The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-01-25
ror - ear Crr.

Nh. EDIToR lit = but seldom That VI
6ad 20 much plain trnth in IN article, .,
. contained in that Of Prof. Hsbbaid. O
this mornings pspsr. Il i. frask dvow
q Of what i patent 70 every inteltgen
citizen. The criminal neglect and inex
cusabls isdifsrence Of the people, t@uch
ing the mental and moral culture Of khe;.
children, has bssn matter Of observAtion
- we'll - source Of norsi6cation 81 ev.
cry one Who has felt any interest id the
cause Of education. II has bsen . Sub.
ject Of remark and lament By those WHO
have oil along felt its Importance; and
Jet with oil the efforts made to awaken
mems ssal and enthusiasm on the subject
here i but faint echo 10 their appeals,
and scarcely one word Of encouragement
to further perseverance, to those Who have
manifested any interest in the work By
their efforts to promote its efficiency.
All the while every other city and town
around 10 has far excelled US in this fun
damental work Of human progress. Even
the rural districts, with their neat school
houses in the prairies and groves, furaish
BY these substantial evidences far deeper
aod more abiding interest in the edaca.
tion Of the youug and rising: and If they
had but the advantages which are here
held out and offered to the inhabitants Of
this city, they woald regard it .s d beir
highest privilege and richest boon. And
yet, although with : less proportion OF
these advantages, there is larger show Of
intelligence.
There never, in Ill history, was an oc-
casion in which to test the value of pener- |
q intelligence among the people on one
hand and the baneful influences Of igno-
rance on the other, as the crisis in our his.
tory since the beginsing Of this war. Ifl
our people would but scan closely the facts
presented before and since, the dulless
comprehension would perceive them and
be brought to safe conclusions on the
subject.
Does any intelligent msn believe that If
the system Of free schools had existed in
the South, - in the North, that the lead
ing arch-traitors. who conceived this r..
bsliion, could have succeeded 10 mislead-
ing aud betrayiug the masses into open
acts Of tleasoa? Never. Every INTEL
gent man, whether North OF South, knows
that the rank and file of the rebel
army il an uneducatsd mass, moi one ia
ten being sble bread or write and do not
know, even 70 this day, what they are
lighting for. Il has been the policy II the
Ssath to deny to them the sdvantaees of
free schools. 10 the language Of 1he /
Richmond Examiner "Iong before this Re. |
bellion was developed. shove every thing |
eise free 10 the North. they hated most |
the free schools' The people we're
kept ignorant OF The great struegle-She
sacrifices and suiferings of our forefashers
10 the colonial revoIution-knew little Of |
the blessings Of our free institutions -
nothing Of any other form Of society than
that OF slavery with its concomitants +
They could not revere our institutions,
because they we're as ignorant of their Dr. |
ganisziion and structure as they we're of
their origin and history, and hence, they |
became the victlms Of falsehood and |
treachery, and the blind and passive In
struments 10 the hands Of leading traitd drs.
Their uncurbed passions were appealed ko,
and the natural instructive attachmentd TO |
home, family and frisnds we're excited to
the keenest emotions by the most frighsful |
pietures OF homes made desolats and their |
women violated BY the northern invadd drs |
and barbarians.
This ignorance Of tie masses was
power aud strength to the South in this |
rebellion without which it could not ha We |
been projected. Since its origin it hA be |
been its forts and guns, its courage abb |
daring in a wicked cause. II has b. zen |
an instrument in the hands of evil men |
who, because Of their superior intelligence, |
have perverted the best and most sacred |
instincts of their nature TO the worst OF |
purposes.
On the other hand, the army Of the |
North-the truest aud most chivarous
host the world ever saw-are At the same |
time the most enlightened. From the
6eld, the workshop. the counting room:
the academy and college, and from tall
pursuits and professions, they came forth |
1t the tap Of the drum. They know the |
value Of our free institutions and the ge-
MUS and spirit Of the liberties they en-
joy. Approaching them they were
willing to die that they might be perpet-
uated. Their knowledge Of history &C.
quired at school and impressed indelibly
upon their minds by lessons from their
teaohers taught them their value and shst
rather than surrender them they would |
sacrifice their lives in their maintainance
They needed only to know they we're in
danger whom their duty Vas made plain
they Yielded to the dictates Of their To-
teiligent judgments. Prompted BY al
true conception aud appreciation of the
principles Of civil liberty, such an army
Is invincibIe and it must triumph.
Such is the contrast which il manifest
between the two great contendiog forces
1.-The one aiming to establish slave re-