosophers expressed his doubt whether
the man who administered justice to the
neople was of more value than he who
taue hit the youth the principles oil virtue
aud knowledge, TO this age which deIIShls
10 call itself mere enlightened than any
that has proceeded it, no statesman mas
been so far blinded 10 the truth as 10 denJ
the paramount claims OF popular educa'
,ion 10 the attention of every y:ruier. we
NAV enlist armies TO protect our frontiers
or mild nayies to defend our commerce ];
s,,e NAV construct roads for the facilities oi
,,oveI. or build canals and improve rivers
for the transportation Of merchandise, Out
If f,be minds, the immortal minds, oi our
citizens are allowed to remalnyial'o'F' all
our labor in making the republic great or
n,werful will be of no avail. Our armies
and our navies will appear only scenes OF
degradation, our cities and villages will be
delivered up 10 vice, the child Of lsnor-
ance, aud our people Will becomc 'he
prev of demagogues. =,
The CRY has gone up and long anu Ioad
q our land against the influence OF what
Familiarity and coutemptuously called
i.old hunkersm;" )" but the only way 10 de-
's,roy effec,ually such an influence is 10
educate the masses. Give The people
knowledge, aud you give them power
Educate them and they VIII 'niak' ana
thinking, ac, for themselves Legl!Ima'ely
there can be but one species OF influence
,ha, man must always exert over his lei
low citizens. Ii is the influence OF The
strong mind over the weak.
Burthe people by education are not only
made more fit TO govern the STATE, oul
more capable Of controlling themselves
There is no greater preventative OF crI1le
than the liberal diffusion of learning. by
general instructions, says Mr.. Webster,
I'VE seek as far as possible, TO purify The
whole moral atmosphere; TO keep good
sentiments uppermost, and 10 turn the
strong current Of feeling aud oplnIon' as
well as the .censures of the law, and the
denuucia,ions of religion, against lmnior-
alily and crime. We hope Tor security
Leyond the law, in The prevalence of an
enlightened and we'll princpled moral
sentiment y" -':a -. -
.Ifthen, as we OF course assume, there
can be no doubt of the immense advanta-
res which result to State fromthe gene
r raLdiffusion Of the elements OF knowledge
amongst ils people ;Eneitherran there be-
any doubt, ,ha, the only mode OF accom-
plisbipe this desirable, object is ny The
proner establishment Of Common Schools,
aud the proper regulation OF a Common
School System. This is the topic 10 which
we propose on subsequent occasion 10
advert 10 enquire into what are the faults
Of our system how these faults are 10 be
,emeded. If they are remedIable; anu
what is the best method, Eol economically.
for in such a question, economy is no' to
be considered as paramount but eiieclu-
ally, to carry out the design OF giving
knowledge TO all the people.
For topic so important as this, we
need scarcely crave indulgence. Its con-
siJeration recommendsitsefto every lover
of his country or his species, and now On
the eve of new legislative session, we
aro dcsirous of calling the attention Of our
law makers to the importance and neces'
si,y Of thorough revisal of the whole sys-
TEN of Common Schools in South Caro-.
lima. Its a work worthy of all the labor
and all the talant that can be devoted to
it. $50 70.
The defects of the Common School Sys-
tenn in This State, arise from either The de-
ficiency in number, or Inconvenience in
locality Of the schools-from the quallfi.
cations, in many instances, of the teachers
-fiom the iusuficiency in the character
of The educalion-lrom the. negligence Of
those appointed to superiutend.-or from
the general apathy Of the public. Each
of these causes would in itself he adequate !
TO impair materially the utility Of the sys-
tenn combined, they have, with the eA-
ception ofthe schools in this city; almost
entirely destroyed It. The system, indeed
of Common, or as i, is called in this State,
of Free School instruction, has become of
late years exceedingly unpopular on this
account. Many have ,confoYnded an in
sufficient and defective system with good
and useful one. They have blamed it for
the errors Of its administrators, and have
condemned the public support of schools,
because they fiud that heretofore The fund
has 10 too many instances been squandered
on undeserving objects, and without pro-
ducing any good resulss,-fofgettns that