The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-22
pur,,.. school Beeks in che soa,h.

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We doubt whether there Ia a school In Rich-
mond. from the highest TO the lowest, which
does not use the works OF Puritan authors in
the instruc ton ofchiidren. ehave lately seen
a large volume in use In some Of the principal
seminaries and small one in use in primary
schools, both of which ignored the founders of
the South, and exalted to the Heavens the
prosecuting Pnrfians. representing them as
flying TO this country for freedom of con-
science--a worn out fabrication, which the
most brazen faced falsifer ought to be
ashamed TO repeat. They went from England
TO Holland because they could not get the up
per hand of men of other religions; and they
left Holland because they obtained a fat char
ter from the King in America, and here they
prosecuted everybody to the top of their bent.
We observe that the Legislature of Louisiana
has appointed committee with reference to
the examination of school books manufac tured
IN the North for Southern use, and the expur-
CATION from them of abolitioni.m and other
things offensive TO truth, justice, and decency.
We should like to see this admirable measure
adopted by our own Legislature and that of
every Southern State. Most of the histories
and other school books produced at the North
are more or less tainted with insidious
saults upon the institutions and history
of the Southern people. 1t is far more i'm
tportant TO the South that the education of
her children should be Southern than that
the legislation of Congress should be sound -
The South can protect itself against Congress,
but not against tho latent and subtle poison
which is instilled through Northern school
hooks In to the minds of its children at school.
No doubt one reason Of the strong preference
which some Southern mon give the North
over their own country, is the prejudices
which they unconsciously imbibed in child
hood from the books they used at school
Neither the Bible, nature, nor common sense
requires any man or any people 10 love their
neighbors better than themselves We may
and ought TO do full Justice 10 the good quail
ties of large mass of the Northern people,
most of whom, with the exception Of the de-
PRAYED Puritan element, equal to any
other people, but it becomes us to see that we
be true to ourselves as well az to others, and
this we can never be whilst our children are
daily taught the moral and intellectual supe-
riority of other States and the evil character
and injurious effects Of their own institu-
tions 1t is idle to say that the teaeher can
explain to the pupils objec tionable passages
in the school books. There is great magic and
authority in print to youthful eyes. and most
children will derive their impressions from
that, in spite of all that the instructor might
teach, or say, or do. No remedy is effectual
but that adopted in Louisiana. Let system
be adopted for the examination of all school
books, and the eypurgation of Objectionable
passages. 1t. would be still better, if we
would produce all our own books and have
literature of our own but, in default of this,
let us by all means adopt the Louisiana .ys-