Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-28
EDUCATION VITALITY ESSENTIAL To
THE SPREAD OF FREE PRINCIPLES
THE CONDITION OF FRANCE

There are some things for the people OF
this commonwealth to think of in connection
with the present energetic and praiseworthy
endeafors Of the State Superintendent to Or
ganize an efficient school SYSTEM and amongst
these are the bearing that education has on
the preservation of republican institutions and
superior civilization as displayed in the pro,
gress of the State. For when we are occa-
sionally reminded by some of the current
events in the history of France, of the appa-
rent hopelcssness of seeing liberty perma-
nently established there, simply because it has
nothing In the way of a general and enlightened
public sentiment to build upon, it should
stimulate all here to new efforts to leave none
without education, certain that in that alone
E is guarantee for freedom to the masses.
And whilst great many learned and APP
parently philosophical reasons have been given
by historians and publicists, why liberty was
overthrown at this and that era in the fortunes
Of France, whilst in some instances it has
been placed to the account of diabolical talent
and ingenuity on the part of the reigning
power for the time, at others to the accident
of combinations in military point of view it
was impossible to resist, few have attributed
the failure of France to achieve better .des-
tiny for herself to the score of the deplorable
ignorance which, as pail, shuts out the light
which might guide her to constitutional reform
and to permanent freedom.
A correspondent of the Chicago Republican,,
writing from Paris, reminds us that from
statistics which have recently appeared there
-"tco-thirdS of the conscripts in twenty
''seven departments cannot read; in twenty
hive others, three. fourthS cannot and in nine
''others the proportion is onehalfi
Now remembering that the capital of France
monOpolizes and absorbs the greater portion
of the learning and the devotion to science
and the arts that exists in the empire; and re-
membering too, the enlightened comments on
the tendencies of the late conflict here, which
emanated from intellects like those of Labou-
laye, Count Gasparin and others, how dreary
must be the prospect which meets the outlook
of these great men as they glance over their
own country; and how must their hopes for
France be postponed, all but annihilated,-
as they are made to feel that in attempts to
raise the masses they are absolutely without a
place on which to rest the lever of reform;
that until there is education, the ability to
appreciate arguments and appeals in favor of
liberal principles, the case seems hopeless.
Let it be noted, too, that the education of a
great commonwealth is not the work of day.
Flooded, for years, as has been this nation
with books,-school books-newspapers, and
all else that can beget love for reading and
improvement, how many dark corners yet
exist in our own land; and what cause is there
for the best efforts of all if we would enable
men to defend their rights against the subtle
encroachments of power, the Establishments
of ambition?
Rejecting, finally, that it is our good for
tune to have secured on this continent the
right start at least; that iberty-the widest
freedoms too deeply engrafted in the hearts
of all to be lightly surrendered or valued, let
us bend every effort to send its roots deeper:
to strengthen the devotion of the masses to it:
to base freedom upon knowledge, if we would
make its rule permanent. With power to per-
petuate ignorance amongst the people, the
rulers of the old world well know the sources
of their strength, and will not lightly surrender
their vantage ground; and more and more
convinced as we glance backward at their
condition, that the true home of free princi.
pies must be found on this continent, let every
commonwealth here do its part to make the
reign Of liberty eternal.