The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-02-15

city. Alter detailing the modeOfinstruc-
ton among the ancient philosophers and
u brief review of the carly schools III this
country, Prof B. entered upon the discus.
sion of the following question:
Should not tho common school be more directly
employed In giving Instruction concerning the
duties Of citizenship!
To us Us teachers, every question hay,
ing reference to the organization OF
schools, methods CONSTRUCTION and courses
orstudy, Is of importance because It con-
Germs our daily business; and upon our ut
tcntiOn to these matters depends success
in our profession. 1.-THE teacher isstrong'
~ attached to the good old way; rejects
all improvements upon the methods OF his
fthers: refuses TO attend Educational AS.
sociations and Indignantly declines to sub.
scribe for a teachers journal" because us
one once sud, he "didn't understand them
professional things very well" in short, II
| he is satisfied with being poor teacher
and being paid accordingly, 1t may IN
some sense be regarded US his own bust
ness.
The inquiry, however, with which be.
gan,-going 10 the very gist and spirit OF
the contract under which every public
teacher agrees to serve the State, adj
dresses itself to him with pertinenCy
and dircctness which is not to be avoided
in any such manner.
Let us, then, examine this question Il lit
tie and cAndidly measure our work by the
| r,,Io N1yn tOONV nI1IJCn thRF1frOIn
1.-THE property Of Il State should educate
the children Of the State" is n received
maxim among the supporters Of what IS
commonly known as "Frce'School Sys'
tenn"
Why should it, Is a relevant question.
What stronger reason Is there for requlr'
ing a. TO help educate the children OF b.
than there Is for requiring him TO pur-
chase B's wife now dress, or to prevent
her flour barrel from running too low!
First, negative proposition may be made.
II is not primarily for the personal good
Of those children or their parents. For If
the State, through It's agent, the tax'coIlec-
tor draws from the private means OF A.,
and pays for the schooling Of his neigh
boris children; and has no better defense
Of its action than that education will make
those children better farmers, richer
merchants, or more successful lawyers,
with all due respect for the great Com
InOnwcaltll, l say the State tSa rObbcr; or,
at least, llas obtained money under tnlse
prctcnses.
Other grounds ordclensc for this system
must be sought The first and chief basis
OH which Il rests, Is the first law OF nature
the primary instinct Of sClEprcservation
This calls upon free Republic, rs great
corporation; soulless, the lawyers say, but
surely, not brainless, to, educate It's clti.
zcns, and to give tllcnt such training us
will qualify them for an intelligent per-
formanCc Of the responsible duties Of Citi.
zenship.
The permaucncy Of free institutions de-
ponds upon the intelligence Of the people;
and We are not to look for our standard, to
the mental and moral capacity Of II college
president, but to the average of the whole
mass of voting population. And why!
Because every voter is invested with IL
fractional part Of the sovereignty, and the
whole cannot well be different In Cllarnc-
ter from the parts.
In few years the control Of our insti-
buttons will be in the hands Of those who
urc now the pupils Of our schools. The
school boy, possibly the school girl, to-day,
will be the voter, the juryRaH or woman,
the lAw.makGr and the law executor OF
tomorrow. Properly cast ballots, rather
than skilflllly aimed bayOnets, are to de-
eide the destiny Of America; and either
of these weapons, in the possession Of one
who knows not how To use it Alright, Is
dangerous us the prOvGrbial edged tool in
the hands Of child.
proportion as a people are intelligent
the influence of ambitious leaders 10 draw
them aside into actions morally and pO'
litically wrong, loses its effect The man,
properly educated, puts Il right estimate
upon the wealth, and does not follow in
tho scrvilc train Of the man Of dollars,
ready to clap his hands whenever Sir
Orcle cries hurrah! There is too much
of this now in our country-an aristOCrncY
more snobbish than, and quite MS hostile
in its influences to republican form OF
government, as that Of European countries
founded on the accident Of birth. Speed
the day when the general diffusion
Of knowledge will topple this fabric to
the ground. do not mean that this Is to
DO done by taking from the rich man his
wealth. This would not be from any
point of view desirable. But in the intel.
lcctual millennium, every man will be
valued by what he il, rather than what he
has.
The State Is interested in the proper
training of every youthful member Of So
ciety. The columbiad and the bayonct,
the brcastwork and the irOn.clad may be
brought TO bear against IN enemy from
without; but when perturcd witness
takes the stand, a bribcd Judge sits upon
the bench, or law-maker votes for the
side on which Is the longest purse, Gre.
clan horse Is already In the very Citadel
and resistance almost in vain.
AS the only defense against these evils Is
proper instruction Of the young, then we
see on what grounds, chiefly, the State Inns
taken this great subject Of education into
its own hands, opening the schoOl.tOOr to
oil and paying for their instruction out Of
common purse with as much justice us
it taxes all Its citizens to pay for the sup
port Of an army and navy.
But common school instruction would
DO good policy on the bare ground Of econ
omy. An estimate, made some years agO,
states the Gust of conviction Of criminals
in Ohio to DO about $50 head, while the
school-tax was about Sc head Of
those Of school aye. Hence, while
it costs something to eduCNte n
child and mike Of him good and useful
member of the body polite, it costs forty
times us much to let him grow up In
ignorance and vice and punish him, by
and by, for his evil deeds. An intelligent
farmer Ind gotten to the root Of this mat
ter, when he said
II would NthGr be taxed for the Cduca-
ton Of the boy than the ignorance Of the
man. And one Of these Unjust submit to"
| We Itnrtcd ont with DENYING that the