Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1848-10-04


dredth generation shall be as ignorant an
as barbarous as its first.
. Sir, hold all voluntary ignorance TO b
: a crime; hold all enforced ignorance
be a greater crime. knowledge is essel
tial to all rational enjoyment; i. is essen
tial to the full and adequate performanc
: Of every duty. Whoever intercepis know
. edge. therefore. on its passage to huma
, soul; whoever strikes down the hand tn;
is outstretched to grasp it. is guilty of on
Of the most heinous Of offences. Add ,
your virtue, knowledge. says the Apostle
but here the command is. be-cloud an
be-little by ignorance, whatever virtu
you may possess.
Sir, let me justify the earnestness c
these expressions, by describing the tran
sition of feeling through which hav
lately passed. | come from a commani
ty where knowledge ranks next to virtue
in the classfic alton of blessings. On tn
tenth day Of April last. the day before
left home for this place. | attended tn
dedication of schoolhouse in Boston
which had cost $4,000. The Mayorpre
sided, and much of the intelligence ane
worth Of the city was present on the oc.
casion.. see. by a paper which | have
this day received, that another school
house, in the same city. was dedicated or
Monday Of the present week. 1t was
there stated by the Mayor. that the cost o.
the city schoolhouses. which had been
completed within the last three months
was 100000. On Tuesday of this
week. new high schoolhouse. in the city
Of Cambridge, was dedicated. Mr.. Ev-
erett, the President Of Harvard College.
was present, and addressed the assembly
in long. and. need not add. most
beautiful speech. That schoofhouse, with
two others to be dedicated within a week.
will have cost $4,000. Last week. in the
neighboring city Of Charlestown. new
high schoolhouse of a most splendid and
costly character, was dedicated by the
Mayor and city government, by clergy
and laify. But it is not Mayors Of cities,
and Presidents Of colleges alone, that en-
gage in the work Of consecrating temples
Of education to the service Of the young.
Since have been here, the Governor Of
the Commonwealth. Mr.. Briggs. went to
to attend the dedication Of a schoolhouse.
which cost S25, 600. On late occasion.
when the same excellent Chief Magis.
trate travelled forty miles to attend the
dedication Of schoolhouse in the coun-
try, some speaker congratulated the audi
ence because the Governor of the Com
monwealth had come down from the Ex-
ecutive chair to honor the occasion.-
NO" said he, Il have come up to the
occasion to be honored by it," Within
the last year, 100000 have been given
by individuals tc Harvard College. With
in little longer time than this. the other
two colleges in the State have received.
together, still larger endowment, from
individuals or the State. ., ..-
These measures are part of great sys-
tenn which we are carrying on for the ele-
walton of. the race. Last year, the voters
Of Massachusetts,, in their respective
towns. voluntarily taxed themselves, about
a million Of dollars for the support Of CON-
mon schools. We have an old law on the
s:atute-book, requiring towns to tax them
selves for the support, Of public schools;
but the people have long since lost sight
of this law in the munificence of their
Massachusetts is now
rectng q reform SCHOOL for vagrant and
exposed children-so many Of whom
come to us from abroad-which will cost
the State more than hundred thousand
dollars. An unknown individual has Civ
en- twenty thousand dollars towards it.
We educate all our deaf and dumb and
blind. An appropriation was made by
the last Legislature to establish school
for idiots, in imitation Of those beautiful
institutions in Paris, in Switzerland, and
in Berlin, where the most revolving and
malicious OF this deplorable class are
tanned into docility, made lovers of order
and neatness, and capable Of performing
many valuable services. The future teach
er of this school is now abroad. preparing
himself for his work. ! few years ago.
Mr.. Everett. the pgese}a; President OF Har-
ward College, then Governor of the Com.
monwealth, spoke the deep convictions Of
Massachusetts, people when. in public ad-
dress on education, he exhorted the faith
ers and mothers Of Massachusetts in the
following words: ''Save," said he, 'save.
spare, scrape, stint, starve, do anything
but steal," to educate your children
And Doctor Howe, the noble-hear;ed d.
rector of the Institution foi the Blind, late
ly uttered. the deepest sentiments of our
when, in speaking Of our duties
to the blind, the deaf. the dumb, and the
idiotic, ne said: : 1.-The sight Of any hu-
man being left to british ignorance is
ALWAYS demoralizing to the bondholders.
There floats not upon the stream of life
wreck of humanity so utterly shattered
.and crippled but that its signals of dis
.tress should challenge attention and COM
.mand assistance"
Sir, it was all glowing and fervid with
sentiments like these, that. few weeks
ago, entered this IIouse-sentiments
transfused into my soul from without. even
il had NO. vital spark of nob;eness to
kindle them within. Imagine. then. my
strong revulsion of feeling: when ths first
set, elaborate speech which ! heard. was
that of the gentleman from Virginia. pro-
posingto extend ignorance to the utter
most bounds Of this Republic legalize
it, to enforce it. to necessitate it, and make
it eternal. Since him, many others have
advocated the same abhorrent dictrine.-
,,-;.h 1oorDiou whole race