Grass Valley telegraph., 1854-05-04
For the Telegraph.
OUR SCHOOLS.

OUR SCHOOLS.
MEssRs EDITORS A few weeks since
noticed some very proper remarks in your
paper over the signature of J. D., and have
reason to think that very large proportion
of our citizens highly approve of the sugges-
tions there made. And furthermore. / believe
it would be an insult to the good sense of our
citizens to bring any labored arguments il
favor of immediate action in this matter.
s. will say this much for Grass Valley, land
challenge contradiction by fair trial,j that
we have no grade of United States citizens
among us who will not freely aid and encour.
age this most laudable enterprise. There are
proofs abundant in our midst of the liberal
public spirit of our community Already we
have four comfortable churches erected by
voluntary contributions The Bible Society
and Sabbath Schools, or any proper objects
of charity, receive as prompt and efficient a:d
here as elsewhere. Believing these things to
be true of our citizens, without regard to &C.
cupations, would be unwilling to Eli your
precious columns with lamentable. yet trutt
full arguments drawn from survey Of the
youthful population that now amounts to near
two hundred in and around our village, and
of whom but very few are getting even the
first rudiments of an education, except such
as they get in our streets and saloons-alasf
that such should be the training of those who
are soon to assume all the social and OWL re-
sponsibilites that society will justly demand
of them.
How often is it said, that lad might be d
very useful man if he only had the necessary
instruction and training. A distinguished
officer once said, ''he is not fit to rule, who
has not first learned to submit to proper au-
thority." But we are emphatically nation
of rulers. That educationis one of the deep
est principles of our government, and that
upon it depends the prosperity and perpetuity
of our free institutions, need not be argued,
! for none doubt it.
Do you ask for proof of this popular belief
of the Importance of education? Do you ask
for deeds to prove their faith Rather hard
demands; but the very fact that so many
confess their fault without AIN a accuser, is GER
tainly very commendablc. They have often
said it is a shame to have town the size of
this and not building that we can point to,
as oar school house. What hallowed associa-
tions are connected with the school house of
our boyhood, and yet children here cannot
form such attachments, because what is a
school house to-day, may be something else
to o-morrow.s ~le * -r45r5. .rfct .r4t
Again, they will say it is a shame we did
not take the necessary steps last year to Sc
cure our share of the. $5O,OOO that was dis
tributed among a ne,,y .feao schools. They
also say something must be done now-and
very soon, or we will not be able to claim
any share of the much larger sum to be dis
trIlbuted at the close of this year. All too.
seem to think that house first, demands at
tention' And many have expressed a will
llngness to contribute for such building, as
soon as the necessary steps are taken. to com
mence the enterprise. 1t is useless to saw
anything of the unsuitableness of our present
school arrangements, for they are as good as
can be obtained, until public or private en-
terprise ereets a suitable building. >,,~>
Again 1 say, the interests of society at
large, and our own in particular demands i'm
mediate action in this matter Miners, Me-
chanlcs, Merchants, Banker, and all good
citizens Will, according to their several abili-
ties give it their hearty support as soon as
the first step is taken Soy s,,,bo,, Yal...rIe
organizing meeting be called? Consult the
friends of education, and tell us next week
and let us test the public sentiment on this
long neglected matter. lqsvrs
= In your next number we viii expect SOME
thing more to the point. O.