The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-02-08

Its subverslon; that he should approach
to the faults of the sate, asto the
wounds of q. father, yYit 5pious awe
and trembling soitsft a Reform
therefore," says Bacon, without brave
ry or scandal of former times and per
sons; yet, set it down, to thyself as
well as to create good precedent Us tc
follow them"
Conservatism then, rs we under
stand it, is the highest type of progress
| feel, gentlemen, in thus urging upon
you conservatism, as the bulwark Of
republicanism, speak to those il,
whom education, habits Of life, and
political position. dictate ready as.
sent. shall again recur to it, in a
practical manner.
1t is mow uniuersally{a thai
The education Of the people is essential
to The permanency Of Republican insti.
tutions. TO oppose tbs doctrine is to
'ncur the charge Of hostility to enlight
enment, and a leaning to aristocracy.
The question, Mereose,of the proprie-
ty and policy ofpublic education, may
be considered as passed upon. The
State, is the party to whom this duty
is very properly assigned, MS compris,
ing the people in their organic body,
and rs demanding duties and services
of the citizen, of the. nature of which
she should inform him. Republics,
more than all other political systems.
require q higher state Of moral and
mental training in the whole mass of
citizens. This, then, being the admit
ted object, the question remains rs to
the best means to attain to it-u prob
lem FIR, vcry far from being successful
ly soived.
Above all ancient nations, the sys-
tenn ofeducalion among the Athenians
is most worthy cfsnotice. A State.
whose territory was less than many of
our districts with population of but
10000 voting citizens, but which has
left models in politics, poetry, history,
philosophy, and the arts, which after
the laFssssse5sees { more two hundred
whose genus 81, ,.sjS me EN-
pIre over theaninds&SSsS hearts Of men,
must have pursued system Of educa-
ton as sublime md wise, as its achieve.
ments are triunphant and enduring
In the language of another&, "a people
who could bear to have their follies
lashcd by an Aristophanes, who fully
appreciated the lofty attic tragedy. who
corrected the Language of Demos
themes, must have had an intellectual
refinement never since equalled. -
What then was the training which bore
such fruits?
The education Of the Athcnian was
chiefly oral and public, though not in
the modern sense. Poetry, like mus
ic, was then given toahe world not in
cold type, but the accent, the voice,
the play ofconntenanee, and the cnthu.
siasm Of the composer accompanied
his verse to th,. hearts and imagina.
tions Of his hearers. lf;philosophy, elo-
qnencc, laws or morals swere taugi tie
master OF each sat albh in the orches
ira, his own instrument in hand, per.
forming his part in thegrand harmony
W lth each lesson was impressed The
venerable mien, or the genius lit eye
of the speaker. There was no annoy.
ance to tempt the pen Of calumny OF
scnrility, to s,reen the anarchist and
the poisoner, whilefit scattered the
treason of the one, or. the henbane of
the other. And ifS.hey reaped the
evils Of the oral system, they certainly
escaped the equal if not greater of the
written.
II the former made them the fttine
audience of the seductive orator. il
saved them from the noiscIess and fire.
side pollution Of the latter. If vice and
dishonor had their eloquent advocate
so also had virtue and patriotism, and
if the Athenian chose wrongly, he al
least did not ignoran,ly. Ifhis jud :.
mcnt was exercised hastily in the
crowded Agora, rather than calmly ir
his closet, so neither did It tester over
incendiary pamphlets and chilling IL
ccnliousness! II he was captivated by
brilliant sophistries from the mouths o
demagouges, he was spared their deep
infusion into him from the press.
But the most striking feature of the
education of the young Athenian, was
its animnting and inspiring character
See him rs he. bends his 1.-the form in
mute attention to the discussion, OF
Plato and Anaxagoras--as he drinks
i'll at the Ecclesia q love Of liberty and
honor, fresh from the lips ofSolon and
Dcmosthcnes-hear him as he Joins in
the chaunt of llomeric songs-see him
as at tho Theatre, his vivid nature
hangs entranced by the chorus of Eu
ripides-as nt lho festivals and olymp
les, the deeds OF heroes and sages nev
er forgotten, are sung in lyric numbers
firing his young mind with dreams OF
fame, as his love Of the beautiful is
stepped in admiration ofthe Parthenon
and the decorations Of the Propylea-
mark his breast swelling with pride o
country, rs he beholds the bronze statue
Marathon, or enters the Odeon. whose
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