Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-04-13


the concert or the opera, Or by gentle diver
sions on some lavorite instrument.
The skill of the ancient Greeks in this re-
fined science, is almost proverbial. 1t wasa
rare thing to find cultivated Atheniant
without knowedg ge of it, and without skill
! upon some instrument Thcmistoces, we
are told. was deemed m1cWncd. because Of
his inability to play the Tyre at a feast. You
rccollrct curious passage on this subject
in Circeros I'us. Disp Lib. l. ,, B.:
'"Sumnmm cruditi"ncm Gr;rc sam ccnscban:
in nrrvorum vocumqnr canlihus. lgitur ct Epa-
mrinnn'las princrrs. nrro judcin, Gr.rcir fibu>
pracl;,re cccnssc dc;iur T'hcmistoccsGuc aliquoi
ante amos cum in rpuis rccusarot yrai ct habitus
ind"tinr. Ergo in Graca Alrsici tlorncrrnt drS-
crhantqnc Id umncs nee qn: ncscicbat salts crcnI.
tuS doetrina paf0bGtnr."
So much for the academies: The establish.
ment OF which mrst be deemed Of greatim.
portance, and may be considered the second
step towards Il comprehensive SYSTEM Of
State education. The forming Of common
schools is the next step.
To furnish system of common school in
struction for our State, likely 10 be success.
tul, is coniessedly thing Of great practical
ditfic' .lty. The Importance of it, however,
is 50 strongly felt at present, that one should
NOT be restrained from offering his sngges-
, tinns from fear of failure or Of criticism.
Though much has been said and written on
this subject little, believe, in the way OF IL
well dgested, suitable plan has been brought
to the public eye. The b"asted systems Of
Prussia, and Of New Eng gland, recommend.
ed by some, may at once be rejected as un.
suited to our present state, not to speak OF
their failure to achieve the grand results so
confidently expected in the reg ions where
they have been established. No system,
which is wholly compulsory, or entirely vol
untary, can succeed with US. These two
things must he properly blended in order t"
develop really useful results. The system
should be so far voluntary rs to enlist the
cordial efforts of our peopl in the cause OF
education. yet sufficiently coercire to impart
order and permanently to the arrangement.
With much diiidence yet, with some as
surance of its feasibility, submit the fol-
loving outline Of plan Let the LesIsa.
lure appoint from ten to fifteen school COM
missoners for each district in the State, with
directions so to distribute their labors among
themselves, that each commissioner will have
a certain circuit within which to perform his
duties. 1t shall, in the first place, be incum-
bent on him to seek out all the neighborhoods
within his circuit in which schools may be
established, and to form precincts, il pracll'
cable, not exceeding five miles square. he
shall then appoint five trustees within each
precinct, who shall constitute a body corpo'
rate for specific purposes, and shall assist
him in selecting suitable and central sites f'r
the establishment of school houses These
trustees shall endeavor by voluntary contri
buttons from all the inhabitants of their re.
spective precincts TO raise the funds, neces
sary during the first year, to erect the build
ings, and afterwards to pay the salaries o
the teachers. Should the sums thus raised be
insufficient, it shall be the duty of the com
missioners with the aid of the trustees, tc
~NorE-The Grecians thought that to sing and
to play well was the highest accomplishment. AM
therefore Epaminondus the chief in my opinion o
the Greeks is said to have accompanied the lyrt
most beautifully And Thcmistoccs some few Year,
before when lie refused the Tyre at the feast was cs
tcemed rather unlearned. Therefore in Greece
Musicians hourishcd and all cultivated that art. MOI
was that nan deemed highly polished who was ig
nuraut thereof.