The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-01-22
ABBEVIILE, S. C, WEDNESDAY. JANUARY. o. 1873.

ADDE ' LILLE, y. W..
: Government, for the people, being
: ignorant Of their rights, will make
t no effort to combine for their asser
ton. Hence, Sir William Berkeley
the old Colonial Governor of Virginia
was perfectly consistent when he sale
, in reply to the British Lords Com
missioners-who questioned him as te
the condition of that colony, in 1870
II thank God that there are no free
schools or printing here, in Virginia
for learning hath brought disobedi
ence, and heresy, and sects into the
world, and printing hath divulged
them and libels against the best gov
ernment. God keep us from BOTH"
That was sound doctrine then and
under that political system, but ii
would be fatal to our present sysaem
if reduced to practices With us it is
sound public policy to enlighten the
people, from whom all political power
mnst rightly emanate The theory
that man is entitled to self govern
ment is advancing throughout the
civilized world like an Irresistible
wave. This is due to the more gen.
eral spread Of educated intelligence
among the working masses of man
kind fact which has led distin-
guished political writer to observe
that seven bayonets think" Let the
youth of South Carolina be educated,
that they may stard abreast with
the foremost in this advancing march
Of intelligence The common schools
should be multiplied, and punctual
attendance upon them should be en-
forced by law. The immense number
of absentees from the schools already
established renders it imperatively
necessary that the General Assembly
should enact statute to enforce the
attendance at school Of all children Of
scholastic age, whose physical and
mental conditions will permit. To
that end, I invite the earnest atten-
tion of your honora Die bodies to Sec
tion 4, Article 10, of the State Con-
stitution, wherein it is declared that
'it shall be the duty of the General
Assembly to provide for the compul.
sorry attendance, at either public or
private schools, of all children be.
tween the ages of six and sixteen.
years, not physically mentally
disabled, for term equivalent to
twenty-four months, at least: Provi-
ded, That no law to that effect shall be
passed until system of public schools
has been thoroughly and completely
organized, and facilities afforded to
all the inhabitants of the State for the
free education of their children" No
sagacious statesman will doubt. the
wisdom Of this constitutional provi-
sion, or the policy Of rigidIy enforcing
it by statute. Even if compulsory
education were not expressly author
lied and enjoined in our organic law,
the right to enforce it would still be
unquestionable, on that principle Of
selfdcfence which pertains to States
as it does to individuals.
q A State has the same right to ar
rest:Jsthe growth of ignorance in its
population as it has to check or sup
press an incipicnt pestilcnce. Indeed,
its right and duty in the former case
address themselves more forcibly TO
the public conscience and moro deeply
concern the common welfare than in
the latter. The skill Of the physician
may stay the march of the destroying
pestilence, and the due enforcement
of known sanitary laws may break
its force; but the fearful evils that
spring from the mis-directcd power Of
q great multitude controlling the
government of o free State, and
themselves controlled by ignorance
and it's twin brother, crime, infict
disaster without remedy, and eat like
a cancer into the very fibre and vitals
of society,". An excellent system of
public schools, modelled upon that of
New England-the land Of the school.
house-has been thoroughly organized
in this State, and the facilities for free
education, as designed by the Consti-
tuition, are now afforded our people,
and therefore the compulsory attend
ance, at either public or private
schools, should be enforced by law, as
required in the constitutional provi-
sion cited. The facilities for popular
education should be annually in
creased, and tht proceeds of the tax
levied for that purpose should be
sacredly set apart for the liberal and
unfailing maintenance cf our system
Of free common schools. In every
valley and upon every hill-top,, the
schooI-house should be seen, standing
as the true bulwark Of q free State
fortress we'll designed and strongly
built to arrest the march of ignorance
and vice. I ask for this, the fourth
annual report Of the State Superin-
tcndent Of Education, (the Hon. J. K.
Jillson,) the careful consideration OF
each member Of the General Assem-
bly,. 1 cannot sufficiently commend
this officer for the untiring diligence
and the rare fidelity and efficiency
with which he has discharged his
important trust, amid the greatest
embarrassments. He deserves well Of
every friend of the people, and may
be justly esteemed an educational
benefactor to tho State. -.
THE STATE ORPHAN ASYLUM.
= l herewith transmit the annual
report of the Board of Trustees of
the State Orphan Asylum, with the
report of the principal of the institu-
t;nn -Tt onnnars from these repOrts