The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-03-19
Our Free Schools.

EDITORS JOURNAL :-Our charter election
is near at hand, and candidates are setting
themselves RIGHT before the people. These
patriots who are so willing to serve the
sovereigns at much inconvenience to the6n-
selves, do not merely announce their names
and leave the voters TO elect or reject, but
they point out their own good qualities
for the offices they seek, and when such quail
tiles are scarce, they abuse some opponent,
or some party or measure, and many abuse
our system of Free Schools. have heard
some of those worthless talk in this manner:
al have nothing to say against our
Primary, intermediate or Grammar Schools,
but that High School is kept upat a great
expense, which you and l have to help pay;
and the rich-the children of the rich-are
the only ones benefited" --,'.t
Those friends of the Nation, the candi-
dates, have not forgotten the old story
the rich wish to grind the poor into the
dust.
Messrs. Editors, these pure, high minded,
self sacrificing gentlemen, forget when they
talk thus, that our Free Schools-and espe-
cially our High School--giye to the children
of the poor an opportunity of acquiring an
education that Will give them Intellectual
wealth at least, with which they may OBJ
tain material wealth. But deprive US of our
High School, and the children of the masses
must remain in comparative ignorance,
while the wealthy few can afford to send
their children abroad to finish their educa-
ton. d.
Let me say to the voters of this city-and
it will apply to tue State-guard well your
institutions of learning, and have them free,
so that your children may procure the bless
ings of mental culture. Listen not to those
demagogues who would erect not only the
barrier of dollars and cents between your
children and those of your more fortunate
neighbor, but would also add stronger
barrer-that of having your children left in
ignorance, whilst your more fortunate
neighbors children would have cultivated
minds. No-do not let one particle be
taken from, but add to, your present system /;
so that our children may be one people, SO
far as education is concerned.
am aplain man, and wish 10 deal plainly
with my fellow citizens, and shall now give
them some plain truths. have been permit
ted to examine the list of names of the
scholars attending our High School, and
knowing their parents, will write advisedly-
Out of eighteen boys, there are only six
whose parents could afford to send them OH
| to school, and some of those would have to
curtail their expenses, to enable them to
bear the outlay; so that twelve, or two
thirds, OF the boys attending our High
School, would be debarred from the great
| privilege of. having cultivated minds.
| Outoftwenty-thre girls, there are only three
whose parents could afford to send them off
to school so that twenty out of twenty
three would be edeprived of high mental cul-
| ture. -ai4
Voters of the City--voters of the State:
recollect what Napoleon the Great once
| asked cultivated mind-'s What shall do
to make France a great Nation ?" The
answer was, Educate the daughters of
| France"
My communication has become already
too lengthy, but l will bear the charge OF
being prolix, and add a word or two more
| Eight of the children attending our High
School are fatherless, and two are orphans
Where is the man who will have the hard
heartedness to cut these off from a liberal
education No-let our High School con-
tinue; add to it; and thus let us make our
own Teachers, and qualify all for any walk
in life CITIZEN.