The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-02-23
nRnilrond IndcDlelln0als.

We gave last w6ck b btAtSmbnt Of the
State debts on which default has been
made. Inthis the aggregate debts OF all
the States were given at S3s297O,5l7, of
which S16l,132OOO was in default. The
amounts in which the railroads Of the
country are in default is still larger. The
bonded debt Of all the railroads in the
country is aboutSl 100000, 900, being con-
sidorably more than onc.half the amount
Of the National debt. OF this S497 ,8O7, 600
was in default October OF last year-that
is 1OS companies had failed to pay their
interest OH this amount Of debt. lnmany
yascs, however, satisfactory settlements
have been made with The creditors, tho
companies agreeing to fund the unpaid
interest, and tho creditors cOnscnting to
wait till better times shall enable them
to resume payment. Suits against COM
panics deiaulting on S23l so, ,G5C have
been commenced; companies Idcfalltihg
OH Sl7OOOO,OOO remain in tho same con.
dilion as when default was made. RIG
The figures show that The country has
built great many more railroads than 1t
had profitable usc for, and that the cnor-
NOUS railroad building mania that ragged
from 1906 to 1872 waS an enormous cS-
penditure Of credit for what we did not
nccdi TIie consolation lin the matter Is
The reflection that wewill have The roads
when we do need tholn; It will take some
Western States several years to grow up
10 their railroads, but when they shall
have done this, the roads will prove
powerful auxiliaries to the dcvelopement
of ysplifTIGaa. u -LtfgS, ~
Tie q 4hiaM finngnaec and our
Common Schools.
Shall the German language be taught
in onr{bmmOn stRoOlt 'orIHStSi Thisis
one of the questions now pending before
Inc Board Of Education, and tho gentle.
| mtn who are serving OH the Board hope
to arrive ata decision at Cdr, ,heeiipgtPl
Aigbs h&s bib biQps hfd! d!iit deas JHS
are not surprised that they are. At the
same time, We venture to Say that they
.wOld not bediyidsdtf tlle c@e vcto 70 bO
Judged oil iIs sole merits, within the
limited range Of primary education, and
without any bins Of nationality or Of
politics.
The founders Of our public school sys.
tenl Via tuIllHdi AZ Important object In
view. This was to provide for the child.
rcn who nre brought up In this country
the best possible popular American,
EcducatOn. II was not inlended.tO incldde
branches Of study which natural.
" belong to more advanced and
higher stages Of tehtkihg. What
II cohtemplates wuS simply tic pro.
per Intellectual training Of boys des.
tined 10 become American citizens, and
Of girls likely to be theit wives. In lay.
Ing out u programme for them, and com
sidcring the few years that many OF them
would be able to devote TO II, IL was es.
sential not To overload II, to keep ont u
II WHATEVER was not Immediately useful i
and 40 10 say, necessary iot the desired
nnfpose. on that score, everybody sees
at glance why reading, spelling, writing,
arithmetic, elementary geography, his
tory, some rrlimenls oi science, and as
Thorough a knowledge as possible Of the
English Language, should form part Of
ihe system, No studies Canbc rightfully
Introduced unless they are recognized as
necessary tultlFu.cF SCHOLARS who BY cir.
curnstantes Are prtvenisl, after hSpri'
mary course, from pushing on TO the
higher grades Of knowledge. The qhes;;
tioh, then, seems to be, Is German one ot
these studies Or not?nC ,..7J
Commissioner KlnmrOlh thinks II Is.
lie is n German by birth, and, though We
do not doubt his good and honest inten:
lions, We doubt hisircedom from national
bias. HfGhEs failed aS yet TO prove the
only poiht really al issue if'hhe case,
namely, whether without the study Of the
German language, a course Of American
primary education would be incomplete
and detective-whetheF Il necessarily be-
longs to such course. Sweeping asser.
tions and sentimental talk will not moet
tho point Whatever he may ufge. in
behalf Of the adoption Of his mother
u. .stNk aatNI fnRNn