Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1854-06-27
EpUcATI0N.

How very little must those persons know
who think that system of equality pervades
all nature, and that men collectively partake
of the universal quality, and individually be-
come equal. Let us look all over the world
carefully, and we shall not fail to discover the
very opposite to be the case, whether 1t be
among the trees, and plants, the rocks or
mountains, the rivers or the purling streams,
oceans, continents, islands, and IN fact all
things the eyes rest on. Where shall we find
perfect equality? and if naturally there be little
approximation to such thing, how much less
will there be, when man in his aboriginal and
uncertain discipline is trained and assisted by
art. Take the wild flowers of the field, re-
move them within cultivated gardens, plant
them in the well prepared soil, give them the
attendance of the experienced gardener and
will they be still the same, and only equal to
their original and natural state. Let us look
at the inferior animals. Is horse, for exam
pie that is uncared for, untaught, and left to
forage for himself equal in every respect to
the one under kindly discipline, and care, and
that comes out tractable, almost social, and
with a shining coat. Look into the heavens
and do we find all the planets and all the stars
equal in brilliancy, in magnitude, in density
or in yelocity-where out of one hundred
blades of grass can there be found definition
| for the word identical, in fact, where is per-
feet equality?
That there are certain things which all ma
ture enjoys in common, there can be no ques-
tion, and great numbers of which the members
of the human family rejoice in as their COM
| mon privilege, but this does not alter the
question: because we find that man as grega
| rious animal associates only with those whose
! tastes are identical with the class to which
| each man by habit, intellect, but particularly
| by education, delights in; this dividing soc&
| ETY. by strong lines of demarcation in accOp
ance with law which has not been decres
yet is more incapable of alteration than
| of the medes and Persians of old.
| We have said, but particularly By edwcd
as we consider this greater fulcrum than I
physical one wished for by Archimedes t.
raise the world. Has not education raised
the world! Look back into history, and COM
pare the vast improvements in everything con-
nected with one mundane system, and all mat
| ters, contingencies on mans probationary
| state, and we can alone trace these advantages
| to Education. @
The value of education might indeed appear
| to be an axiom, but we regret to think that
there are yet persons in the community who
fail to conceive the blessings that education
bestows on mankind, and with shame be it
confessed, some also who think that morals
are made worse by its application, and allow
their children to grow up as untutored weeds
in this great garden of Gods providence. To
those we would suggest the impossibility of
their offspring ever rising either to fame a
| meng men, or to be useful members of the
community, failing as they assuredly will, to
carry out that manifest destiny to which every
individual has been called, and finally unable
| to give an account of the proper appropriation
of the talents whether two, five or ten, that
| have been committed to their charge.