Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-02-20
systsms to OF PablIc Educatlon.

From the Lawyer IN the School Room-l
The various plans adopted by gov
efnments for fostering education are re-
duced into four general classes, which
we will call the Chinese, the Hebrew,
the Russian, and the American.
1.-The Chinese plan consists IN estab-
fishing system of excellent graded
schools, and making it necessary to pass
Though all the grades with honor in
order to acquire eligibility to Office in
the State. The direct results Of this
plan are: t1) TO make thorough edu-
cation absolutely necessary to every
one who would share in the honcrs and
emoluments of the government; (2)
to secure for government officials men
who are all highly and similarly edu-
Gated; and (3) to make education a
high honor in itself, and an acknowl-
edged badge of superiority as well as
social and political advantage. The
Chinese educational system embraces
a most complete course Of eminently
national instruction, and IS made to
stand out in bold prominence, SO that
it may strike the minds of all in such
q way as to leave a definite, forcible,
and lasting impression. It carefully
avoids all Vexed questions, such as re-
ligious, for example; and without ia
king upon itself the championship of
anything that might prejudice any
class sgainst it, it marshals all its forces
and advances to the accomplishment
of its own purposes. 1t does not choose
to lessen its importance or waste its en-
ergies by dividing its houors and null
tiplying its objects, but adherss faith
fully to its legitimate aims and the re-
suit Is the most stable government, and
perhaps the greatest, that has ever ap-
pezred upon the face of the earth
II. The Hebrew plan was to establish
a government without q system OF ed
ucation, or to establish a religion, and
apply the whole force Of the govern
ment to the support oft. Some of the
Hebrews were unquestionably learned,
and others of them may have been;
but there was nothing in their laws or
government, and there Is nothing in
their history, to leave US to suppose
that their government as such, or they
as people, gave any prominence to
education in the sense in which the
term is now used. They seemed to have
left the science of human government
to take care of itself, or to private en-
terprise," or to free competition" as
in England. The most liberal and COM
prehsnsiye minds of England, seeing
the warning in the history of other ma
tions, have for q long time been urging
upon the government the Importance
of national system of public schools
But what these men desire and demand
is system of schools that shall be free
from sectarianism; thing which Is GER
tainly most desirable, but which is not
easily obtained from = government
with established church. III. THEIR
sian educational system is purely gov
Ornamental, emanating from a minister
of instruction Immediately dependent
upon the crown. The universities, the
gymnasia, and the primary schools are
all under the laws and regulations
which proceed respectively from the
crown, the provisional government,
and from the commoners. Every child !
in the kingdom is obliged under pains
and penalties, to attend school at least
from the age of seven to that Of four
teen; the result is, that the Prussian
people are efficiently educated through
out the entire community, and that |
the universities sand forth large body |
of highly educated men. This scheme |
has given to Prussia some prom
lnence az nation, and it has to con- !
siderable extent natiOnalizsd the people.
But there would seem to be something |
still wanting; for Notwithstanding their
vast and powerful machinery for popu-
lar instruction, the Prussisns have not
taken a leading part in civilization
Horace Mann supposed that this partial
want of success in the Prussisn school
system, arose from the fact that when
the children once leave school they
have few opportunities ofspplying the
or exercising the faculties
which have been acquired and deve[
oped there. This, however, is only the