The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-07-16
back az 17ot brought to as f,ipb . dea-.

OF perlecClOH as LnaHy StlteS nave reached
The Others of the old thirteen states ~
emerging from colonial to organized STAT
existence, had not at once established III
a system as Massachusetts and CONN.,,
had introduced from their colonial estoI
lishments, but In the course Of this ce Tt,n
most OF them had done 80. ONLY Nh
Carolina had made such part of constit,,
tional law on entering into the orpan;zaI
State existence, but the provision Of IIa
Constitution had remained for tiftv vo Wv
q dead letter. AS new States u
added, with few exception, ihore
had been adopted az part Of '" ,hr
fundamental law some pain for eleman.s ,m
and, in some cases, higher educate,
Meanwhile the Older States, in amcnd"G
Constitutions, had also, with few aynn,,
tons, done the same before the war ". .nI
since the war the exceptions no Iongar '' Wv
listed so that now the duty and nrero ca
tive Of the State to provide for the edns"
ton OF the people has come to be adonteJ
as principle by all the States. He thpn
proceeded TO show that it is mistake +"
regard this action as the result nf ~
spreading and growth OF New Ena,a .ns
ideas-suggesting, in passing, that this yiom
had served greatly to prejudice such n,a ."
in the minds Of many. pans
BY several clearly stated facts il ma.
shown {: ]. That common school ,yl
TENS had prevailed in parts of Grrm.nr
before the introduction OF such into
New England, and that Scotland, nder
the lead OF Knox, had established substan,
TALLY the same system Of education undnr
the auspices Of the State and church until
4 century before Massachusetts wa. Set
tied. Then it was further shown that
General Washington, too, in General
terms had countcnanced the same prinr;nI.
rs to general education, and with Madison
and Pinckncy more distinctly and fully "a
to national university, aid that .Jcttar.on
had drawn up district school systc,n
which in 1856 was enacted into law hm,
was rendered virtually null b. provision
suspending its operation on the will of the
counties, which Jefferson said "dereat.
cd" the whole scheme. Similar efforts
thirty years ago in Virginia. had prove
abortire fOrthe same reason. That the spread,
of such opinions might have been aided By,
the successful experiments of Massachusetts,
and other northern States may be true, a,
both Patrick Henry and Richard i. Lee
had left recorded testimonies of admiration
for the course of those States still il re-.
manned true that the principle stated hal
received the suflrages of the leading men
or party politics. To this union Of the
Fathers of the Nation in the political prn.
ciples on which it was founded, and on The
proper means for pcrpetu lting those priIl-
ciples, might be ascribed the growth ant
extraordinary power Of the United States.
He then proceeded to consider objcc.
tionS:
l. That the State has no right to make ,
such provision for education is disposed OF
under the general admission that every PEG.
Die have right to choose their own Govern.
ment, and the people have chosen to en-.
graft this principle into the Constitution
existing. And as to the eXpedcncy. those
who object to the patronage of elementary
education Of the State, while admitting the
pr0priety Of such legislation for higher
grades, are inconsistent, for the people Is
much need help in case OF the poor Tor
primary rs for other educational in>tiiu.
lions. Further, that leaving the Interest,
of primary education to the operation ol
the law of "dcmand and supply" woulI
not do, inasmuch rs the demand will not
be made, for it is not felt by those who need
the supply most.
.. Or if it be objected that the State hi.
no right to make such provision for per.
s0na interests, the reply is found in the
fact that such Il right to provide for Tie
physical though private interests arguri
for this provision for Il more important III.
terest. BY us much evil rs one ignorant
and vicious man may produce by as murh
evil as family of vicious children, reuei
under his auspices, may intiict By Us much
expense rs his vices and those he may occa.
sion may incur by rs much ~ his failure
to perform tho duties Of n good citizen may
detract from the welfare of the whole and
on the other hand, by as much wealth and
knowledge as an industrious and intelligent
man contribute to the whole by a. mlIrh
as family of such, reared under his AIS
pices, may contribute by as much evil a,
his personal conduct and example may pre-
vent by so much is the State 4 loser or
gamer for every Ignorant and vicious adult,
or for every upright and intelligent citizen.
All the interests Of the State, material. po-
litical, and moral her weight in the Union,
and the character and influence of her law,
and literature, are deeply and intimately
connected with popular virtue aud intrlL.
gence.
8. Another class of objections are based
on the alleged uselesSneSs OF such scheme
of common schools, owing to the fact that
people may be intelligent without it: and
further, that such schemes have produced
declension in morals. As to these, the que
ton of tact was raised rs to the equal
or superior intelligence of communit?
not having the advantages Of such 4 s."
TEN as compared with those which have
il, because in the former case Onc-thrd ID
the population Qhe slaves had been omitted
In the calculation on the one side, while the
entire population, including the day labor.
ers and families who perform mental service
had been included In the estimates OF The
other side. Further, 1t must be borne in
mind that without this consideration there
is another difference to be considered; that
one side was composed of population
whose means Of living were easier, as de.
rived from agriculture performed by slaves.
while large parts OF the population on the
other side were engaged in pursuits exact
inc as to time and necessary for support
Or, even admitting the alleged deterioration
in morals, other causes, MS decline of re.
gious filth, may account for it, and the ad.
mixture of foreign and undomestica,sd
population would also readily explain tie
approaches to anarchy with which such poF'
lions Of the country are charged. But, !d
further, it fully appears from the history
given that this system OF schools had a!'
ready before the war been adopted by eleven
out Of fifteen slave States, and had pre-.
vailed in some of themfor fullya generation.
1t was then argued from the less to the
greater to show that if the predicated effects
OF common schools were correct all efforts
for intellectual improvement ought TO be
abandoned, and even the higher gradcs Q!
education given up, because 1t had
been alleged that men learned ID
science had been found to impugn the
very foundations of NIL morality. ln'
deed, this entire class OF objections seems 70
rest on confounding the .post hoe" ana
the "roptu hoe. No logical REASONING
had yet been adduced to sustain them
True. high intellectual improvement does
not necessarily produce moral. But 1t m4: