New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-12
CTTLER on EDUCATION.

Cutler on EDUCITiON.
l. the country aware, We beg to know, that
the Hon. Augustus w. Cutler of Ncw-JerSey
has delivered an address in Congress upon the
subject of Free Schools, the pr0vocation thereto
being bill to apply the proceeds of the sales
of the public lands to the support of schools
The country does not act, if we may be
allowed the expression, as though it had ever
heard of Cutters speech 1t does not seem to
know anything about Cutler, in fact, and we
remark it with emotions of regret. This great
country, with its teeming population and ire
mendous resources, does not seem to care any
more about Cutler-absolutely no mOre-than
the serene Daniel with the green cotton UNI
breila in the panorama did for the lions, or
than the lions did for the serene DAME And
yet there's the great solemn hlstOr-
ical fact staring civilization in the face
from the first page-the irontispiece so
to speak-of The Congressional Record
of Aug. 5, that Augustus w. Cutler did on the
29th of July previous address Congress and
the country upon the subject OF education.
Address them! He did more than address
them. Why that man Cutler just lifted up his
voice and fairly ratified the bones OF the
fathers on this subject. We say lifted up his
voice, but we are not quite certain that this Is
literally true; there's a sort of flavor OF " leave
"to print about it that we seem to recog-
nize, and then too it would not have been
possible for this speech to be delivered on the
floor of Congress without producing sensl-
ton. 1t stirs the blood even in print. 1t only
shows how utterly stagnant everything is that
people go right on with their usual avoca-
tons paying no heed to Cutler, while Cutler,
like the Oregon, rolls on and hears no sound
save his own dashings And this is the manner
in which Cutler grasps the whole subject OF
common school education, as it were, by the
hair, and plunges with wild New-Jerscy snort
into the arena of debate:
MIR SPEAKER: Tho Committee Education unan-
imous in the recognition Of the principle that 1t is right
aud proper that the proceeds OF the sales OF the puhc
lands should be sacrely set apart and used for educa
tional purposes but differ simply to the mode and
manner of the stribution aud in advocating the sub
stitc offered by the minority OF the committee, be-
licyo that the adoption of 1t will result in the greatest
good to the greatest number I" the trust Of tie United
States will he sacrcdly observed and reigousy en-
forced an educational .und be created, which will in
crease year year. until its income yearly distributed
among States and Territories according 10 population,
will each year lessen taxation for school purposes in
those states and Territories, until VIZ shall arrive
at that point TO which every American looks
forward with pride ard hope, that our public
schools shall be free and TO which every choi
may go to fountain, and paItake without
money and without price :" the principles of exact
Justice and equity VIII be mccd out to every inhabitant
in accordance with the Ownership Of the pub!csdOmain.
and States and Territories thus aided will be melted TO
increased effort in developing more perfect system OF
free-schoo education, that will eventually add to the
prosperity OF the state. and to the future power,
strength, and pcrpctmy OF the General Government.
The sentence is trihc mixed toward the
end but consider the length of it; and what
education does for mankind, and has done for
Cutler. Catching his breath and pulling him
self together for fresh start, Cutler in the
succeeding paragraph stops Gin the COM
"mcncemcnt of this centennial year" and for
a moment Islands in awe ami amazemcnt ut
"what has been accomplished in a century"
before turning back to "gather some useful
Blossoms from the past" Then Cutler goes
for the lessons He cites authorities, beginning
very properly with the Constitution, taking up
the Act of May 20, 1885, the ordinance of
1889, Chief-Justice Chase, and "anothcr emf
"nent jurist,n Daniel Webster, and Washing
tons Farewell Address, and closing with Sem
at0r Walker of Virginia. We do not quite
perceive what he is driving at, but the quota
tons are all good, and do him credit. Mr..
Cutler approves of the Bureau of Education.
He is anxious that the House should be salts
fed as 10 the value of the bureau and one of
the finest passages III the speech is where he
apOstrophizes his fellow members and bcSs them
to " 60 to the sunny South y" Go to New En-
gland "-"GO to the Middle States - Go to
"the fertile West "-"Go to the young and in
" FAINT territories y" Go to Japan "-and-well,
there's almost no end Of the places he wants
them To "Go to "-everywhtrc in fact, except
the place where the irreyerent young persons
pitching cents on the tOw-path told the home
missionary to go-and I'LL to inl out what q
blessed institution the bureau Is. This is one
OF the Passages that make Us think the speech
WIS never actually delivered. No American
Congress could ever have withstood so many
." Go to's." IL would have been Fate rising
up in the midst of them, and saying, "Shoo "
They would have adjourned incontincnty.
MIR. Cutler dcscribes the greatness of the
country, and the effect OF education upon it, in