Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-05-03


to recnst tho IDEAS of the generation Of
people That is TO succeed tho present,
who is free from party bias because ncu'
,rality is but Indifference, and indlicr.
acc between rigb, and wrong conscr'
vaiism. and It's profession is condition
ofdeprayi,y very little short Of atheism
This officer, we are required 10 in
inform our readers is TO be sublima.cd
20 something above the common sphere
Of party, Of common sense, ana people.
md i. to. be the choice Of q self'constl.
,r.el boly who have kindly taken the
concerns Of clrco,ion under their
ma0agcmen,, and WHO assume to be
the only persons interested and qualified
10 judge upon shat subject. We con-
Tess 70 some iisso,isfac ton with the pro
posed Interference and liciaiion Of this
cotelie, unless their action shall be
sanctioned and adopted BY ono or other
Of the political parties Of the State.
Politics, fno. the business, is the
concern AMI duty Of every Amcdean
citizen. The education furnished BY
the State is to qualify :hosc born 10 free.
J dom fily 10 discharge the duties it i'm.
poses, which otherwise they would be
unfit to do; for though we have heard OF
a species OF patriots who claim to have
suckel in liberty with their mothers
milk, we have always doubted the story
D.. OF these suckings. and have been in.
clinel to the opinion, that 'rcadin and
'rilin do not come by nature, any more
than Minerva sprung perfectly from the
head Of Joyc, the ancient fable TO the
contrary notwithstanding. And as the
the justification Of Inc State proviso for
education is found in its bcnifceit and
necessary consequences TO the body poll
tic, we can discover no reasonable cause
| why the State Commissioner Of common
Schools, clothed with the power to Sc
lcct the school district ibrarics, and tc
give direction 10 the education Of thl
State, should be man Of no decided
or known political opinions. This
question Of popular education is vastly
important. The schoolmasier is a pow
=, in the S:ate.uAnl law jus; passet
in regard to education is the bcginnin!
, ofa new system, that may decide thc
liberal or rc!rogale tendencies Of IN,
generations in future. We have hear.
,ha, The .!esu;ts managed the world 70
no littlc while by controlling eluca,ior
and We want to know all tina, We car
about the habits Of thought an! tcndon
cica of the man who is to be al the hea,
Of our system Of popular schools.
He may not control State, and he
cannot, but if he is man Of narrov
anl conservative views, an in;ol oleran
bisot, or negative man. in one frs
term Of office he may do or permit, in
calculablc harm.
! Bu' the Comnlss;onaris is TO be chosen
without regard to politics, making 1T,
ness AMI experience in such matters the
test says co'emporary. Very well.
But if he has Gxol political opinions, is
ho therefore any The less I'll? A party
! nomination made Horace Mann, state
superintendent. Of schools in Massachu.
sets, ana he is q model for such off
= GERS. He is all eminent politician; and
so is Gov. Slaic Of Vermont; Senator
! Eveco;, Of Massachusetts; Benton Of
Iowa &c.
! We have yet 20 hear any we'll found
/ cl compliant Of these gentleman as
friends and guides in the management
I Of public education. This talk, as il
a party makes choice Of man for pub.
lie station he is likely to be less fitted
for the discharge Of duties than if some
. self constituted guardian of the public
veal, some cotorie Of extra rospec,ables,
I or some society for the benefit Of the
members, should make the choice has
no foundation in regard for the public
welfare and asks carclessacss to be
! exercised in the matter of education
which is not thought Of in the choice ol
d sub district Judge ofthe Court Of com.
/ mon Pleas, State Governor, and a
! dozen Of other officers, with far less DOW.
or to affect the present or the future
! welfare Of the State. Besides, who are
men in this Republic Of respectable ca.
Pacity who have formed no definite o.
! pinion in politics, or who refuse to dis.
close those they have formed? We
doubt net they are men who do not sym.
pathisc with our Institutions, Of the class
/ probably whom NJ. dc Toqucvlle de.
clared, privately assured him that tho
born in a Republic they were not Re.
! pnhicans. If Mr.. Lorin Androws is a
whlc, as we suppose from the ready ac.