Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-07-13
" oRCE STER.
SATURDAY. JULY 1s. 1878.

SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1878.
The New York Tribune which speaks of the
Baltimore convention as a convention of the
''true democracy" means, of course, TO signify
in this way that 1t has joined the party repre-
sented by that convention. We find, also, in
the Tribune the following remarkable state
ment:
Nothing has more strongly impressed careful
observers of the temper of the southern people
since the beginning Of the liberal movement
than the delight with which they welcome the
opportunity to cultivate cordial relations with
the north"
By ''the southern people, it means the great
mass of the ex-rebes who constitute the demo-
cratic party of the south; and the delight
with which they welcome cordial relations with
the north, means their revived hope Of securing
power at Washington, by means of such politi-
cal traitors as Horace Greeley. 1t is ''sinee the
beginning of the liberal movement" that the
Tribune has noticed this delight" and by the
cordial relations" mentioned we are to under
stand the alliance with Greeley and his ring, by
which the restoration of their party to power is
to be accomplished, for there has been from that
quarter no other demonstration towards "cor-
dial relations" What they want is a restora-
ton of their party to control of the government;
and, knowing well that it is impossible for a
straight-out democrat to be elected, they are
delighted" to find renegade republican who
is willing and even eager to be their candidate.
The real issue in this presidential election is
to be found in the record, character, and aims of
the two opposing parties. The southern men of
whom the Tribune speaks, have not accepted
the results of the war which crushed REBEL ion.
These results have not been frankly accepted
by any important portion of the party to which
they belong. Their talk of Capitalization"
means non-interference with the ku-klux frater-
nifty, more than anything else. They would
undo the work of the war, if they could; and
if they could have control of the government,
they would, as far as possible, set aside the
reconstruction measures or paralyze their opera
ton. The Baltimore convention endorsed the
Cincinnati mass meeting; but its actual plat
form must be sought in the character and aims
of the party it represented. What these are
could be told as forcibly by Mr. Greeley as by
anybody, if he were in his right mind. But he
has lost his head, and, along with it, his princi-
pies.
Mr.. Greeley having enlightened the world on
the subject of agriculture, his associate on the
democratic ticket thinks it his duty 10 make
public what he knows about education. He
chose for his opportunity the Yale alumni din
ner and what ne said was amusing if not iR-
structve. After admitting that he had rot
been in New Haven since he graduated, twenty
five years ago, and that his knowledge of the
methods and quality of instruction at Yale was
confined to what he observed at that time, he
declared that the standard of education was
lower than at the west; that Yale had been
fashioned upon the English models, but without
the best parts of their system, and demanded
that Yale should come up to the standard es-
tablished in Missouri, His suggestions which
came nearest TO being definite and practical,
the only remarks that were not vaguely denun-
ciatory of Yale and eulogistic of Missouri were
that al Yale less learning and more teaching
was needed, and that object lessons, such as are
given in the Missouri schools, should be adopted.
1t is useless TO discuss such criticism as this
Everybody who has given any thought TO the
matter knows that the acquisition of knowledge
is not the highest object of education, and, if
that were all that a college course could accom-
plish, it would be more effectualy attained by
surrounding the student with opportunities and
motives for study, giving direction to his
efforts, and encouraging him to inquire fer
himself, than by putting him in the at
titude of receiver, 10 be charged
with the learning of his instructors.
The more of active voluntary acqu-
sition and the less Of submissive I'M
questioning reception OF communicated knowl-
edge, or, in other words, the more learn
ing in proportion 10 teaching the better. What
MIR. Brown meant by object lessons he probably
did not know, and it is useless to inquire. The
philosophical and physical apparatus, the scien-
tifc cabinets, the chemical laboratories, are all
appliances for object lessons, and they are all
in constant and successful use They were used,
too, in Mr.. Browns day, so that his ignorance or
tcrgetfulness Of them is nexcuSable. The fact is,
that the candidate for the yice-presidency talked
without thinking. His speech was words with
out thoughts-an outbreak of that petulant and
Overweening vanity which is his most promi-
nent characteristic