Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-08-27
For the Enquirer.
The Interests OF Education.

For tho Enquirer.
Tho Interests OF Education.
The condition Of our Southern ConfedeTacy,
and especially Of our Commonwealth Of Yr
| einia, hes prevented IN anxious question for
our tdurated Young inch, and students il lite
rary in-titutinus. We wish, while not dis
cnuragipg .i.e!r patriotism, to caution his
class against 4 GlDger which inpends; the
making Of an unnecessary and irreparable sac.
riGcG BY DESERVING their education for the
camp.
We beg Our young friends to remember that
thci: situation is unlike that OF other ~citiz.ns.
Y,u,h, when gons, never returns; and they
will find that The busInesa Of education will be
practically limited to their youth, in all but
exceptional cases. So that in leaving their
studies for q year OF two, they are not milking
tho sacrifice which others make. OF q year or
tao CT comfort NJ private gain given up fer
their country. Thev are fatally throwing away
the efficiency Of q whole lifetime, lost in losing
rhe golden season EnTcducution in order to rem
der 4 Temporary SC: vice to lha State. Surely
patriotism itself shonla forbid such a waste
Let others rcrdtF the requisite military Der
vice. VINO csn do it without so ruinous O cost
10 them el:cs and the public. Young men
may thi,i!s that Their military career will make
nalT a post ppnemcnt Of their Cuistge course.
But cur experience in:ewaTn5 us, that they
will unusually Fl ID this expectation mistaken
thcir. lives will DC turned ainoSt before they
knoT it, into a new channel.
If it z wrong fnr ouT students 10 ab'd: BY
their b,rhs ii such a time, il would be more
wrons fer professors and teachers to sit Idle ct
such a time, in schools that had no pupils
| II za 49, n ~. IF ,.,. ,.nt,on n m Tho
camp, il proper, ought 10 result, consistently,
in the thnroagn dl>nrgan'Zation Of our Gel
leges, SetuinarieS, and Universities. But it is
4 work OF years. oi'en OF a lifetime, to recon.
struct q respectable literary institution. Sure.
iy it cannot be right or wise to cut doDu the
tree which it required & lifetime TO grow, IN
order to supply the lack oI q stick OF timber
for Q single day!
Without saving anything invidioIs aHcnt
that supply ofprn:rs. iona' men which has been
highcrto 40 largely derived from the n nth, We
NAV safely sssume that it is nov absolutely
rut IF But we aspire To DC an independent
civil zed and prosperous p'nple. Surely, We
shall not submit tn living hereafter Without
,pachera professional men. authors, and mills
tersl On the contrary, it will be OUT oo'st
that we shall refite the envious ISLANDERS @:
I'll ONT enemies. hy displaying Z higher ana
sonndnr culture. amidst OUT other elinsnta
o sociai nrnsneritv. The dema'G Tor literary
and professional talent must then TeiVT, Jnit
as snon As the war ends. /. will be diSaStruus,
ire ."d, tn AL these hopes, il the community
has 10 vait CIR ito slpol7, till Q generation CT
odncrtpd young man is raised up anew. 81
fire that is d,nc. n generation Ut our people
will have grown np, with n g "ntlan character
stamped uDnn them. which will either ento!
i~tsfl'n e the permanent trait of our new nation.
nr will fix ur1n ia n most serv lie literary de-
nandnnce on f,raisn States. Ii nee It IS most
vital IN the honor and safety Of our CDnfcde
racv. that during all the time society Is busy
in this lahnr Of self defence it h Ill he raising
m a still larger sInniv Of educated men at
homa. And fortunate will be that young man
who has had The good Sense 10 plr7ue his
studies diligently, so ns to b" prepared. when
noacp returns, 70 step iato this teenlng ueld
of labor.
All these considerations apply ~ith peculiar
force to the Young ministers Of the gospel, and
candidates for tine ministry. In orr Own de.
nomination, for instance. & car. fLl estimate
prepared coma Ynars esn. revealed tine fact that
ahnut one.half the ministerial laho7crs in the
Prnshr;arisn church in Virginia, we're borroH-
I'd from the States \ rrh Of us. This supply
will he hcnc"f,r nth rn' off 81 th,t the dest;-
tu,i.n wonli snnn become al Tming enough,
we're onr Seminarirs Of learning 10 continue il
full prosperity. The churches cannot hut suffer
much disorgan;z,rion from the COMMISSIONS Of
war Mt hest. NV We aPTHal. 10 our Christian
vnnne m n: Will vou ndi to MI these cruel
lossna. The m"Te fatal evil nf an absolute dearrh
nf ministerial supply Ut The end Of the war?
After al the disasters Of the times, must our
struggling churches he met, when peace re
Turns, hY ihis answer from their PresbyIeriG::
We can ei9e VII NJ ministers I'LL We E"er u
NV stock" The einca'inn OF 4 Presbyterian
minister CONSUMES from hgc to seven years -
Even if M more Gtlag nccurrcii, than would
he required fnr old s~:udrrts to C NIL tc their
interrupted course of s~'ut'ns. this might b. Il
fatal one, when ADDED TO all the evils Of 4 state
Of war. The only result Of such y course on
the part Of cur candidates fnr the ministry,
will he, that chr church, will re,rograde in the
South tn p point from which q whole genera
ton will scarcely bring il up. As things now
60. our church will speedily hs n far more
rninolS want oi ministers, than the Common
wealth can he Of soldiers.
Surely the cxigencies Of the hour are not
90 dire, az to Justify the raising OF soldiers for
de!racn, a. such an expense as TINS. 10 as
sume il would b: TO psy entirely too high q
tribute 10 the pro@css Of our enemies. Its
moro worthy Of Inc dignity Of Virginia and
the Scu!A, TO show that ~e are a5und:nllv
abba 10 h.rl bark our insolent assail.nts, and
at the same time to carry on with undistu' be
cqnaa;ini,v, all til high functions of civil led
sacicty. Virginia does not so need q few hun
dred soldiers, 10 employ her precious edl
Gated youth in tho wmk Of the camp. We
haze good evidence that nG: highest military
authorities concur in this rie|-, and lament the
III considered z'al which has eInptied our
schools. We d eve that our students will
best display ih,ir patriotism and courage, By
laying aside the mnskpt, as autumn returns,
and coming back to their studies, in every
case where they en- honestly do 50
WV II McGCTTET,
r L DABShy.