New-York tribune., 1867-08-22
PARIS.
TUr rxrOsfrIoN-AN AMERICAN sCHOOL-HOU
EDUCATION IN THE OLD AND NEW WORLD
THE LEGION OF HONOR.
yr,n OYr S,...I Correspondsut

Honor TO whom honor is due, whether of the red
ribbon or higher varieties That Mr.. Elas Howe
first knight OF the needle since Sir Pierce Shaton,
should DO created chevalier for having invented a
sowing machine, rendering better service TO dis
tressed ladies than did any lordliest vagabond
on horseback who ordered his clothes at the black
smiths: that Mr.. Beckwith, who has invented
nothing, should be made. by Imperial Grace oncer
in that select Legion of GO0OO Is all Well buV Otio
Is another guess American abroad TINS year "no
takes no orders" from kings but rather holds the
ribbons of our car of state-its only safe conductor
10 futgre high career" whose PLAIN ad0ltlOh
of Mister has to our ears a more malysIl99
sound than tae PIOeGst in IN that small section
of the Park of the Champs de Mars allotted To the
United States ho has set type OF ms modern put
very noble house. Hard by is highly ornate lmlta-
tiOn palace of the PharOahs led up to through an
alley of plaster sphinXcs on other hands are elegant
specimens of Moresque aIclntectqre-a Innlslah
house for the upper classes little Persian palace
Turkish Pasha's kiosk, mosque, the copy ol an H.
dian mausOleum not far Off the arch3ologic rtaci-
mentO of an Aztec temple (admttanGe - cOtelnpo-
rary centimesl japanese interior, Chlhese TEA
garden. Thus surrounded by these snowy monu-
Inents of the dead tins IlGh-GolorGu 9opnIneS@Hue que
parade OF the dying stands the hOnely but very i've
and quickening, little American schOOl-houSe, rec
tangular box, painted white, with green blinds.
Batting slight jutng Mt one end, for the door
ways and the thickness of its clapbOaTd and plas-
tered walls it is as large within as without 1t IS OF
about thirty girl and boy power Two rows OF black
aisle between, and aisies on either wall side, the
last expression of neatneSs. airineSs, and cheeIIu
ness, and facing and commanding these the nlstoLS
raised desk. On the walls are the lndlheIentS en
graved edOla of two three of our Presidents ana
other wOrshipful public men, to remind the uneaSy
OCCUPANTS of the male benches that the Onca St OF
such are within their Eature reach lnteIspeSe9N!
these modern instances are placardS inscribed WIN
wise saws against ideneSS and IN praise OF scholStlc
virtues which entering through needless young eyes
gazing off their books, may make impressions on the
memory that will be prohted by III later years.
M, folla in pf ha a.
mems Of class books, states mathematical blocks ana
other instruments of instruction, Such as are used
in the public schools OF Illinois For that Is lt-ths
type of crOssrOad free sclOO-hOuSe that draws the
deep attention, and prOvOkCs the frequent inquiries
of French English, German, ana Other lorelgh VS.
itOrs Interested in the urgent question OF popular
education-is exhibited not by Connecticut the nur-
seryOf the schOOlmaSteTs and first OF our states 10
institute common school fund-nOt by MaSSachu-
setts the most enlightened, and almost everything
elsest State of the UniOn-DOT yet by NeW-1OTk, SO
imperally generous in its appropriations for schools,
but from that yQung Sprout OF State, ILLINOIS. IN
apt proximity to the school house Is the type dwell
hng-house of the well tO-dO farmers and thrifty
mechanics of Illinois. BY no means model OF ele-
CANT, nor IN all respects, of convenient domestic
architecture, there are room and arrangement IN III
by European working hands, within the scope
of their reasonable ambition under Jhe tradlliohaI
Old World conditions. Here are volumes OF SIate
reports the agriculture, Sch0oI-laIuS, &C oI 1II
nOis some of which, or abstract Of some OF Wllch
the patriotic commissioners OF that State shOuld nave
translated into French and German for distribution
to the masses of working men who come up from tne
provinces and from across the Rhme TO TINS W ora
far Apamphlet in English picked up from the
table in the family living room OF the house
The shTewd Council of the Society OF the fIOpa-
ganda were it the society for propagating faith IN
emigration to the West, could not have more IN
genIOusly composed it to their purpose. Yet all the
ingenuity of Commissioners Reynolds and Bowen or
whoever its authors are, consists III lheiT DIleny
stating few facts about An American Farmers
Residence twhy not house u the United States
Free Common SchOOl-HOuse," and the " American
Farmers Wagon" to which are added some notes on
ba Droiu
States, facts like these, peculiarly characteristic
of America and telling on the minds OF Europeans TO
whose notice they are brought -,
The Farmers's House was made by Lyman Bridges
Of Chicago manufacturer of ready made houses t0r
all the world like our Paris fabncants OF Teady-maae
clothing or fancy soap forwarded lOOOml andput
on ship board at New-lork tor HaVIe twelve days
Now let me talicise the significance of fact like
this, as it impreSses a Frenchman, by placing under
it counter instance equally characteristics IN Ihe
last days of last june the house IN WhGh I'VE l'ue
Blank began to be attacked outside and IN by scrap
ers and washers, and painters TO these entered III
early July masOns and carpenters followed by gaSI,
filters. The work to be done was To change small
apartment of three cupboards in the back
part of the ground floor into porter's lodge to
turn the old pOrter's lodge in front of the house
along with small adjoining shop. INTO magazin; |;
60 clean and repant the outer walls and stairway,
and substitute in the latter gas for the old smoky
lamps. Coming home four mldnightS ago. found
the street door still sticky from the final coat of var
nsh applied that day, and was for the hrst time
lighted TO my upper sphere by gas. AIas had
rather not have had my fingers stuck, and not have
been Ighted up so Dillilantg 10 my humble tnOugn
lofty Ian. Next morning the concierge told me that
the rent raised twenty-five per cent. TINS per
sonai; but let something be pardoned to natural emo
tiOns.
The telling facts recorded in connection with the
schOolhouse are that instruction IS given freely TO
the children of the State that as is shown by off
cal Statistics 81 per cent of the'childrcn receive it
aud that this raw stripping Of State makes larger
yearly appropriation for gratultOuS primary lnstruc
ti0n than does France, the head of civilization"
Illinois, medtates the intelligent French observer
OF this fact, has population of two and quarter
millions. France has population of about thirty
eight millions, full third of the adult portion of
which cannot read nor sign their names 1t is but
just 10 say that the present Government is doing
good deal TO slowly ameiOrate this shameful
state OF things, and to bear III mind that,
owing to lower rates of wages in all kinds of
work and TO a wisely economic administration of
public funds IA French and not an American char
acteTlstlcl, French frame produces much result
an Illinois paper dollar But when urged, as at
every session of the Corps LegiSatf il is urged by
JuessSimOn and other wise men of the-OppostiOn TO
increase the scant appropriations of the Budget for
popular education, Government constantly declines
the plea Of pccuniary inability. The new Louvre
cost 100000 francs and blttock The new opera
house Will cost as much, which naturally leaves little
for new schOOl-hOuses. The question OF gTatutous
primary education rs constantly agltated III France
and is annually discussed IN the Legislative
body The advocates for the affirmative are
growing slowly in numbers but are still far
from, attaining majority even among intelligent
people in the Chambers. One OF the grave objec-
tOns always presented and that has great weight
even. with many Liberals, is that the means of in
structOn given gratuitOusy by the State, would be
like charity and degrading to the sef-Tespect Of
the recipients weakening their spirit of indepen-
dence. AS though a gydttHty from the State not
part of the working peoples tax contribution TO the
State But the Illinois Commissioners facts tell
more effectively than never SO much ingenious argu-
ment. Here Illinois has settled long the ques-
tiOn which French ciyzees find so difficult OF solu-
tiOn, and there can be pTetense that the 81 per
cent of its people who profit by 10 are any way de-
graded by the manner of the solution.
The telling fact in respect of the American far