The Empire County argus., 1855-04-28
Common Schools.

It one of the beauties Of the free school system
exists in the Eastern States that there is such thing
arisocacy known in them. The children of the rich and
Of the poor all associated together and it is in the
school room that the child is taught the true principle OF
deocracyhat is superior to his accidents. 1t is
in the school house that mental superiority first finds itself
recognized something better and honored and to
be more honored than wealth, position or birth In the
school house. not the boy who wears the best Clothes
eats the best dinner that is preferred and enved by his
schooellows But it is he who gets his lessons best
who strives to learn and by attention to his books gets
that knowledge which shall give him power. The PAM
pered bantng of the rch he drawls his esson
which the plainly dressed and plainly fed boy in the next
seat has got by heart will be laughed at by his mates,
while they respect and envy him who oustrps them all
in the race for knowledge.
In the free school, the child learns to respect talent and
virtue and to despe fppery when unaccompaned with
these qualities flee school house is, or should be,
practical democracy Within it there should be other
distinction than merit and when the child becomes man,
he will have been taught by experience at the right time
that it is only excellence that command the respect of
the wise.
"The child is father of the man" says Woodwork, and
when he is brought up a child with this practical les
son always before him. that nothing is SO entitled to
respect as mental wealth and virtue, he WILL man,
have higher ambition than mere worldly riches. The
superiority of mind and knowledge to wealth birth
will be drilled into him from his very boyhood so that it
becomes part of his nature TO respect talent and worth
in any and all circumstances.
The free school is the institution of the people, and be-
cause of its democratic tendency is to be fosered above
any other system of education The private seminary and
the college, very well in their places and in their way
But they encourage aistocrac feeling since they are
patronzcd for the most part, only by those who have
wealth and position, and who, for this reason, assume
contempt for those in less afluent circumstances.
1t is essentially necessary in California, that this demo-
cratic tendency of the school should not be lost
sight cf We have here a mushroom arisocarcy, and
scarce any other. And the world over, the mushroom
arstocra the most arrogant and insoent of all. The
highly educated and refined man, who has always enjoyed
wealth and ease regards it fortunate accident, and
assumes superiority by of it. But the camdg-
ger the ape-measurer of yesterday who is suddenly
lifted into fortune is extremely liable to become
bearing and insoent Our San Fancisco arstocracy is
mostly of this kind Men whose business at home
menal and whose wives took in washing, have here be-
come richperhaps by shrewd speculation, perhaps by
accident II is not their dscred that they
poor but it to their discredit that they supe
riority by of their good fortune, and look with
contempt on those their equas.--44Ha