The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-03-15
Teachers from Abroad.

There would be great advantage in having u
body of intelligent teachers educated in our midst,
who are well acquainted with western habits, Gus
toms and feelings It not uuircqueutly happens,
that such rs CundsSccni To come amongst U.s. from!
the eastern states have conceived The idea that
our people are bat partially enlightened and
greatly need their services in order to acquire
the elemclts ofcivi.iza;ion and christianity The
fewer teachers have ut this sort the better for
the public good. r. on accuun. uguewur.s uf set
tlcmrnt ard -parseness Of population We have
not vet school, cQV'i IN their character to those
which may he found in some of the older states.
our population al least rs intelligent, a. enter
prising and enlightened as any other. We are
not vet reduced 10 the necessity Of claiming the
aid Of benevolent societies, who unie. the watch.
word Of education, seek to make our territory the
recruiting ground Of cts.-Syperin!rUicntS he.
port.
We conceive that the above passage in the Su-
perintenden,'s Report is conceived in a spirit as
mean and ungenerous as the philanthropy and
self sacrifice Of many who come here as teachers,
are exceeding rare and prajscworthy Among SO
many Just and elevate sentiments worthy OF the
spin: of our age to be compelled to observe fling
Of this Mad, is as unexpected as it is unpleasant.
Can it be that orr wosthy superintendent wrote
that paragraph on the evening r,'cr lis irahd'
the Governor, vetoed the bank bi.ii
There can be no apology for bad manners or
for wholesale abuse
The idea is prevalent some quarters that we
Western people ale made Of a peculiar kind Of
ala, .,,J L.,, a,,,L ,,,,rp,rs anil customs a. lra
not to be met with in other parts of the world
Our feelings is peculiar" Those who 'conde
scend to come among US" accordingly must not
teach US if We are ignorant, but leave Us without
schools till they conform to our notions.
1t Is n fact not to be concealed that there are
great destitu,ons in our Western states, That in
many Of our larger towns and villages it IS i'm
possible to supply our schools with competent
teachers, or with any teachers at all. We have
known personally many teachers who have come
from pleasant homes at the east, solely to be use
ful in their Observation-Disclosures Of the young
benefactors of their country, who have laborcd
faithfully for inadequate reward, who are still
tolling in great usefulness to the acceptance Of
their patrons We have never known one to
whom the paragraph alluded to above could APP
ply with any Justice, We have known many
whose noble enthusiasm in their Abors shines in
glorious contrast with this growl OF a well paid
official
Those who choose may take the swaggcr Of
the braggadocio, aud talk about our population
being as intelligent, as euterpri,ing, and as en-
lightcned rs any other The fact il, We want
teachers Nearly all our professional men have
come from the older states, and will do so for a
time to come. 1--WE ought no. to halloo before
we are out Of the woods" A. TO their being
any benevolent societies under the wlichword
Of education, who are seeking to make cur terri
tory (hurrAh y the recruiting ground oftheir sccts,
we have not the least evidence. We regard the
imputation as slanderous and exceedingly uube
coming.
For our part we welcome teachers More than
u year ago we commended those gentlemen (cast
ern teachers) who commenced Teachers Insti
tutes in Illinois. Let all who can, come on; and
by this means we shall soon be able TO secure n
supply from our own native population