The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-06-28
Are Our Schools Free

Our correspondent t John, of last
week, seems inclined to consider the
question-Havo we a Town Govern
ment of greater importance than that
as to whether we shall have Free
Schools. From this opinion, We shall
take exception. We claim that there
is, nor has been, before this, or any
other community, no question of more
vital and lasting importance than that of
free schools as. schools under the rate
bill system. IF we have not education,
of course we shall have no government,
therefore education-universal educa-
tion-is, in our opinion, first in import
ance. All are in favor Of education I;
but the difficulty seems to be, in this
district, Hoao shall our children be edu-
Gated 7 Not those of the rich or of the
middling classes and educated, but those
of the poor and ignorant. This is a
class that we have among us, and we
have it from unimpeachable authority
that we always shall have the poor, at
all events !; and now, shall We, or shall
we not, adopt some system of common
schools whereby such children may re-
ceive the benefits sof an education that
shall save them from the jails and
poor-houses or, shall we leave them
to wallow in their ignorance and degrad-
alton, to fill up the measure of their
days with crime and misery, and end
them in the prison or on the scaffold
Those who are themselves ignorant
do not see and feel the full necessity of
an education, like those who have felt
some of its benefits, and therefore they
will not avail themselves Of such facili-
ties as might, with some self-denial, be
within their reach but if their children
can be educated without this great de-
privation of other and immediate neces-
sites of life, no doubt they would gladly
avail themselves Of the opportunity
And the only way to meet this is, as We
believe, on the Free School system
When VIC say free schools, we do no
mean schools that are free as railroad
travelling is generally free-frce to al
who are able and willing to pay for thu
privilege of riding over them; but more
in the sense that our public highways are
free-supported by taxation on property
and free for all who will to enjoy the ad
vantages thereof-whether rich or poor
bond or free, black or white. When a
man is called on to pay road tax be is
not asked whether he uses the road, for
the road is there, and he can use it if
ho chooses but has he the property
if so, be should help sustain and keep
in repair the way for all who wish to use
it. The justice and equity of this, we
believe, is not questioned. Just SO, We
would have the schools free. We would
mot ask man whether be has children
Ito send to school-if he has not, the
more shame to him, he ought to have
but, has be the money if SO, let the
same principle be applied in this case
as in that of the public highway. The
justice and equity of this is no more
questioned where it has been tried, than
is that of the taxation for the support Of
the highway. The equity of this prin-
ciple applies with even more force to
highways, from the fact that ignorance
is the Legitimate parent of crime and ex
treme poverty, and crime must be pun
ished at the expense of those who hol,
property. The proportion of taxation
which it would require to make tn
schools free would be hut drop in com
parisor to what il costs to support ou
prisons, CALLS, and poor houses. Thu
it is easy to perceive, that in a pecunia
ry point of view, it would be altogethc
advantageous to place the system of ed
ucation in such position as to inri
all to partake.
The state Of the question, in this di
:trict, seems, just now, to be in some
thing Of a snarl, and for the benefit
those whs have not kept themselves il
formed Of the progress of events, v
propose to review, briefly, yet compr'