Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-01-02

ADDRESS OF T. oLARKsoN TAYLOR BEFORE The
STATE EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION.


STATE EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION.
The following Is a synopsis of the address
of Prof. 7. @. Taylor, before the State Edu-
sational Convention, at Dover, Dec. cath.
The cause of our coming together il one
Of no ordinary interest. The Education Of
every child ofour Commonwealth Is q para
mount duty of the State. The State has no
other interest that begins to approach, in
Importance, the interest of education. In
this all other interests are involved. When
well considered 1t is our Common Schools
that must give the highest success to our
farms, our shops, our factories, and our
| mercantile interests 1t Is our common
chools that must keep pure the ballot box,
make the jury box intelligent, and put think
ing men in our halls of legislation. Popu-
lar ignorance is the bane of free governments
1t is this that prevents the growth of free
dom in the Old World. It is this that made
it possible to introduce a monarchy into
Mexico. 1t is this that renders unstable the
Republics of South America.
Our farms cannot be fully developed with
out intelligent labor, and intelligent laborers
seek homes where provision is made for the
education Of their children. BY making
| ample provision for our common schools we
invite immigration and increase our popula-
ton, and thereby enhance the value of all the
property OF the State. 1t is no uncommon
thing for men that have accumulated wealth
In one section of the State where there are
not good schools, to take their property and
move into some other section where good
schools are to be fonnd. The Western
States have nearly all of them made it their
first business to establish good common
school system, and their unexampled pros
perity fully attests the wisdom OF the move
ment. If then, we only take selfish view
Of this subject we believe we will find thai
we cannot do without a good system OF
common schools. doubt not that every
dollar of tax that Is levied and properly ex-
pended in the education of all our children,
will increase the value of personal and rcal
estate ten times the amount of the tax as
sessed or the money expended.
Not only in pecuniary sense are We
prompted to an improved common schoo
system upon our countrymen.
Our happiness largely. depends on the
preservation of our health. A man may
add field to field and stock to stock until ht
can scarcely measure the one or count the
! other, and yet, if his health is destroyed, i
his body is Frustrated on a bed of sickness
if pain and anguish rack his frame, all hi.
acquisitions will be Of no avail. Now, the
laws of health are divine laws, and it is tn,
duty of the common school teacher to teacl
these as il is that he shall teach geography
Indeed there is no reason why the geogra
ply of the human system should not bt
studied as early and as thoroughly as th,
geography of the earth. 1t is certainly no
more intricate. BY this means our happi
ness may be increased and the averag,
length of human life be increased. This il
not mere assertion, it is fully corroboratet
by carefully compiled statistics. AS THU
subject has been discussed, better under
stood and taught the result has become APP
parent
In London between the years of $50 ant
1850, period of 20 years, "A out of every
hundred children died before they reached