Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-02-28
A Military Schnnl.

Il ne greatest and most pressing want oi xzirkansas is good central school. True
 he needs railroads Her rivers might be more navigable. Many material Hants suggest themselves to the most casu- ' investigator of her necessities and re- . urces. But for all these we can abide Dur time. They will all come with our !growing wealth. To build long lines of Railroads requires millions of money, but hey must and will be built. Already bver the State we have various nascent en- lerprises of this kind Already the con. dition of our rivers is attracting attention, Eand whatever can be done to make them more navigable will be done by those pecu- Riiarily interested. Whatever appeals to
 Is with elittering allurements of immediate lain, is sure to command attention and kYmpathy, while the more distant profits of
 ntellectual acquisitions are neglected and |ncared for in the hurry to get rich.- Slen will engage in a land speculation which promises to realize one hundred per cent. Inuch more willingly than they will invest in school or university which is to benefit fheir children or grand children twenty years hence. It is on this account that en- kterprises which promise immediate material benefits need but little encouragement from Government, while those intended to im- k?rove the intellectual man are neglected. rand require the fostering hand of legisla- lion.
 9D-~lt- has always seemed to us one of the first and highest duties of government to offer every encouragement and assistance to the cause of education. A good com mon school system is no less complex in theory than difficult to put into successful operation. For this reason it is frequently neglected in portions of the State or fails for the want of proper educational spirit among the people, thus establishing fact which to our mind has long been conclu- sive, that the only true theory of education IS educate dopnwards To explain this idea more fully, it is absolutely necessary to have radiating central school, which will not only sew broad-ca over the State the germs of knowledge and education, but will also offer stimulus to the aspiring youth who feel stirring within them the fires of genius, and the unsuitable thirst for learning which makes great scholars and enriches the world with achievements Tn literature and art. The boy, who in an academyis striving for honors and wisdom, will find an additional incentive to exertion if he sees opening up in the future new fields for am bition and new glories for ac- quisition. Let the State aid in the estab- Hshment of a good institution of learning "a military school is perhaps best suited to the genius of the times-and then pro. mote as benefciaries one or two from each county of those who have most distinguish. ed themselves for proficiency and scholar. ship in the primary schools. Outside of this elemosynary provision let the school like other institutions of the kind, be free to all who choose to seek and pay for its advantages and fostering care.
 It is needless for us to attempt in one brief article to unfold all the advantages likely to accrue to the State from such ar institution as we have contemplated. We will refer to one only for the present. Be- tween different sections of the State there are always little ,jealousies, which some. times ripen into disagreeable hatreds. A central university, or institution of learn ing, in which the rising generation vii meet and contract college friendships whicf last through life, would have happy in fiuence in preserving kindly feelings be- tween all sections of the State Irradiat ing knowledge and friendship, a goot school would be not an alnaa mater to tn, growing youth, but the guardian genius O the State, shedding upon her the softenine splendor of learning, and cementing differ ent sections with the lasting bonds of col lege attachments. Their benefits and tn, details of the plan we leave to a future ar ticle
 In the above remarks we have omitted to mention St. Johns College, as we in tended to do so hereafter in connection witl our proposed plan of a military school.