Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-03-20
OUB EDUCATIONAL IETEREsTs.


tons-we mean that Of general education. 1t
seems singular that question Of suoh general ean-
Germ, and the importance Of which IL 90 universally
sdnitted By ell classes and interests in society,"
could have been 60 seriously neglected. Whatever
of experience and information on the subject
could be desired we have had. Oder countries
and States have gone before as acquaiating Us
with the difficulties to be encountered, and the
means Of obVisting them. We have much boosted
phIanthropby and good share Of patriotism in
the South, and yet but little of it has been expen-
ded in the great cause Of education. However
deporabls the fact, the principal cause is not diff
cult to discern. Money-lOVing and mOney-making
has got to be the ruling passion Of the day, and 30
hbsorbs al other interests and feeling that nothing
is cared for that cannot be measured BY dollars and
cents The Pulpit-ths Press-tbe Statesman
and the soldier-hsve ceased to be controlled, as
in former times, BY fixed principles Of morality
and justice, trusting to the proud satisfaction Of
approving conscience for their chisf reward, but
measure the demand for their labors by the same
standard of dollars and cents that ere set up in the
markets Of the world
Money loving is the curse Of the sge, and may
yet prove the successful foe to republican institu
tons. Let the popular mind become educated,
from association and habit, with the idea that ma.
terial wealth is the basis Of ell good snd the con-
ssrvstor Of al peace, and the time will not be dis
tant when both our social and public relations
viii be measured By the same standard that is used
II our mints. A rapid approximation to this con.
aition Of Asirs-a disposition to foTegO everything
fslss for the accumulation Of wsath--is the princ
pal reason why every other interest has 30 much
more rsTiily advanced than the educational advhn-
tages OF the country.
we are grstifed to observe that an increased
interest in this subject has been recently awakened
in the minds Of a number of our leading citizens
and journalists in the South This, we think, at-
tFibutabls, in great measure, TO the recent in
tense sectional excitement that has Agitsted the
country. The hnaticism in the Eorth-its IN
csssiug energy and subtle efforts to undermine the
institutions Of the South, through the instrumeu.
tally, in part Of its preachers its teachers and
its books, employed in the Colleges there, and sent
out to supply our destiiution heEe-has forced sn
argument upon US more potent and irresistible
than eli else that has ever been said or written on
the subsct. The South begins to see that the only
means Of selfpressrvation is selEeducstion-thAt
the only Wsy of suppressng abolition Jesuitism, is
to break eff her dependence upon the North for 3
supply Of teachers, preachers and books, and es-
tabIsh in cur section facilities for home ed lcalion
This can only be done BY building up Universities
in the South, and thus furnishing the means Of
educating our own preachers and teachers to sup
ply what tie North now CONTEMPORARY terms
tbs moral destituLion Of the slave States" We
must have cur own Hsrvards Browns Prince
tons and Yales. Upon g fair argument We can
convince our mammOn-worshippers tia. it is even
to the interests Of their pockets to do SO.
We have had occasion recently to call attention
to two excellent movements that are on foot, and
which we trust every one viii take an active in
terest in who can contribute to the important
ends proposed. We sllude hrst, to the PROPOSE
ton recently MAIDS through the press BY 4 number
of our most intsllgent and Influential citizens for
q " School Consentiou Of all who feel an interest
in the cause Of universal edueAtion to discuss this
subject and to devise measures to be recommended
for adoption to the people and the Legislature, to
be holden in Lebanon, Tenn, on the ID Thursday
10 July"-snd second ", to the proposition of the
Bishops Of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
Southern States, to meet in part the wants of the
South by the founding Of hrSt class University,
to be located in Tennessee a. the point most sp-
propriAts for its purposes.
The magnitude and importance Of this last en-
terprse was fully set forth in an article copied into
our issue Of yesterday, from the New Orleans
B,sIsiB. Bishop Polk, in bis interesting letter
on the subject, thus sumI up the reasons which
point to Tennessee as the proper point Ter its loca-
ton:
But before considering fhsse beg leave to cali your s
tenon certain facts hich point 70 the Oeay
ut or about which Providence 20 direct our minds
that most aPPrOPHate for our purposes And this do
the mere readily Is Il beyond ths reach Of my mmed
ate jurisdiction.
90 happens that trade With her lynx eyed vigsnce for
commercial advantages has inabguraed syst OF rail-
Wsy enterprEsS Which, by the extraordinary facilities Il
s0rdH for coogegaIng 81 common centre has gone far
towards settling this point for VA
North Carolina BY her Central railroad beginning at
Beauior and running west places her population within
easy Of the Southern end Of the Allegheny range
mountain South Carolina BY her system railroads
beginning at Charleston and pass ng through RsybuHs
Gap does the same. The same 10 true Of Georgia from
savannah The Is true 20 be Of Florida
e via Savannah COlumbBs Alabama reaches The sans
points By her roads from k0ntg merry via AtAsnta; from
Selma Tennessee by she Mobile and Ohio railroad
and is Intersections Louisiana, BY Its New Orleans and
Great Northern railroad And hiBsssippi By the Of
the two last both Of which her entire length.
Texas By the connection Of her system u railroads.
by the Shreveport and Fcksburg railroad ArEanEas BY
Little kOck aud Memphs railroad, is put in connection
with the locality through the Memphis and Charles.
ton railroad also West Tennessee By the
And Middle Tennessee, lastly with the locality BY
the NashVil sAnd Chattanooga railroad.
Thus have Eysiem Ct railroads raveTSug Tennessee
ArkanHag Texas Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Florida
Georgia South Carolina and North Carolina uniting and
terminating the Southern end Of the Allegheny range in
e south end Of the Safe Of Tennessee By which
the citizens Of all those States be brought together
from thrty six to shout fry eight hours III remArks-
bic ac would to indicate these high lands Is the
region for union and cooperation. They have The
merit Of centrally and accessibility and from The rapidly
Of movement atanabe By railway, OF coutguity also
They Oer mOuUtsn cir and pure Ester Are bsTUnd the
# spdemcs The cost o. living Is cheap, aud they
are within the pale Of the plantation States.
In response 10 this letter. the Bishops Of the
different Diocs5es of the Southern States have
framed an address to the members and ffieads Of
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Southern
and South Western States, urging the importance
Of the subject, and designating some spot nsSr
Chattanooga in this State, where the various rail
roads trAversing their dioceses converge, as tie
most suitable point Of location.
This question thus becomes matter Of two
fold interest TO Tennessee. Shall We prove indif-
ferent to the advantages it Offers!