Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-10-06
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

The free school" political movement has
not been kindly cared for since its unpromis-
ing birth somewhere upon the South Shore.
It was unfortunate in its nurse, and it has been
peculiarly unfortunate in the part they have
made it assume in the complications of state
politics. They have insi"ted upon removing
it from those little local sovereignties where it
might have been formidable, if not supreme,
to an arena already filled with parties organ
lied upon permanent issues, and embracing in
their ranks the mass of the voting population
of the State. 1t makes sorry figuse in that
arena, and before fairly out of it, will wish,
with its managers, that it had never been born.
The convention" of the Free School Party
which met in this city, yesterday, embraced
scarcely fifteen active members, and the sketch
of its proceedings, given in another place, al
lows them the benefit of all the apologies sug-
gested for the exceeding thinness of their
numbers. The work was wholly transacted
by two or three jealous persons, who plunged
into the midst of State questions, with de-
gree of courage which one cannot help COM
mending, though he may laugh at its marvel
Gus disproportion with their numbers and their
prospects The distinguished gentlemen whose
names they assigned the first and second
places upon their ticket would give respecta-
bity to the movement, if it were not morally
certain that they will be as much surprised,
when they receive Mr.. Packard's letter an
nouncing the "honor conferred ON them" as
lo cd in
their own pursuits and INDUCING the futile con-
fidence that they at least were safe from such
assaults
The address and resolutions which may be
accepted as expressing the sentiment OF those
who attended the meeting, were written 18th
much 1uency, extending to nearly forty pages
of manuscript, written distressingly fine, con-
tanning some figures which it might be well to
bind up for reference, many expressions of
well-grounded discomfort, and many foolish
and unnecessary charges of delinquency on the
part of the earnest friends of popular educa-
the address recommended that every school
district should summarily eject town commit
tees and town authorities from their school
houses, (which might safely be done whether
the law abolishing school districts were repeal
ed or notw This sounded little harsh, and
upon consideration was modified and condens-
ed, as it appears in the firstrecommendation of
the address, They did not desire ito go be.
fore the people" with any harsh and radical
demands. They wished to prevent their can
,,la
pressions of faultfnding or other signs of
lack-wisdom. Thus entering into this contest
under circumstances utterly hopeless, and lit
tie less than absurd, they still observed with
punctilious fidelity the forms of party organic
ation and achieved the unaccustomed dignity
of managing state party of their own
Really, the cause deserves better treatment.
Taeabolitidn of the school districts Was an
act consummated in haste; but the serious re-
Election Of a year is altogether likely to RENE
dy the difficulty before single political DEM
onstration could take effect. The little de.
mocracies in which the inhabitants of the
towns of Massachusetts, take so much pride,
will remain undisturbed till the inhabitants
changed. There is no power in Massachu-
sets strong enough to take from them or
abridge one of their rights SO long as they
choose unitedly to defend them. Many intel
ligent persons throughout the state--even in
this county, which has given as little encour-
agement as any to this futile attempt at or
ganizing a new party, are strongly opposed to
any Legislation affecting the ancient privileges
of the districts. But they choose to express
their sentiment through the only agency which
can be useful to them in matters of legislation,
and if they are majority, will be represented
at the Court where the laws are made
For the other demands made by our excited
friends, the division of the school fund, the
abolition of the Board of Education, and the
return to the primitive and unorganized meth
dds of public instruction which prevailed in
the earlier history of the state, and was well
enough adapted to its sparse population, the re-
suit shows that the people do not approve of
them, and win not, by any public act, en-
courage them.
Theapproved agencies in the cause of common
school education have accomplished so much
that is wise, salutary and good in all respects,
that they cannot now be overthrow because
they have not accomplished more. And if the
time should ever come, when essential chang
es in the method of their operations are desr-
able, they will not be made through the agency
of any political party, but by the freely pro-
cured, and freely expressed will of members
of all parties acting in their proper capacity,
as representatives of the people, to whom the
Board of Education as well as Governors and
Presidents are subject and responsible.
THE BosroN COURIER objects very ear
nestiy against setting up in the State House
grounds a statue Of Horace Mann. The friends
of Mr. Mann ask place for such statue
and the matter is now before the Legislature
The Courier intimates that its strongest and
iercest objection is left unuttered, at present.
The objections to which it gives utterance are
as follows IL. Mr.. Mann was comparatively
unknown in the Commonwealth, or "was
known to few of the people; 2. Opinions as
to his merits, or pretensions of any sort, are
warmly autagonistic;" 8. "If the statue of
Horace Mann is put up in front of the State
House, that OF Daniel Webster should come
down"
1t was generally understood that scarcely
any public man who has been eminent in Mas
sachusetts, was SO well known throughout the
state, and the whole country, as Horace Mann,
that his successful work in behalf of COM