Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-04-03
RICHMOND wHIG.
TIE MEMORIAL

| TO rHE LEGISLATURE yiRoiSiA:
The Undersigned citizens of the county of Halifax de-
sire most respectfully, TO present. the Legislature of
Virginia, this Memorial Of their views their wishes In
reference 10 subject, which, they believe touches most
nearly the safety tho prosperity aud the happiness of the
State. This subject Is Popular Education Your memo
alsts are that this has often brought TO the
attention OF your predecessors and that il has
At their hands patient and patriotic consideration
They come before you now, deeply impressed with the
diihcues which surround it, but yet more profoundly
persuaded OF the absolute necessity of overcoming them
To despair Of overcoming them Is to despair of the Re-
public and with this sentiment deeply engraved on the
heers and the understandings OF emosasts they
now approach the Legislative power Of the State and
pray oF patient hearing Of the following statement Of
| facts and arguments.
Your tnemoralsts make no unwarrantahIe ASSERTION
~hen they say that the school system OF Virginia, from
ITS commencement down to the present time has been
aiure IL has failed to enlist public confidence
u mas ai'tu to confer public benefits. No school houses
nave arisen under its fostering care-ignorant children
have become Ignorant men, aud the rising generation
IKE uie rising generation hundred years ago has no
lamp OF learning to guide its infant steps, and will be
without lis light aud its comfort in ripe manhood and de-
clning age.
Tue statistics Of the last census demonstrate the in.
efficiency of the present system and the last Legislature
.eein to admit the fact in their efforts TO amend it,
Eighty thousand grown up and women in a fee
white population, under nine hundred thousand who
can neither read write, is n fact too strong 10
be resisted by argument, undermined y cay There
Is defect in the whole ste memoriali.ts believe
too radical Tor amendment Without stopping to point
ou It's uclauN IN DETAIL your meorialiSts
selves with touching with tie point Of needle the cankcr
which lies at its root Our system of education il system
It can be Called is system Of charity. The parent
be degraded, before the child can be instructed The
man must prove himself paup,r before his offspring can
be admitted TO the school In country like uurs
Soere labor i5 so abundanty rewarded and where the
evs o extreme poverty are generally easily escaped
Oy INDUSTRY and care, pauperism IS oener the badge OF
ideness and OF vice, than and no citizen of
pride vii wear this badge of degradation SO long s he
can conceal from the eyes OF his acquaintances The
al
eecs barrier OF pride against the progress Of his child
lie refuses "a gii, what would gladly use as right
ALL under our Laws have the right to enter the halls of
justice and 10 walk the highway though they pay nothing
Tor the causeway or the and one feels the
obligation for the privilege, walks the less erect for its
enjoyment. We have but open wide the doors of
our schooi houses to the children of the rich and the
poor, and all wi" sit together with mark of distinction
but what Is won by diligence and parts
memorialists would be wanting respect for them
sees ana yet more in respect for honorable BODY
II they should undertake enlarge the Importance OF
education Man at his birth is the leebest and the most
helpless OF Gods creatures With few instincts he has
no knoIledge But he has the capacity for knowledge
which the brute has by nature he IS below the
beast which perisheth by education he is raised TO nm
eaence but little lower than the angels; and his very
constitution proves that education is the necessity OF his
nature IL speaks out in the helplessness and ignor.
ance OF infancy, well in the untamed erocity of
manhood. child may, by proper nourishment of
his body, grow up to a OF six feet; he NAV
come to weigh the required number OF pounds "avor-
dupois he may have the sembance humanity-but h,
let it never be forgotten, that where there no
there is no mind The strength, the PRIDE the glory of
country in the intelligence and virtue of its citizens
Cut oil the Ignorant and the vicious bury them in m.
depths OF the ocean, destroy them from the face of the
EARTH and the State il the gamer for their disappearance
The education OF the citizen then, is of deep
concernmen to the STATE and be left with safety
to any care less interested and less comprehensive than
that Of the State itsel.
In forming plan OF Popular Education the idea should
ever be kept in view that il universal Class
lnrfst taffn al f.1f L,
The law should recognize rich or poor high or
low but the young among Of every condition should
be looked as the children of the State and enjoy its
parental care and protection This Is pure aud practical
Democracy, which pulls down class bu, eevates all
| which meets the just demands Of the poor with
out alarming the Jealousy of the rich. Benev-
olence has for long time teen active in deyi.
sing scheme for the education of the poor. Plans
have been originated by States by Societies and by nd
vidua for essening their ignorance and their vices by
of what has been vaousy denominated as DOOR
schools orphan schools and ragged schools but the ben.
es derived from these benevolent schemes bore no lust
proportion TO the money and the effort expended OH them
The mass oi ignorance aud misery sensibly dmin-
ished, and the best men, in despair had almost been
brought to the sad conclusion that ignorance shall not
only not cease the earth but continue 10 accumulate
But in the midst oil this general gloom the New England
plan OF universal education rises up before US TO animate
hopes 10 dispel fears and TO quicken our
tons Ii Is the glory the double glory Of the
OF the fgfn Fathers that they have placed the
OF education the bead OF Liberty that they have tanned
the widest democracy, and have shorn il OF its pow.
OF mischief without detracting aught from i,s
energy, or its spirit. They have demonstrated
the glorious TRUTH that hNery could adapt itself to
dense, rs well TO sparse populaon-thlt the pent-
up passions could be restrained and like steam In
strong cylinder, could only be safely confined but
rendered mighty Instrument Of good IL is expedept
are told, 10 learn wisdom from our enemies-how
much expOdient is it TO learn from our friends and
our brethren. There may be narrow minds among us
who would learn nothing from New England-whose
prejudces start at the of Massachusetts, hut
let such remember that all the Rories of vrpnia-all
that endear her to the pride and the affections of her
-Wesc won when she walked hand in with Massachusetts,
when the two States animated by the same snr
and aimed at the ends Liberty was gained by their
united eorts-mAy it be preserved by their united coun
sells To reject the example Of New England Is obsti.
naely to turn our backs oil progress and all improves
ment In the arts which promote the comfort OF man or
which embeiish his existence she is pioneer first among
the foremost aud in this stage Of our progress we mus
walk In her footsteps, stand mooness Let il be our
aim TO follow after her-to oyertakc her-to pass hcr-
This the dictate OF honest ambition-may il be the
spirit Of Virginia patriotism
our mcmoralsts, after the matures reflection which
they capable Of besowng this subject have come TO
the conclusion, that the New England system of unyer
sal popular education, with some notifications rpndrei
necessary by our different circumstances il the proper
system for Virginia. The leading feature the breath the
living spirit OF this system, s ts unvcrsality aud m
broad comprehensiveness Without these features no
system viii do good With them blessings will spring from
any that may be adopted.
Without venturing give details which the wisdom Of
your honorable body Is competent to furnish than
your memorllts yet they will venture to pray that
the whole State may be divided iuo school districts en-
bracing without regard to extent Of territory fly child
ren between the ages Of six years aud twenty ye4r-
That In each Of these districts. there shall be a
free school, where every child in the distric. of
the prescribed age, shall be taught withou, fee or
reward That each county be required by law, TO
raise by general tax, 10 be levied on such property
aud In such proportions IS nov levied by the
State for its revenues such Of money "a will be
sufficient, When added to iis proportion Of the school
fund, to build school house, and employ a Compe,cu
teacher in each school district That revenues of the
Literary Fund for the first year. be divided as at present
among the counties Of the STATE In proportion to their
white population but that forever thereafter these reve
MUGS be divided in proportion the average number Of
children who attend the schools 10 each county aud that
TO entle county to its proportion of the proceeds Of
the Literary Fuud reports Of the attendance be first re-
qurcd lrom school commissioners and proper evidence
be furnished that tax has been levied Of four aud hall
dollars for each white child between the ages Of six and
twenty year,, living within ts jurisdiction. 10 these
schools should be taught reading writing arithmetic &c.
ogr1phy, American history, md all the elements OF
patn sound, practical education. The chifeu should be
educated to become good citizens and far az possible
the duiiee OF religion should be ncucaed by preccpt
ana example While scctatan Influences should be dis.
counenanoed and sect be allowed to impress on the
/ infant mind s peculiar enp IL