Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1848-02-03
II there is one matter Of greater impol t.
ance to the Human Family than all oth-
Selections from Hriyht's Paper
POPULAR EDUCATION.

= Ut u LA N LOO IA Il Il OINs
That the people must be educate'
in order to The permanence of free il.
s.itutions, is, a, this hour, so evld. Mt
truism, that il were ridiculous to insist
upon il with any degree Of persistency.
The participation and supervision with
which each citizen is indirectly
invested, with regard to those ins,i;u
tons, will naturally impress upon item
the character Of the people, whatever
that character may prove. Now to
participate in the government, and to
supervise its action, they must under
stand mechanism; and TO understand
that mechanism, they must be furnished
a certain amour, of knowledge, which
cannot exist GU, Of the conditions Of
primary education. By the right ofso.
vereignty, they hold the political pow
er in their hands; and if it be suffered,
in violation of our duty, 10 become an
ignorant and increasing power, we shall
be preparing days Of difficulty, and if
not of disasters, for the Republic. The
best enactments Of your constitution
shall prove but trail monuments against
the dissol,ing influence of general ig-
norance and of the moral debasement,
which it fatally involves; they will
sink and crumble away from the mo-
ment that they shall cease to rest upon
public and private virtue, developed 10y
BY universal intelligence. If knowl-
edge, as maintained by one Of the mas
ter intellects of modern times, be pow
er, most essentially does it behoove re-
publics 10 turn it into power fruitful Of
every good.
These truths, SO obvious in them.
selves, appeal with peculiar solemnity
to those upon whom is devolved the
responsibility of framing the laws of
society. Their duty, when they have
enacted laws to gorern the people, is
but half discharged. There is yet high
er and more difficult duty TO perform,
in devising such system Of legislation
as shall have the effect of converting
the people into lava good, safe,
and living law-to themselves. The
most Efficient laws, after all, are those
which control, not by the power of the
sword, but by the influence o. enlight-
ened principle. Without this princi-
pie, vivi6ed by the touch Of education,
there can be no peace in the commune
ty, no morals in society, no wisdom in
helegislator. BY the probation which
it imposes upon every one, 10 become
a good and useful citizen, it contributes
to the abatement of the vices which
deiorn the body social-digni6es the
plainness Of republican, morallty-ex.
ats the character ofprivate worth-fos-
tiers the development Of public virtue
cheeks the inrosds ofgrasping cupiditY,
and in The opening which it affords for
every social merit, opens a source Of
general prosperity. Such principle
can grow out Of no elements but those
Of a vigorous system Of free public ed
ucation, which is the common share Of
the patrimony tina, the State is bound TO
dispense to its younger members. AS
their necessary introduction, therefore,
to the membership of society, that form
Of education is absolutely necessary to
all Of them. The State, therefore, owes
that form of training 10 all and not
only does it owe the means of training,
but it also ewes HE application of
those mesns.-Pref Dimitry Of La.
When young man Aas acquired a
love of reading, and Of course health
full relish for intellectual pleasures, he
has become possessed Of one of the
best preservatives against dissipation.
A fondness for low company and in
temperate pleasures is most gederally