The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-05-24
For the Upton Advertiser.

IS For the Upton Advertiser.
In the Weekly Io,ca State Reporter OF
May 9th, 1860, we find an article headed,
"Dr. Totten on Common Schools" The
article is inserted as editorial, but we
have a good reason to believe that 1T was
dictated by the author of that celebrated
address, which seems to have secured the
State appropriation to the University,
which was intended for the Common
Schools.
We profess to be patrons Of the In
s:ructor and guardians of the children
rights; and we can not look with the
least degree of allowance upon that sys-
tenn Of education which proposes to fitch
from the common schools the State ap-
preparations and give them to salary pro-
fcssors whose capital stock is their par
excellent qualifications. We believe that
Colleges and Universities should stand
or fall upon their own intrinsic merit,
and not be supported exclusively by a
State tax.
We are, We must confess, son cwhat
surprised to find SO many plumbers and
grammatical errors in an address which
emenates from source claiming the au-
tolitv to dictate in the right use of the
English language. The Reporter say:
that "tho gentlemen of the Instructor
have made au Intentional perrersion OF
Dr. Totten's position If the DIR. does
not mean what he says, we would like to
have the Reporter interpret. This de-
fence in the Reporter to the article in
the Instructor is the weakest production
that we have seen for some time; and
hardly merits consideration, The Re
porter thinks that the Common Schools
of twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago, of
which he graduated sent better men than
they do now Perhaps they did; bu.
many of them have poor wa Of making
themselves appreciated by the more in
telligcnt portion of community. He says
The District School as it was, had no
degencrated to the standard Of our owl
etheralized and superficial generation
We know very well that there are som
who gnore any improvements that ma
be suggested by comm on school teach
err: and that change to meet their ap
probation, must cmenate from theoret
ical professor, rather than from practic
al teacher The Reporter seems to think
that the common schools are robbinS the
hiyhey institutions Of their houors, and
that they are transcending their sphere
of action. The fact is our State is toe
young to support a University of the
| Drs. model, and hence these superior eff.
forts to make the best of bad pro-
| Young men and ladies are beginning to
find out that they can learn as much, aud
frequently more, real practical knowl
edge, in many Of our common schools
than they can in these boasted literary
institutions, which tax payers arc requir
ed to support but from which they re
| ceivc no benefit
We may have occasion to say more
upon this subject at some future time
Notwithstanding, the Exporter may claim
that we are not worth minding, becaus,
we are nothing but common schoo
teacher. We do not think it yer,
small matter for University to fitch tn
State appropriation from the children
and then try to annihllate the commo
school teachers with its profession;
thunderbolts for daring to raise pr
testing voice.
ACOMMOS SCHOOL TEACHER
| Upton, May 18th, 1860.