Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-04-03
NUMBER 7s.

ralsts would With all humility recommend 10 ,hs s.,n,.
si be content with any plan they may devised which
mas incorporated IN il these leading features The New
England plan gives to each school district the taxing pow
e while the scheme suggested, confines the exercise OF
t,s power to the counties. This Is in confo, nifty
with the usages OF our State and changes miles, abso
utey necessary,'s neither desirable nor wholesome
mere u may perhaps be asked, why are not the cit.
ehs oi HALIFAX content with the law Of winter since
coneedes TO their county all nearly ALL that thew now
esS s ,or tne state at lage Did the county Of Halifax
eei tseh independent OF its sister counties and we're
not Interested in the general prosperity Of he STATE
might be content But isolatd progress Is impossi
Ole Your memoriais advocate general Iavs that thew
may ofing ABOUT general prosperity They love their
county, oeciu:e 1t is part Of Virginia. and they would
have no privileges as they would submit no grievan.
ces "hch they do not enjoy suffer in common with
other portions Of the State. But what il perbaps yet
graver objection this partial legislation h that II makes
the ssfool question hinge for parties on. Il
would render county the victim of endless strife and
contention lie knows little of the spirit Of Republican
government who expects any advance along the high
way oil improvement by detachmcuts. In the majority
resides the will the spirit and tho life of the parts and
an advancing column carried forward by a momenary
enthusiasm, would, like limb severed from tho body.
soon lose its vitality aud its force.
Your mcmorasts would bespeak the patience or xo,r
honorable body little longer while they proceed to CON
er with some the objections commonly urg-
| cd against a system OF free schools in Virginia
The most appalling difficulty in tho way of Popul,r
haueaon in Virginia, in the view of friends and enemies,
Is the comparative spsreness of her population
Tue sweetest fruit hangs olticst branches and
tne greatest good guarded by strongest barrier.
Inc man who nagnhes difficulties into impossbilites
who sees lion in every PATH falls victim 10 slo,b
aud mbeclity The State which hugs the deIus;op ,b.,
there is something in her condition or institutions b;ch
peculiar and which forbids her march forward when
her duty and her hest interests beckon her ON in dn
ger oil losing her position and her consequence An old
country with sparse population is an unattractiye
country Make such country attractive, and peo-
pie VIII pour into it, An emigrnnt in seeking home
seeks it for himself and his children. For hmself
he desires healthy locality, and easily approach
cd market. For his children if he il wise he seeLs
good Cheap school he of
causes him to direct his steps elsewhere Il NAV then
be fairly nfered that the establishment of schools Is the
best mode oil attracting TO State Migrants from
abroad; and that from the best class of emirran
such enlightened enough to value the blessiog f
education The want of good schools, besides preventing
immigration, makes our spars population sparser Men
are constantly leaving localities where they are out of
reach OF schools for points where they convenient
This view should address itself with great force IN an a..
rcultura and slave State like Virginia What will be her
condition without resident proprieary-with her best
citizens abandoning the country for cities and towns
leaving their lands be cultivated by slaves under the
management OF agents, who are careless of improve
inent and all the revenues from the land spent in
distant cities, creating perpetual and destructive
| drain upon the country? To find a parallel 10 snch
disasters must seek it in the Roman Empire durin
its decline, with overgrown city and an m
povershed country Evidences of such ten dency in our
State are already beginning show themselves The nph
lie improvements which now penetrating the mos.
distant parts OF !he country, exerting centrazpp in
huence which must be counteracted Man by nature
gegarous animal; cities and towns him and II
the country loses any OF its advantages n will cease IN
retain its population IL would seem then tba, , ona,s
population of all Others needs most the aid of GOOD .n
cheap schools Populous towns can take care of tbsm
selves tue country requires the fostering protection of e
| State. - '
But we are told that where population s very sparce
the resources Of the State are not equal TO the
bringing school within reach ofalL 1t is readily Granted
that this Is difficult and that the pauciy of numbers Is an
obstacle in the way of the perfect working Of the nrond
scheme. But at last the question in the most snaI
populated parts OF the Sta;e, t. between uconyenn,
schools and schoos-bctween bows satnq tbree or
school O at
school in the centre of district eight miles square
such school nearly three fourths of the children could
attend from within distance of three miles and II in
stead of being placed in the of the district Il be
situated reference the easiest approach of the
est numbers nne enths would often reach by an easy
walk But this evil would at worst be but temporary
Our population will be denscr and denser every for
these schools will be points of
which population win continue to gather So soon "a the
district became sufficiently popuous II would be divided
and the Inconvenience would cease
Here it may be well to a singular fact in the work
ing of the Massachusetts, school, brought to LIGHT nv tho
reports of its school committees In the most sparsey
populated townships the Attendance OF the children a.
school is better and more Uniform than in those which
more densely nhabed-better even than Is in tho
popuous city OF Bos;oE When we bring To mind ,bst
this State is locked up 10 ice for SIX mootbs In
the year. and the country roads almost impossible
Tor snow dri;s, we ought to be encouraged 10
hope, that, with our open mild, dry climate an
| attendance of scholars, especially In winter can be
secured from much greater distances In truth all that ia
required to render free schools practicable an average
population Of eight the square mile In many
parts of New Engand, they have too many scholars in
small district and often compelled place fifty pupils
under one master or mistress and in other cases to en-
poy assistsns-hfty being the limit prescribed by tbelaw
The State Of Maine has admirable system of Iree
schools with population of nineteen to the square mle
and had them too when her population much more
sparse. Virginia has population of nearly n,
the square mile, of which about fifteen are white But To
measure tue ability Of county to support free scbooI
the whole population should be estimated because IL has
the laoour OF the slave to aid in raising the money
But mere we are confronted with the information that
our population uuequsy distributed over the surface of
the State Yet the truth ia, that Virginia being mainly
an agricultural State, has its population more uniformly
distributed than New York or New England One
seventh part OF the whole population of
Is found in the single of Boston while the c;,,
Of New York has about Of the popuatop Of he
state oil New York That We have JaIron mountln re-
gohs with little population Is true But what State IA
without these barren regions Vermont il all noun
tain chan yet her mountain tops are every where
ed with school houses where education Is free and az
pure as the air which surrounds them New IInmpshire
oneha granite yet its rude blocks are fashioned bv h
hands OF its hardy sons and rise up into temples of eu
cation, cheering land which is barren in every thing
save the fruits OF yruous industry ndotntabe ene
up But NJ last the evil hath this extent and only this
the children Of the STATE rather in anna
parts OF some districts in the State will he Obliged to walk
further TO school than is desirable And shall tbia
partial inconyonicncc discourage us from doing any
!hingy The best schemes that devised for the
happiness OF our fellow creatures the most en-
ieprse that received the homage Of good the
practical working OF all government all religion ali ma
tute, has some touch Of imperfecon which proyokea
VtJtcbons from tnose who tn
pcc perfection any thing connected with the entsrn,
ses oi man. No machine works perfectly at FIRST A
wheel here and cog there, will renodeng and re-
adjusting. Anticipated difficulties will vanish and une1
peeed ones will arise Time and experience are the great
adusters The State o. New York has been forty years
In bringing her common schools their present beautiful
system, aud admirable working We have but to begin
and g perseycrc and We, In time win nd ourselves In
possession Of those brightest jewels in a nations caske
WeLeducatcj, yirtuouS aud industrious citizena
The next objection urged to the system Of free sehooll
on the rtt
opposed on the two grounds Of lie injustice and m epor
nifty Il Is readily conceded that what individuals can do
wel' states should not do at ALL Governmental action in
the supposed case would only be useless but an in
furious interference But where great good 10 be at
tanned, which enures to the benefit the whole commu
nifty aud to which individuals are unequal government
0' and bound by its responsibility and s duty
tothe public to give i aid The education Of the people
h perfectly all these conditions That IL IL good thing
all allow; that IL the whole community directly
OF indirectly none deny and that IL Of the rssoh Of
individual effort The history Of State aud all States
ancient and modern, fuly proves. But this is not
now an open question 10 Virgins She has nterferrcd