Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-08-13
"the ear is all unstrung,
still, stIll, il loves tho iowland tongue"

In its broad and comprehensive sense, the
work ofeducatiun is the grand business Of human
lie: and in these Uned States, need hardly
say, ii can never be neglected, but al The hazard
of consequences which no patriot can contemplate
| without alarm.
| This belief vas present with America al lis very
birth, and stamped upon lis rising institutions the
great impress OF freedom and perpetuity. 10 The
history oil other nations, learning has been The
slow growth Of a society already formed, and has
existed, al last only as the ornament OF wealth
or The champion OF power. Bui vii In The Fathers
Of our Republic, nexI 10 religion, it was the first
Thing thought OF; not as luxury, bur as a ncces-
shy; mol as The handmade Of privilege, but as The
nurse Of equality; not as The child OF endowment
or the accident Of place. but as The surest basis Of
public prosperity and OF private happiness. They
planted knowledge, therefore, in The wilderness;
established schools as soon As they builded habi
taiions ard laid The foundations Of a University.
while vel they were struggling with The ravages
oil disease and The apprehension OF want. More
Than century ago The charter governments were
celebrated for promoting letters by free schools
and coIleges"-and 10 this feature OF their cha
ractef has been traced The secret Of their great
success every child born into the world was
lifted from the earth by The genius OF its country,
and in The statutes OF the land received a. lis 20.
litical birhright, pledge Of the public care Tor
It's morals and lis mind"
II has been said that under government like
ours whatever is gained in politics is lost in learn
ing, and that nation becomes less truly inielli-
gent by becoming more thoroughly republican,
Yet no country has done so much ter learning in
50 short a time as America. Unexamped as
has been lis growth in all The elements Of physi.
cal power, its means OF education have multiplied
with lis advancing population, and gone hand in
hand with It's increasing wealth. When this in
sliluion was founded in 1889, il had not more
than ten associate colleges in The whole Union
and many of these, in everything but The name.
were hardly on level with our modern acade-
mics. There arc now in the United States al
least ten times that number, with an aggregate Of
nearly eight hundred instructors, an attendance
OF twelve thousand Students and library of six
hundred and fifty thousand volumes. Indepen.
dent oil these, but laboring in the same field of
usefulness, are thirty-four schools OF theology,
lhirly-lwo Of medicine, and eight OF laval OF
them in successful operation, and some OF them
munihcenily provided with the most costly appa-
ralus aud most valuable works. The true glory,
however, OF republican culture is found in those
less ambitious nurseries of learning, which scat
tered broadcast over The Union, extend the oppor.
luDities OF free instruction 10 almost every ami-
ly in America. From The imperiec, returns OF
many OF The States, and the different systems
adopted in various sections Tor accomplishing The
same end, an accurate summary on this sub
jecl cannot we'll be obtained. Five years
ago it was estimated that in the whole country,
there were no, less than Two millions OF pupils
who attended common schools; but better idea
Of their extent and influence may be gathered
from +he statistics Of single Stale. In New
York, there are nearly eleven thousand public
schools; not less than half million of pupils and
district Libraries for the use alike OF children and
adults, comprising in The aggregate more than
million of volumes. In tina, State, | am aware,
The school system has been the work OF many
years bnt even The system OF Ohio, one OF
the youpgts, States in The Union, may we'll
attract our as!onishmcnt and respect. Here
il anywhere in the land, considering her late ex-
istence and marvellous growth, we might have
looked 10 see The cultivation o: mind fatally post
poned, If mol wholly overwhelmed, by he thrcng-
ing demands OF enterprise, and the pressing en-
ploymsn;s Of active lie. Yet her constitution
declares in The genuine spirit Of the republic
chat knowledge is essential TO good government