Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1846-03-19


the influence of Christianity, working out
in its structure and identity with the cha
racter and structure Of the Creator. In the
old countries, and indeed in modern Eu-
rope, it was not so. There it was acted
out as principle, that the monarch was the
i fountain of power, or that the rulers were
the government, and not the people. 1t was
the converted action of this principle which
brought our forefathers to this country and
achieved our independence. The people
ASSUMED 20 be the fountain of power. Thus
it was that the rulers, instead Of being re-
cognized as the government, were but the
agents of the government of the people,
and acted under certain directions, indicated
in our country by charters or written in
struments.
Now whence comes this 1t is easy Of
xplanaton-God the creator is general
principle, and acts out his purposes by
agents or specifics. 1t cannot be conceived
that the agent could possess more know
ledge than the creator, God, the general
principle. If such were to become the fact
all must perceive that all things would be
speedily returned to chaos. Such is exact
ly the nature of our government. The peo-
pie are the creator, the general principle,
and in proportion to the decrease of the in
| telligence of the people, the creator, the gen.
eral principle, will there be tendency to
disorder, confusion, chaos, and then destruc-
| ton.
All the nations Of antiquity violated this
rule, and hence of the many thousands of
those nations that have lived, there remains
only few scattered remnants of their FORM
er grandeur TO denote they once lived.
If the creative source of all being was
! ignorance all would be unutLerable confu-
sion. The creative source of all being is
intelligence and all is unutterabe order. If
the people, the creative source Of all orga-
CITATION, was ignorance, all would be unut-
terable confusion or destruction. Govern
ment or intelligence ought to be aritb the
people and not the ruler or agents. The
; principle is very simple one. The extent
of the knowledge of the people, the crea-
tive power, ought to be perfectly equal to
the extent of the social organization. In
other words, intelligence ought as perfectly
to fill the social system as light fills space.
| This was the condition of man, when he
? was first made, that his knowledge was
: equal to the light which fills space. Know
ledge enables the mind to understand things
!, with the same accuracy and to the extent
light enables the eye to see things. Know
/, ledge is the medium through which the
5 minds eye sees abstract or mental things,
just as light is the medium by which the
(, natural eye sees materil things; and the
: knowledge of the people to the extent of
] the social system ought to be perfect.
S In this mode alone can we understand
c what education is or ought to be in free
:, government, and what is its appropriate &C
!, ton. 1t has already been said that the
: State of Massachusetts presents the first ex-
e ample of people making education part
Y OF their constitution of government. When
the Pilgrims landed on the Rock of Ply
e mouth, the first act was to establish sys-
: tenn of instruction, and they thereby made
: it a seminal principle of social organization.
: Among the ancient nations education was
: the fruit Of individual effort and resources.
: The Jews proceeded further on this subject
= than any other nation, for their laws and
n their doctrines of government were taught
S by public lectures; and it is remarkable
It that among all the nations of antiquity,
S there existed in their infancy the greatest
S degree of practical intelligence and purity :;
: and in proportion to the length of time their
!, governments ran, did ignorance and corrup-
J., ton increase.
IS Among the Jews, their law-giver, in or
e der to maintain the doctrines we have de-
= scribed above, exhorted his countrymen
,f that they should learn the laws by heart,
IS that they should talk of them when they
Il should lie down, when they should rise up,
S when they should 60 on a journey; and
e that their laws, and the wisdom that was in
e them, should be commingled with all their
9 domestic pursuits.
o Such degree of knowledge is indispen-
d sable to the stability of government, the
0 maintenance Of liberty, and the protection
: of right; for how can people preserve
/ that of which they are ignorant? A peo-
t pie can no more preserve their rights and
, liberties when they are ignorant of them.
!, than ploughman can solve mathematical
: problem of great intrcacy and indeed their
f knowledge of their rights and constitution
] of government ought to be as perfect as
: that of profound mathematician of SIM
: pie problem. In this aspect of the case.
how appropriate is the following language
2 of Washington
/. "Now am less persuaded that you will
> agree with me in opinion, that there is no