Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1867-12-26
AN ADDRESS:
Delivered Before the Vinton County
Teachers Institute, by Prot. WIN, II.
You've, of the Ohio University.

YOUNG, 0J He OHto .OH'VeFS"y
First, its Nature: IN
1t is a State provision, conceived ip
the most enlightened and philan-
thropic age OF the world, and, in the
light Of past experience and philoso-
ply, instituted and regulated by the
aggregate wisdom Of the State, with
all the sanetity Of law and the high.
est commendation of religion, having
in direct view the intellectual, and,
collaterally the physical and moral
culture Of the people, as the indis-
pensable, condition to individual good,
social improvement, national prosper.
ity and human progress. 4B
! How more just to truth and the no
BILE and wise spirit of the age, and
how more creditable to our own intel
ligence is this view of the Common
School than that which, too current
in some communities, regards it asa
common charity-a place where com
mon people are taught the common
things needful to their common lives
This idea of the common, growing ou'
of misapprehension Of the term, and
a misconception of the thing, is Soma
times so dominant as to beget in com
munities manifold weak prejudices
false notions, and pernicious errors, :
Chief among them is that just noted
that the Common School is a sort O
charity to ignorance and poverty
place whore the common people ar
taught the common things needfulett
their common lives, as opposed to tn
select school, where better people ar
taught, in better way, better kint
Of learning Hence some people
without much credit, either to thei
heads or hearts, would depreciats tn
Common School into thing Of disre
pute, and some how, strangely enough
attach kind Of stigma to those VIII
labor in them.
The Common School is not com
mon thing in any disparaging sens
of the term, The word common, here
has not the slightest notion of medi
ocrity much less inferiority. Th
Common School is in no sense
common charity. 1t has its cause ant
its reason in the convictions that tn
good of the commonwealth demand
the education of its members; tina
the commonwealth as the benefciar,
should pay the cost; and that the in
terest is so important, and the RESPONSE
bility SO great, that the aggregat
wisdom, influence, and power Of tn
commonwealth is the, only fit agent t,
conserve it. The Common School
then, theoretically, is the place wher
all the people in common are educatel
at the common expense for the com
mon good. a.#
Now, you will admit such school
ought to be the best schools. | CLAIM
that where citizens do their duty b,
them they are the best schools
Assuming for the present that thi
citizen obligation is fully met, / will
point out some Of the elements 0
excellence in the public school. !
some Of them are less patent than yol
look for, scarcely showing themselve
at all to the chance observer, pleas
remember all great forces are silen
ones, and the mightiest influences ar,
mostly hidden beneath the outer sur
face. The Table Rock at Niagara fel
with terrific power, but the frost Of ;
thousand winters and the How Of ;
thousand years had quietly prepared
the catastrophe. = y x % =
--- - " .t,-------------- T., 4 Xxx.
1 n n = 4 II