Litchfield enquirer., 1861-05-23
WHOLE NO. 1877.
&nt96elb Gnquit.etr.
THURSDAY, MAY 23. Is61-

Str The rapid and great degeneracv of o,, our Common Schools has been the sub;ect ', frequent comment, (but it seems to very littl purpose) for many years. They had their evils
 no doubt, even in their best days. especial,
 those of cold rooms, hard benches and the ne
 culiarly ready and persistent birchen rod-th
 sceptre of an ignoble power, yielded by lean
 vlsaged, long-limbed, keen-eyed aspirant to flu
 ture Presidency, or at least, Governorship, who's,
 hrst great effort to procure funds for the sum
 mers study was to spend the winter in f1opgino
 'ne boys of district school into a sullen sub. ordination-and alas in being himself too oft.
 en subdued by the relentlessly bright eyes of
 some one of the elder pupils of the milder sexy
 But those barren looking schoolrooms of the
 oiden time were productive of much that was good, and some that was really noble. If the children Of the poor attended, they were taught that which it concerned them to know. If tbass or the middle classes or the wealthy, they were instructed in those higher branches preparatory to the countlng-1oom or the college. knowl- edge of the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew Lon suages' and of the higher Mathematics, land those thoroughly mastered, tool. were essential qualifications for the teacher of first class die trict school To secure quiet in his little realm or favor with the School Committee. he mnst add to these good acquaintance with human na'ure' land, by the way, there is no place bet. ter calculated to improve that acquaintance than sehool') quick eye, firm hand, and a kindly heart Many, it is true-nay, most, did not pos sess all of the last mentioned qualifications but that must be laid rather to the door of bu. manity than to the Common School System.
 The System as such, continues well enough . but the men who control it's action have lamen. ably degenerated. The teachers, instead of being chosen for their intelligence by a body of the chief professional men of the 'iace, are selected, apparently for.their stupid ty' by body consisting of q am now mention ns what l know to be fact) totally uned- 'cated carpenter, regarded by his neighbors as lmost non compos-a mercenary rum-seller, nd witless shoemaker. The result of this nion was such as might have been anticipated. willing minded, but an inefficient girl, who, ecause needy would come for less salary than he other, perhaps equally uneducated applicants, iag books on tas hs Fgh "G saAaal yazed familiarly out through the narrow win lows, on to the green fields and tall groves re- reshingly in sight, but tantalizingly far of from he shelterless and staring white, low-roofed ken lel of schoolhouse
 At this day, where select schools and private tutors are universally expected to supply in- ,truction in the higher branches to those who nay desire, or whose means permit, it would be .bsurd to require them of our teachers, who have o deal for the most part, with tho American porn children of foreign laboring parents. But we do insist that in addition to the ordinary English branches, the instructors of these ad- vance posts of future generation, should pos ;ess at least medium share of that most rare article known as common sense. And do they have it? If so, then its legitimate results arc painfuly non-apparent. It is not evidenced iu the selection of the Committee by the parents, of the teacher by the Committee, or in the pro. ceedings of the latter after he has entered upon the duties of his office.
 A poor boy, without spark of oratorical talent, who works for his "board and school- ing" instead of having his mind appliedl to those branches which would prove useful to hia in future struggles is forced to spend weeks in the study of valedictory, in which is particu- larly and frequently mentioned the emotions of pride with which he shall look back to the days spent in his schoolroom, (spent in coming this same useful address, I supposc) when he shall have attained to riper, ,ciser years.
 Another-A low-born and worse educated Irish boy is allowed to speak dialogue in which he takes the part of husband, with the pretty daughter of a highly refined and accomplished reptleman-as wife Were there but the re. motest suspicion of the possibility ol the stu .ations of the play becoming 'eal, who wouia go ou;ckly resent it as the father of the aforesaid damsel? Who would mourn it so deeply as her mother? But they do not reflect that the truth of the old proverb concerning the danger of {. playing with edged tools, ,''has never yet been coptroverted, and that the jest of to-day may hecome the earnest of tomorrow.
 I say nothing concerning the great wisdom displayed in putting such children in the same school-room i. but do, 0 ye parents, pay little attention to them after you hace placed them there. Take all possible pains to procure good instructor; but then do not consider thai
 you have thus thrown of all responsibility ol
 your children's education upon him. And de
 not think that by a few moral precepts dcliveres
 at home of Sunday evening, that you car
 couuteract the effects of an entire weeks tamit far association with children, (always the aples
 of teachers.) whose highest standard or rlgn' ' Il to be able to do bad thing so secretly that shall not be discovered. or so badly that "ne'
 found out, it shall rather be admired Tor its gar ;nc. than condemned for its evil;
 ta''s' '"'' o0'''' IiEIroS SArREs sharon, Conn.,, March 1861. &~s-------
 On Wednesday night, one of the septriss n
 Fort Trumbull, New London harbor, fired into
 Il 4 ZA