Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-11-16

Education in Franklin County.
ny MISS sUsASSAn WAY.

vocated in view of its oson merits. and
not for the sake Of encouraging a spirit
Of rivalry. Still. il is better to o perform
a good act. from an inferior motive.
than not to perform IL at all. have
generally noticed that where there is
a rich soil. our country is apt to be
settled by an enterprising, go-a-head
set Of people--true specimens of
young America"-who are never
backward in making their country.
and their neighborhood. us desirable
to live in us any other. They get
rich, but they make their riches tell
in the Improvement Of their country.
Each man vies with his neIghbor. anx-
ious to excel him in the neatness of
his farm. the excellence and beauty of
his residence, and In the tasteful man.
ner in which all things about it are ar
ranged. and in this way public cpin-
ion is gotten up. that is stronger, il
possible, than reason ITSELF
No man in such n community, is
willing TO be singled out, and have his
neighbors say Of him, "Mr. A. is
rich. but II is no honor TO hn--look
at his farml it's too large; he can't
half manage it--his house is the poor
est in the neighborhood- there's moth.
ing like comfort about it--he'Il not be
respected Il be don't change his
course--his children are without So
ciely, because they cannot entertain
It respectfully; and worse than that,
they are too ignorant TO court good So
cicty; and should they occasionally
drop into such. they cannot take part
in the general conversation. 'if, as is
most frequently the case. It turns up
on Tearing, or scientific subjects, and
consequently they feel out Of their el.
emcnt."
No, q man with m ounce Of ambi-
ton. will not subscribe To such rep
utalion. II he has means. his country
residence shall be as tasteful as his
neighbor's. His children shall be in
telligent and interesting, and shall
move in the highest circles Of society;
they shall have good common schdbl
education, and those who have n taste
for learning. shall be encouraged to a
greater proficiency.
And in this manner the good work
goes on. until the whole community
have united in making everything har-
monize with the rich and beautiful
country in which they live. Lovely
farms, evcellent residences, good
churches. and good school houses.
beautify and adorn their land The
little square pens, built in 80, Gan
age Of ncccssity.) and called "school
houses" are exchanged for large,
well ventilated, comfortable buildings.
adapted to the purpose for which
they were intended, and tastefully sur
rounded with shrubbery, or built in
the edge of some neatly trimmed nat
ural grove, where art has not been
wholly n stranger. Nor do they stop
here. As the common school is nee
essary for the education Of the future
farmer, mechanic and housewife. so is
the Academy. or College. indispensa-
BILE to the training Of teachers. and
others who are to ill important places
| in community. Thisis an outline Of life,
in most Of the older and richer parts
our country. II any doubt it, let
them visit Wayne co., in this State,
and some of the richer sections in
Ohio.
But what shall we say of Franklin
county, Is this an exception TO our gen
eral rule? Four or five years ago, when
l first came to this region. | was rs
tonished TO find community, with
civilization and progress all around
them, so far behind in educational
matters. Farmers looked well enough.
and people were not below par in ap.
pearance; dwellings were tolerablc.
but school-houses wcre--minus.--
True. / saw great many little log
huts, with chimney in one end. the
ceiling q little above your head, win
dows two panes high. Tive or six
wide J slabs with round pins for legs.
for seats, and these so ''crazy" that
they were not safe to sit upon. and all
things else 10 correspond. These
domicils were honored with the digni-
fed title of "scbool houses" but /
noticed that they were general
ly built as nearly in the highway
as possible, as if to place them upon
tillable land would be TO Mrow Il
array.
! / had never seen such school houses
mot even in old Randolph. which
has soil infinitely inferior to Frank
lin. As matter of course. good
schools and good books, were un-
known. inquired into the cause Of
this state OF things. 1 supposed there
must be a very thin soil here, and
that people were very poor. But no
such thing: l was told l am not a
ltilIer Of the soil, and am therefore no
Judge ofit:) that l was in the very
garden of Indiana; that in no part OF
the State was there a better soil, and
further than that--many of fthe,citizens
were--as they must be-wealthy.-
Mr.. b. had three or four hundred
acres of land, and Mr.. G. had good
farm. and plenty of money in the
!. bank.
] find very little visible change in
the common schools here, during th,
last four years. but il is to be hoped
that reformation is going on in tn,
hearts Of the people. And one evi
dence of the fact is, that they are not
! wholly Indifferent TO the subject o
! high schools. ] am pleased to learr
that there is ilourishing institution
actually in operation. in the lovely
romantic village Of Brookville. 1t i,
sincerely to be hoped that this is Al
index to the future--a ioretastc of th,
"good time coming"
But / have said that every goo,
cause should be advocated ia view o
its own merits. 1t is to be feared tn,
merits Of education, arenot suilicientl,
larc~o,,.t taJ or understood EJvca