Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-08-23
s,ntr srheal.-,rhelr Perpe,nItr


The Newburyport Herald mentions as an
illustration Of the folly of legaces for specific
purposes, after the death Of the donor, the
case of the Putnam School in that city. Mr..
Putnam, many years ago, left legacy TO be
applied, after II had accumulated to GER
taln amount to establish a school where
bows could be trained for business. At the
time he lived, there were no such schools
(ouery--Are there now7) The, Herold says
NsBy the time the legacy had reached the re-
quisite amount, the high schools providedby
the State had rendered the Putnam School
unnecessary. Buta handsome building was
erected, and the school Is maintained But
il is an entire waste Of money, which might
have been devoted to some useful purpose"
Uptothe present generation, education has
~ been chiefly maintained by schools, semi
naries and colleges endowed or supported by
private generosity. Benevolent people who
have wealth, without direct heirs, which they
r wish torleaye to benefit mankind, naturally
look to some means Of providing them with
education. Out Of this has grown the insti-
Is tutiohs which furnished the higher branches
n of education for the greater part of the pres
Z
be dried up because the State has taken
THE charge Of education. Our citizens have
seen the operation of the same feeling in
this city in incorporating bequcst, left for
founding a free school, into the common
school fund, ON the ground that all our
schools are free, where ii must share the fate
ofthe public schools. - ,
II viii easily be seen that our State school
system must be fatal to all the means by
which education has heretofore been sus-
tanned That, its friends will not deny. It
/, q their boast that, the State has provided
& 50 perfect system for all, or will provide il
when the system is perfected, that all other
schools are unnecessary, and, as the New
buryport paper says, and as our managers
of the Hughes and Woodwardy bequests
thought 2 an entire waste Of money
which might have been devoted to
{ some useful purposes Thus the opera
\ ton of the public school system is, as
its friends claim, to combine all the means
Of education into one system, so that if that
should fall, 1t would leave the country en-
tirely destitute, and obliged to begin from
the foundation to build up educational in
stitutions.
To this extent all the friends of the State
:. school system will agree with US. We have
stated nothing but what they regard as the
honor and boast of the school system, though
the idea of its failing, they will treat, of
course, as ridiculous chimera of a diseased
imagination. Probably they would say that
il arose from hostility to education, and from
advocating ignorance. Such are the argu-
ments of educational minds. Should the
public school system be overthrown, the
country would find that during its existence
it had broken down all private institutions
for education-this is the aim of its friends
that it had cut off all those endowments
from private generosity and munifcence,
which, with the growth and accumulations
OF generations, have established so many
schools and colleges. All of these would be
"a waste of money that might be applied to
some useful purpose"
There are some old established colleges
which may be preserved; but the means
which founded them are intended to be cut
--ofby the public system, because it is expected
to furnishjust as good institutions for all.
Therefore, If the system breaks down, the
.scountry will have lost all those institutions
which would have been established by
private generosity during the period Of its
4sexistenee and as we said before, will have
= TO begin the work of founding schools from
the bottom. = rtra 8 ssgsrs gfa-H ~ ~
-aa To this point we have the advocates Of the
State school system with Us, except that
they will not listen to any supposition of a
break down. But now we come to the ques-
tion, win the State school system ever be
overthrown Has 1t the elements of per-
petnity, SO that it is safe to trust all the in
terests Of education to its fate2 We wish to
weigh well our words in this matter, for we
know that to discuss this question, and to
i, suggest q doubt, win disturb many good men;
sebut We do not suppose that any rejecting
man, who permits himself to think on the
subject can believe in its perpetuity. Man
is said to be reflective animal but men &c
on ''perfecting"-as they call it-our public
school system, and placing the interests o.
education entirely in its hands, when they
know that il can not endure; when they
know that, Judged by the light of all the past
and by what they see daily before their eyes
the State school system has in it the ele.
ments of fatality But men win not allow
ffemselyes to reflect They setup the State
school system as matter Of faith; and if any
doubt its supreme wisdom, they pronounc,
saiiem friends Of ignorance, and consequentl,
friends ofcrime, for it is a part of the creet
that crime comes from want of education.
We will take only the warnings of thu
peculiar advocates Of the system, and SHOW