Washington sentinel., 1854-03-02
Public Education in Alabama.

Our representative, N. II. Brown, esq.,, vii
accept our thanks for the very able aud elabo
rate report of Mr.. Meek, chairman Of the com
| mittee on education, which he has kindl,
| forwarded to US. The report submitted by Mr.
| Meek provides for the establishment and sus
tenance of a system of free public schools in
the State, under the general supervision and
| direction of superintendent, who shall be an
elective State officer. The duties of the super
intendent to be the disseminating of useful in
formation and the exercising Of watchful
care over all educational interests. An appro-
priation by the State of $l48,O00, in addition
10 the $4,000 annually distributed from the
Sixteenth Section Fund, is to be the means OF
support by which this noble object is to be
carried on. This mode of educating youth has
been adopted in several southern States, and
has worked admirably
No subject has awakened more interest in
the people generally, than the one we speak of.
popular system, by which the seeds of
knowledge may be sown in the highways and
by ways of our State to germinate and bring
forth fruit, some sixty, and some an hundred
fold, is the great thing needful We have long
felt its necessity. When we can realize that
there are in our own native Alabama one hun
dred thousand children, who are old enough
to go to school and yet receive no school in
struction, because it is not in their power to do
so, we will be better able to appreciate the
remedy offered by Mr.. Meek in his school bill.
1t provides mental food to our destitute chill
dren. Itfosters aprinciple of pure benevolence,
for it gives knowledge-the pearl of great price.
What we ask, will be the future OF our State,
if some means are not adopted to teach the
thousands of children who are springing up in
to maturity in all portions of it? Are we to
forever be the home of thousands of grown men
and women who can neither read nor write
How long will it be before we can say, like one
of the New England States, that we have not
one in our borders who has not the rudiments
of an education-when every citizen will at
least know how to write his own name and
read the ticket he votes. We do not wish to
be thought as speaking lightly when we say
that, il every voter in the State knew how to
read, unprncipled wings who give foul ticket
to good, honest, unsuspecting, though igno-
rant democrat, would be caught in their dirty
tricks much oftener than they are.
We see that up to this time no final action
has been taken by the Legislature, but we pre-
sumo that the bill will pass. That the State
needs its passage we have already said. That
the body of her yeomanry cry aloud for the
succor it affords them, needs not to be affirmed,
for the deluging shower Of petitions that has
been poured upon the Legislature shows but too
plainly the peoples will and the peoples want.
We say to our Legislators, retrieve your charac-
ter by passing this bill do not have too much
odium attached to your name; the defeat you
gave the State aid bill was bad enough. Do
not add to it.
Since the above was set up, we have received
intelligence of the bills having been ordered
to third reading in the senate by large ma
jority; it has already passed the house, and the
Journal says its adoption may now be consid-
done something to make the people point to it
with pride for in passing this bill it has erect
ed for itself monument more lasting than any
built with wood and stone. The odium at
tached to it on account Of its killing the State