New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-02-02
TIE DAILY ,CsiRI',EsSs CI5IN +
THURSDAY MORNING. FEB'Y 2, 1s
EDITORIAL CORRESPON,DEyNCE.


am about to write you i Sunday letter a
sin, no doubt: but what if put an unusual
quantity Of helpful truths into it 1t will be q
sin no longer Deeds Of charity on Sabbath
day are permitted and therefore are men to
preach on that day Now. l am not about to
preach: Heaven forbid But have certain
things to say, which only vacation from
public business can we'll allow: things which
need certain calm, leisure and space in order
to be written as they should be. considerably
There are two topics, Of great interest. on which
/ wish to speak to my constituents. For have
a constituency, just as much as any of these
Representatives have: my readers are my con
stituency yea, greatly larger and far more
intelligent one than any Of them can boast Do
they serve their constituents as faithfully as
do mine Do they perform for them as hearty
and as incessant labor Dare they as frankly
unbosom themselves Do they meet as much all
public questions? Are they equally ready to
stand up on all occasions, for the right, popular
or unpopular What do they represent Too
often but their own selfish ends, q false popular
ity got by intrigue and kept by juggling ; while
Z represent the public intelligence alone, and
the popularity of manly and open discussion, IN
all things. But let me proceed.
Ihave been looking oyer the State Library
here; and must say that was saddened at
seeing what a very indifferent, what very mar
row collection it is-how very little worthy Of
the liberality Of this opulent, how little fit for
the necessities Of this busy State, which re-
quires 50 much all the aids of awide and sys.
tematic intelligence! Putting out of view the
lumber Of Congressional journals and docu-
ments which make a full half the books and
which are gratuity from the Federal Govern
ment, you have really, for your State Library,
a collection which | myself-a poor devil Of a
scholar-would scarcely consent to take in ex-
change for my own private hoard of volumes.
For it is half as large, embraces more that is
rare, and in particular subjects-literature,
history and politics--is more complete. | say
this, Of course, only to give stronger idea Of
your penury. This wealthy State is poorer in
its supply Of intellectual tools for all the pub
lie purposes of 50 many men and SO many inter
ests, than an individual student, however mar
row his fortune, can venture to be, if he expects
fifty to prosecute pursuits which demand reg
sular information.
But, yet further to aggravate what must
plainly call the shamefulness of this state of
of things, we live, as people, in the midst of a
general literary restitution there are no pri-
waite libraries amongst us, except the merely
professional ones of lawyers and doctors. This
private booklessness admits little hope of i'm
provement, in country where the perpetual
n ,,ofya Afu oy,I fba hot
man accumulated rich library, it would be
broken up at his death, prohibit the formation
Of any but public collections. Thus it is doably
necessary, in this country, that the public
should do what individuals cannot, and doubly
to be deplored, if the public fail to do it
Now, please to consider a few plain PROPOSE
tions There is no art, no science, hardly a
pursuit however humble, which has not need to
enlighten and perfect itself, by the aid of books
Useful to almost the simplest occupation-since
TO almost the simplest, intelligence and eontri-
vance can be applied-they are absolutely in
dispensabe aids and guides, in all the more
difficult pursuits; many of which, besides, de-
pend entirely upon knowledge not to be de-
rived at all except from books nor capable of
fifty performing its work, except in proportion
asst has mastered all the information contained
in them. In day Of knowledge, it is from
them that we must all draw for the time is
past when mere mother wit could effect much :
mother-Wit must now consent to go to school
and learn its lessons, or else be an incapable
bloekAead. In short, it is not now as it was
when art had made but few advances, learning
no aecu mutations, and all that was known
could be reached by an original insight, ma.
tive discrimination so that Talent itself can
not afford to be less than highly instructed, if
would succeed with any certainty, effect any
thing worthy Of it or even anything respeota-
Bile. Now, exactly as, in our state of society.
the individual cannot afford to be without the
precise knowledge requisite to his vocation; 50,
just as much, is it most wretched and false
economy for a Government not to supply itself
with all the intellectual means of conducting
to the greatest advantage its own operations.
Those operations can, in the present stage of
civilization, be, in every instance, carried on
with the highest and most inyariable skill:
shall they perpetually blunder, for want of
knowing what every man may now know Each
blunder, it may be safely said, will be certain
to cost you more than would a public library
rich enough to prevent all blunders whatever
For each blunder is 8 huge sacrifice in some
great and permanent interest. Often, it will
be irreparable. For it may involve not merely
a heavy loss in some material interest, but .
violation Of justice that will affiict whole gen
GRAFTON and perhaps grow into all the forms of
vested rights; or it may directly corrupt the
very morals Of your people and infect their
whole public being for centuries conclude,
then, that a government can still less than
professional man afford to carry on its duties
and its business without the books proper to its
occupation.
| have an easy way of ascertaining what
knowledge there is in a country endeayor to
find out what and how many books are in it.
By the first, get at the degree, by the second
at the diffusion of learning in it. Measured in
this way, | fear that Louisiana cannot rate
well, IN either sense. But sheis wealthy, young,
active: let her legislature hasten to amend the
defects have pointed out
have much more 10 say on this subject
Z for am full of it, md shall proceed, another
day, with some of its practical details. They
will prove interesting, even if they shall be
other wise fruitless The second subject which
| had proposed to myself-that of the States
having its seat of government here--must be
for the present postponed. RW.J.