The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-02-13
schoo,s and Colleges.

.,n =. M, .ub;ect, in the House Of Dele.
-, 80 Witch had gone TO 10 ensrossmshs, Wa
80, .rs,nv fefeated, and Afterwards Icconsr
$3.50 And recommitted. II provides ior sne
!, s,,,,r,men. OF a Board OF Commissioners,
IN, ara Is meet next September, we oelleve
4, All. c,.v. 20 consider system Of coucasion'
rr,rc,rv and Collegiate; and the anthor OF the
s,.st .vstem Is to receive one hundred ooiiafs
,,ran,inu for Il. The Board 10 receive Tour
an,,.r. for every twenty miles mileage, anu
sonr dollars per day. Mr.. GRArrAx opposed u
n, the score Of the limited means OF the State.
He supposed that such Board would recon-
mend most extravagant scheme. which IL
,vou,d be impossible for the State, without
means, to carry ont and. therefore the ex-
pense of preparing 1t would be waste Oh
money. Mr.. WATKINS defended u on .n'
ground OF the changed condition OF anans,
and the demand that arose for system u ~
schools. He enlarged upon the advans"ses
submitting the subject to Board VI ieaA
men. Mr. JoYSgs concurred IN INC ~"
Of Mr.. WArKISs as TO 'ne 49,,
OF a free school system - clns
prns.ian system and the Scotch system
remarkinp that he had nothing to say
against the Northern system, against wnich ne
has no prejudices. (Mr. GRArrAS naa sus
gested that the North could trace many Oh Inc
isms which had cursed their country 70 tneir
school system.) Mr.. JoYSEs oDJected 70 .ne
features of the bill relating to colleges. nc
had no idea of bringing the university "
80, ,y;,b the common school system. he
con,a not consent to see its jugular cut In that
manner. MIR. WATKINS disayowed all hos
tility to the University. i.I II
Mr.. GRarrAS replied that the Prussian sys-
ten, was not at all suited to this country, which
was free. Ito which Mr.. LASeHoESE excepted.)
Prussia was despotism, where the object was
to bind the subject TO the throne and make him
look TO that for everything. The Northern
system had the objection, also. that the people
were taught there to look too much to the
Government The Scotch system he liked;
IL was parochial But il was impossible 10
adopt that here, because we had no established
religion. He repeated his objections to the
BOARD of Commissioners-the State was not
now in condition to entertain any scheme they
were likely to propose.
The bill was lost by decided vote, and we
do not suppose it can be amended SO as TO pass.
The premium of a hundred dollars seems to
he a small business, and reminds one OF the
premiums offered by BoSSER's Ledger for the
best story !; which best story is generally
very poor story. 1t is not at all likely that
the scheme of the wise Commissioners would
meet the approval Of the Legislature. Even II
il were not extravagant beyond the means OF
the State, (Which it likely would beg, the Lee
gislature would make its own bill, and would
take just as long to make it as if the Commits
sioners never had made q suggestion to them.
What, indeed, are legislators for but to
digest and pass measures for the public good
This is the end for which they are chosen by
the people, and they know it. Nor will they
be cheated ont of what they consider right as
well as q duty T,ey will cat.haul and
remodel everything. If they didn't do this,
we had as well have no Legislature, but put
the Government out to a commission of
learned men until we could raise up men of
sense sufficient to represent the people. In
old times, statesmen, in the calm OF their sum-
mer retreat, used to prepare schemes for the
public good, and bring them before the public
as well as the Legislature for discussion. They
always showed great deal of wisdom rs well
as zeal for the general welfare. We have no
doubt many members of the present Legisla-
ture-Mr WATKINS among them-can prepare
excellent plans for common schools by the next
session better than those of many learned
professors, who are generally men Of no great
amount of practical sense: much better teach
ers than legislators-as has been often demon
strafpd .tn