The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-07-09

in these schools or in private lnstitu
: t;ons of at least an equally high order
which are open to Government inspe.c
ton. Compulsion, SO far, is perfectl
lepitimate. To bring up child In TX
norance is not merely private aud per
sonal wrong. 1t is also a public eVi
which ougbt to be abated by the law
While tbe position thus taken !
nroner under any form of Government
ia neculiarly necessary in q Republic
Where, as with Us, there are no rui
ING classes, but where, in all Probaoih
ty. before long every man Will be cioGn
ed with the privilege of the ballot snc
is so far practically the equal OF ever.
other. where the hnmblest citizen car
asnire to the highest place in the Gov
eminent, there can be no permanent
nnblic safety except in the general dit
fusion of knowledge among the masses
The people must have the ability al
we'll as the disposition to use wisely the
mower committed to them. 1t seems to
me therefore. that the time has come
when we as a nation should take anoth'
er step forward in regard to education
There is certainly part of the emlgra
tion from Europe which is not charac
terized by superior intelligence: That
which is setting in from Asia is even
heathenish. The colored people of the
South are largely in ignorance. Even
MANY of the white natives in some sec.
tions of the country can neither read
nor write. We cannot continue to be
a free and enlightened people unless
this darkness is dispelled. Let it In
crease and we are sure to perish. There
fore am prepared to take the ground
that education shall be made compul-
sorry. 1t should no longer be left to the
will of parents or guardians. Children
M to a certain age should be made to
attend either the public schools or prl'
vate institutions open to public lnspec'
ton.
THE LOCAL SCHOOLS.
Here | wish to call upon you to stand
by the institutions of learning which
exist among ourselves. Foster our com
mon schools. If the system has defects,
seek to bring it TO perfection. Butln the
mean time aud always encourage those
" no are endeavoring faithfully to exc
cute its provisions. We also ought to
sustain all the other schools-especially
those of higher grade. They have not
in the past had that support which they
deserve. Do not permit yourselves to
be entieed by cunning devices to pat
ronize other seminaries while those
which you ought most to cherish are
left to languish and die.
III. GOOD GOVERNMENT.
The second pillar of national great
ness is good government. BY this L
mean that our rulers ought to be men
who have at heart the best interests of
the country and who are qualified for
the places to which they are called, and
that the principles upon which the gov
erRment is administered should be wise
and Just. l disclaim any intention in
what say to take either side of party
politics. But as Christian minister
and as an American patriot / declare
that we must have good rulers if it con-
tinues to he we'll with us as q people.
1t is to be regretted that it is 50 freely
charged and so generally believed
whether justly or unjustly it is not for
me to determine-that the best men are
not always put forward for public posi-
tons by either party. Woe be to US as
a people if to hold place of authority
is to be regarded as ground of suspi-
cion. The time will soon come in such
case when no one except those who
willing to accept such positions.
l here have nothing to say of the
principles upon which the government
should be administered, except that its
great object should DO on the one hand
to rebuke injustice and oppression, and
on the other to restrain all lawless lib
erty. OF these two things it is impossi-
BILE to determine which is the most i'm
portant. 1t is essential that every man
should be secured in the full enjoyment
of all his civil rights and also that all
licentious freedom should be crushed.
1t becomes US to be on our guard as to
both of these things, There is danger
lest while we look after one we may lose
the other. Eternal vigilance is the
price to be paid for the enjoyment of
both of them.
III. MORALITY.
The third pillar of our hopes should
be morality. The clear testimony of the
Word of God is that he will not hold
nation guiltless which tramples his
laws under foot. All history vOrifes
this declaration. The countries which
by their codes or by the prevailing
conduct of their inhabitants, have trans.
crossed, wilfully and habitually, the
eternal principles of righteousness, have
incurred the judgments of heaven.
Where to-day are Nineveh and Babylon,
Tyre and Sidon and other great nations
of the past, before which the world
trembledi They disobeyed the laws of
God. They repentea not of their sins.
First they were scourged and then they
were swept from the face of the earth.
What right have we to expect that our
fate will he different if we initiate their
example? Indeed there is an inherent
tendency in vice to destroy the people
among whom it prevails. Let murder
and robbery, fraud and idleness become
general and the nation where they run
riot could not subsist, much less could
it prosper. And of course, just accord
ing to the degree to which this state of
things is Appropriated will the veal of
any people be endangered.
TIE kEiGN Of CklME.
1t is fearful, therefore, for the Chris
tiau patriot to reflect upon the awful
tide of wickedncss which for the last few
years has been sweeping over this land.
We know that there are many persons
among us who have maintained their
integrity in the midst of Astounding I'M
goodness. If it was not for them we
would despair. Still who can close his
ey es to the reign of vice which has pre-
vailed Business has largely been
turned from its legitimate channels and
been converted into wild speculation
and gambling. Frauds of the most 81.
gantic character have been perpetrated
on the Govern ment, in the face of the
most solemn oaths. Drunkenness is
hurrying thousands annually to the
grave. Lascivious plays are boldly in
troduced and countenanced, where once
they would not have been tolerated.
The Lords Day in many of our cities is
made the occasion of the most wretched
debauchery. Our newspapers every
morning are filled with accounts of
murders, prize fights and infdelity of
bus hopds and wlyes followed nv 1i-