The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-25

i not traised BY the system which prcssuds v In
sruct him so that he Il qualified for the busiusss Of
life' Is 1t not necessary to have the scholsr taught
principles a. well ~ books and sciences-aud such
principles. too as will qualify him, at later period,
to control and govern himself! Is it enough for
him merely 10 know theoretically the history Of the
world, and the operations Of the great laws of ma
ture in the moral and Intellectual universe? Ought
he not to have incuieased upon him practical les
sons Of experience, to be Aa@de seqasnted with the
world, with human nature, with those forms and
manners Of existence which he will encounter, and
be prepared to meet, when he goes out into the y-
ing, breathing, moving world!
We have thrown these ideas hastily together,
and the upshot of themis, that education, and what
is called, particularly, public education is no. and
cannot, be taught in schools even where other ma
tons we ourselves have attempted to do it. We
and they have always failed in the effort. 1t is i'm
possible The truth is that we have in this country
adopted, al.housh we do not yet seem to know il,
the only system Of public education by which the
entire nation can be trained for the duties Of public
or private life. Who are our pupils! All our citi-
zens. Where is our school! The length and
breadth Of the continent. Who are are our teach
ers! The people themselves are educating them
selves, by intercourse with each other from day 10
day, and hour to hour, and moment to moment
Here all classes mnge with each other, and they
mingle ceaselessly-the best with the worst, the
ignorant with the educated, the pure with the i'm
pure, statesmen from the turmos of political strug-
giles with scholars in the solitude of their studies
lawyers from the combats Of the bar, and the SUBJ
tetes of their profession with artists in their stu
dios, surrounded by dreams of fancy and images of
classic beauty.
To enumerate merely the teachers of the Ameri-
can people would require more space than we can
devote to the whole subject We shall speak, how
ever, Of few.
First. there is the pulpit, embracing ministers in
every part ofthe country, ofevery religious creed but
all OF them more or less imbued with the sentiments
which belong to the nationalityofour country Among
them ALL there is not one who does not either ncul-
cate or recognise on every occasion, the funda mental
principles Of democracy and free government. They
may differ, and they do, in all other respects; but
among all the 25OOO priests and ministers of various
sects and religions, there is tendency in their
preaching, their conversations, their writings and
their examples towards the incubation of the great
system OF free government. Including the regular
ministraons of Sunday, the regular and occasional
lectures delivered during the week, the conventions.
convocations, assemblies, presbyteres, synods, and
general meetings of the Bible classes, the Sunday
schools, the conferences, the class meetings, &c.,
not less, probably, than nne-tenhs of the people of
the lnited States are brought under the influence
Of system Of religious instruction. which may pro-
duee ten THOUSAND different results, so far as the
formation Of religious notions goes but which, with
out dispute, results Systematically and practically
in most wide spread and concentrated form of in.
iuence ever yet dreamed of in one point And that
is the constant recognition of the republican form
Of government, the constant assertion of the right
of private judgment in matters Of religion-the con.
slant advocacy and deence, in fact, of every one of
the cardinal princ les which lie at the bottom of
the American system of government and social life
Here, then, an army ofteachers which, faecuratey
numbered, would be estimated only by hundreds of
thousands. They have, besides, hundreds Of news
papers and reviews, and Thousands Of books,
pamphlets, reports appeals memorials, discussions,
and means of illumination, all of which contribute in
the main to the production Of the very same result
We have, secondly, not less than one hundred
and fifty thousand teachers employed throughout
our country, in the proper business of educating
wards Of 1900 district schools, with not less than
1000 teachers, to say nothing of the number of
private schools academies, colleges and universities
which employ, on an average, not less than 1900
other persons in the same business No other State
has so large number; although, in proportion to
it population some of the New England States cx-
ceed us in that respect. Now, be il remembered that
among those hundred and fifty thousand teachers,
there Is not on eof the entire number who does not
habituay, although it may be unconsciously, weave
into the very web and wool of his instructions the
American system Of thinking, acting, and govern
ing. With such unshackled freedom of thought
with such perfect unanmity of opinion in regard
to the rights Of and the object Of his creation
the means of his progress, the elements Of his adj
vancement, and the form of government best
adapted to secure these objects, the most superficial
will readily perceive how tremendous must be the
influence everywhere exerted; how universally the
entire body OF the people must be convinced of the
same great principles of government and Of rights,
There is, too, the legal class, the physicians and
surgeons. There il the army and navy, and, per-
heps, above ALL VIC might instance the legislature Of
our States conventions, our public gatherings,
where the people assemble to discuss their rights es-
tablsh their political opinions elaborate their views
on self government for the district, the town. the
county, the state, the confederation itself-and
there is the national Congress, where all Of these
views concentrate, where all Of these men, educated
in 30 many thousand different ways, come together,
and, with the exception Of two subjects which,
owing to the spirit Of fanatcism, have divided the
opinions Of different sections, concur harmoniously
In the great principles which lie the bottom Of our
grea, system Of government, and our system Of
life.
spoken of-the public press. Ofall denomination. in
religion Of all parties in politics ofa opinions ia
ca life, there not less than 5000 newspapers and
periodicals printed in the United States, and
there Is not a man, woman, or child, of a sound
mind that has reached the age Of reflection that il