St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-11-01
Educate the People.

whether favorable or advcrsc-that
forms the character and shapes the
destiny Of a people. Who can doubt
but that the general intelligence and
moral elevation, the enterprise and
thrift Of the Scotch arc the offspring
of their systems and modes Of intel
|lcctual and religious education, rather
than of scenery, climate, or any other
advcntitious cause? Thomas Carlyle
well said of sturdy old John Knox,
that, when he and his cause were
still struggling for life amid civil
broils, convulsion and confusion, he
sent the schoolmastcr forth to all cor
ncrs, and said, Let the people be
taught" And who can doubt but
that Ircland-had the Reformation
three hundred years ago disinthralled
her from the rule Of Popcry and in
fused among her people the influence
Of Christian literature and arts--would
have been, in her social condition, far
different from what she now is? John
Fostcr-no mean ,iudgc--says that
the Irish arc equal to any nation on
earth, in point of both physical and
intellectual capability, and that a high
state of mental cultivation wonId
make them the Athcnians of the Brit
ish empire. Certain it is that when
ever opportunity has been afforded,
Irish genius, and wit, and %cloqucncc,
and valor, have flashed out upon the
world. What is it, then, but that
crushing system of dcspotism-civil
and spiritual-that saps the founda-
ton Of all elevation and all hope, by
denying the mental aliment of cdnca-
ton to the people?
Look at Europe at the present day.
Surely, it can not be diversitics of
climate or of natural scenery, that
auscs such permanent shades Of con-
trast in European character. There
you behold dwelling, as it were, side
by side, and yet each preserving, age
after age, his distinct characteristics,
the light, vacillating, cflervcscing
Frcnchman-the patient, plodding
Gcrman-thc sclf-opinionatcd, sturdy
Englishman-and the ditch-digging,
herring picking, tobacco smoking
Dutchman each possessing as sovc-
reign a contempt for his ncighbor as
though he were an outside barbarian,
and is as little influenced by him as
though he were an inhabitant of the
moon.
From all these lands the mighty
waves Of emigration are sweeping
across the broad Atlantic and break
ing upon our shores. But, once land
cd here, how soon arc all these dis
tinctivc features fused down and
freshly nodded, to form u ncw and
homogeneous national character! Such
is the transforming power Of our ma
tional, social, and educational sys-
tens. They not only convert the
d~owntroddcn and dcbascd scrrs of Eu-
rope into frccmcn, but they rc-vitalizc,
as it were, the almost torpid intellect,
and develop a new character. The
second generation, at least, become
thoroughly Amcrican-instinct with
American genius, enterprise and dar-
ing-rroud of American liberties and
bold to defend them.
This great question Of the cduca-
ton Of the people, and hoio they shall
be educated, is one of vast moment
to us, as a nation. And to noscction
Of our country is it of more trans
ccndcnt Importance than to what is
appropriately termed "the great vest
\ mighty tide of immigration is
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