Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-09-02
SO For IA, 0iroatsis.
Suggestions On Popular Elaeation

upon the purity and perpetuty OF oar CIVIL anu re-
ligious institutions. Ihave attempted 10 show that
the people mast nnlerstanlvhat civil liberty is in
order to love cherish and guard IT, and in order to
feel an interest in the preservation Of institutions
founded u2on principles of constitutional freedom.
My next proposition is, that the masses must be
leaveuel with the principles ofintelgencc rs means
of preserving our political institutions and through
them civil and religions liberty. Now it is obvious
that, whatever be the primary principle which any
nation adopts as the basis of its constitution that
all the awsand secondary institutions of country
must be in harmony with that leading idea or there
will be an everlasting conflict between the primary
and secondary institutions of that nation. The
house win be divided against ITSELF and according
to the dictum of Him "who spake as man never
spake,n will sooner or later, fall to pieces. All
history might he made tributary in illustrating this
truth--cspeciay the history of the medieval ages.
Nor would the history of the governments of modern
Europe be without instruction this point But
I have neither time orspace for the illustration.
So in our country, the action of the popular will
must be in harmony with the new constitution of
things and in harmony with our radical idea of
government, or we must cease to be what we are as
a nation. This is equally true of any and all gov
ernments. The popular action of any government
must be adapted to the principles ofits organization,
or the government must change its form and charac-
ter. For example, the middle ages is the period,
during which most of the governments of modern
Europe had their origin and development. The
Feudal System then prevailed, the primary princi-
pie Of which was sef-protection under polity
f which recognized obligation to perform military
service whenever required by the chief to whom it
was due The kingdoms and empires of the middle
ages were founded upon this principle. The popu-
lar action required under this system of things was
military service from the vassals to their cheftains,
and from the great barons to their sovreigns. But
these were disorderly times, aud the authority of
government and the obligation Of general laws were
: extremely weak. The great Rms were moreover
very powerful and often disdained TO consider them
selves as subjects. They guilty of gross OPP
PRESTON injustice, and RIGHTEOUSNESS Hence it was
the policy of sovreigns to abridge their privileges
and weaken their power. Chvalry produced a
proptious effect and variety of causes served to
check the turbulence of the barons and soften their
ferocty. But no one cause probably so much con-
tribued to this end as the establishment of standing
armies in the fifteenth century This engine, wied-
ell by kings and cmperors, crushed the power of the
great barons and reduced them to obedience. (set
Hilidm's Ven Of Europe d,ring The Middle ages
Chap. H. Part III But this was incompatible with
the genius of the Feudal System and, though il
had an intense vitality it finally fell into decay and
there was transition of the constitutions of these
carly governments from feudal leagues to absolute
and limited monarches. Under whatever form O
government a nation exists it must act upon prin
cplcs adapted to its organization change its or
gtnizaton and principles
What then is the popular action required by thu
\ Constitution of the United States? What ought t.
u be the character of people who are both the gov
; ernors and the governed of people who have in
scribed upon their banner that governments deriv
# all their Just powers from the will of the governed
and that they instituted to promote the genera
. welfare? Obviously they must know how to govern
But this implies intelligence Hence the great ain
with us should be to make the principles of intelli
e gence general.
u What is intelligence 1t is cultivated and en-
lightened mind disciplined powers, and develope'
faculties. 1t combination of Thought and knowl
edge To cultivate the mind, to discipline the pow
ers to deveopc the faculties of the understanding
the object of all schools and all systems of nstruc
: ton. This is the obec; of intellectual education
How shall it be attained? This is the question: AM
J. an important one it Especially in this countr,
Ia nI in To otfa oil an1 anf
always have been two methods of teaching. The
9 one is the stufing system the other the DRAWN.
out. The one teaches to think the other merely tt
repeat; the one teaches principles, the other rules
the one teaches systems, the other particulars tn
Is one teaches to believe the other to investigate. Sucl
are the systems and it must be confessed that the,
are widely different In regard TO them, there arr
&c and always have been different opinions. The ma
jority O. mankind have always preferred rules Il
principles, repetition to thought and particulars Il
!" system But few in ancient times, and many il
our day. think it better to exercise their tacul
ties, than to have them directed by others Lor
J. Bacon had perfect contempt for the faith-system
e rs distinguished from bold, manly and udependen
:, thought and Investigations and after rcsidenc
/ OF TWO years at lne university OF OahlorluSe,
Il left it with profound conviction that the Englis
Universities were not only stagnant "but that they
were opposed to the Advancement Of knowledge.
Hear him. "In the universiteI they learn nothing
but to believe first to believe that Others know tina
@ which they know not and after, themselves know
% that which they know not. They like a becalm
ed ship they never move but by the wind Of othe
81 mems breath, and have of their own to stee
withal' True, objects the learned professor Snobs
'' but these are the immature gatherings of boy
= hood Do you think so Professor? Hear then wha
.r he says in his Novum Organum, work which wa
published, when he was Chancellor Of England. "I
u the universities all things found opposite to tn
advancement of the Sciences for the readings an'
exercises are so managed here that il cannot eas