New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-08-13
they are geese enough to do it down on Long
Island, but we shan't believe it until their
votes say they are.
Free Scbools-wby Opposed.

that we will let it pass without reply, only
asking cur readersto mark well It's drlts ana
undertone. If there is a poor man IN the
land blind enough not to see that the oppo-
s;tiou TO the Free School law is impelled by
hostility to the vital principle Oftaxing Prop
erty to make Education general, and not by
any of the make-shift pretexts of objection to
this or that detail, then we give that man
over. And while we will not be driven into
any general answer to Mr.. Rice's really clev-
er letter, we must tell him that it is not true
that the benefit which Property derives and
will derive from the general Educ alton Of
the Poor is purely negative in its character
confined to afording greater security to
life and property. On the contrary, we hold
that every farm, shop, mill-si:e, cOatbed,
&c. &c. in the land is now enhanced in pos
tive value by our Common Schools, and
would be rendered still more valNable if Ed
ucation were universal. We say that farm
in this State to-day will bring ten to twenty
per cent. more than one equal in soil and To-
cation in New.Jersey, where they have much
lighter taxes than we have and generally no
School tax atall-and we hold that the Prop
erty of New-JerSey would at this moment
have been Fifty Millions more than it is if
Five Millions had been judiciously spent in
that State during the last twenty years on
system Of Free Common Schools. But
hear our subscriber;
Correspondence OF The Tribune.
wArERrowN, N Y Saturday, July q, 1850.
n. GRIELEY-Dear SIR: Another subscriber,
who spells how eve, according to the latest author
tiles is displessed that you take SIDES with such
Free School Law as the People of this State are
a second time called on to approve reject,
through the ballot box.
Without giving battle by attacking the &C: in
detail ss it now stands desire to draw your at
tenton to- possibly better plan for the exercise of
your admitted acuteness in matters of public char
acter.
You know that all taxes for public purposes are
grudgingly paid Consequently, the greater care
should be taken that the taxpayers who compose
small part of every community should derive
some other return than that which arises from
mere implication. That vast many, under toe
present Free School Act have no other satisfaction
for the money they have parted with than being told
that their throsts and property are made more Sc.
cure with the schoolmaster abroad is a notorious
fact. We have nothing, that now think OF, in our
land, where unfsirness and force are 30 graceessy
imposed az in the matter of Common Schools.
In all our other social relations we take the
largest liberty, and no one questions the propristy
OF our acts though they may have the effect 70 les
sen profits or tumble over cherished dognss.
In iS our socf Il visits
and calls we are allowed to make our own choice
of bell pull and knocker In electlng public officers
athous ballots thrust into the same little box,
who ever knew Of Democrat voting for Wing
In trade, we patronise those who sell cheapest or
those who have the faculty of doing US In very
snecial nice manner. In the reading of a newspa
per- II shall not stop The Tribune Jost yetl we take
those whose tone is most IN unison witn our prepos
sessions In going TO Church. the Presbyterian, Epis
copslap Unitarian, Congreg ationslist, Baptist,
Methodist, Universalst, each hunts op his own
steeple, and prays, ritualiZes, expounds, exhorts
argues and mumbes in the manner be thinks best
calculated to make men better here aud Their con-
dition the more comfortable in the hereafter.
But when we come to q Common School, or &
olace where knowledge of various kinds is pro.
fessed to be acquired, the democratic voluntary
pripciple" is repudiated, both as 10 the means
which are required, and the direction 10 which the
twig sbal be inclined. There is nothing in our
whole practice OF public kind to which it has the
iss.t analogy In fact when you come to schools
themselves, of higher grade they shake of the
despotism which forms part OF and surrounds the
Common School system. Cambridge, Andover and
Yale and other Institutions, are each patronized
by those, and those only, who approve OF the par
ticular doctrines and principles which accompany
the acquisition Of human learning.
The advocates Of the existing Free School Act
nav that 1T 10 the business OF the State to educate
all the children OF the State have no objection
.ko ha pi0 led IN n
educated and, as we are always to have the poor
with us, do not object that those whom the God
of Heaven has kept from making their bellies thelr
god, and prospered should Of their means contrib
ute bey ond their numerical proportion But In this
compulsory contribution or taxation, prcpriety
should 10, be outraged, since consistency is 8
jewel"
Now il our School system could partsse OF the
characteristics OF our general social relations ashley
have been family portrayed, would it be expected
that the children of all, from to l., should bt
thrust into one common receptacle 10 Improve then
manners, and fit them for good citizens No; NJ
one in the least familiar with modern Common
Schools would look for such state Of things. W.
.bould find ON the coht'ary, what as, to great OK
tant the practice, aud eUer toW be. Those wh
have the means 10 do IT, send their children jus
,rAere fAez please, TO school, regardless, but no
fkougktless, of the public tax aud the private one
which is imposed on them by the defects OF on
school system.
contend that the taxpayers child is as muc
one OF "the children Of the State" as the non-tsx
PAYERS and is, OF the two, better entitled TO tn
means required to pay the expense OF schooling
So, If existing social relations, rhict cannot be =,
rersed, maugfe the prsting Of philsnthropists sub
iect taxpayers to double taxation for the sam
object is i. not better TO devise way in vhic
they can see themselves fairly dealt with, than t
call them the oPpresiors Of the poor and "serve
just rghti'
My whole PLAN emitting the details, would be L
have the State raise the money by tax necessar,
70 add TO the public fuod, for schooling all the chi
dren OF the State. Evsry Teacher on offering hi
services should have q certificate from the prope
authorities of capacity, jdst as Free Bankers dc
posit their securities with the Controller, and IN