The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-10-18
The LNSTI7 UTE.

The teachers Institute, now in prog
ress this week In Canton, is better attend
ed than any hitherto held here, as we
believe. f.NNt q 1F filHN {
The principal instructors are Prof e..
T. Tappan, Of Kenyon College, and Prof.
Williams, of Wesleyan University, Prof.
Jones, of Massillon, is acting as Presi-
dent, and Mr.. Lehman of our schools as
secretary. lr 't W.
Lecture lessons are given each fore
noon and afternoon in our High School
room, and evening meetings are held in
Temperance Hall, in Eagle block, at
which part Of each evening is given to
discussion of some topic, and after this
lecture.
On Tuesday evening we listened to a.
lecture by Prof. Williams, on the advan-
tages of general education. The learned
gentleman gave some pointed references
and valuable statistics, and endeavored
to contrast the results flowing from gem
eral intelligence and ignorance. This is
fertile subject for discussion, elabora
ton and learned comment. There is
danger of national egotism cropping out
and Coloring conclusions, of course unin-
tentionally, When listening to the lee
turers contrasts with other nations as to
educational opportunities and conditions,
we could have inserted a word of COM
parison as to governmental purity and
economy, wherein our National admins
tration of public affairs would not have
shown with the same effulgence. The
Credit Mobilier and other dark colorings
of late years exhibit a state OF corrup-
ton unknown in modern European gov.
ernments, and unknown in France dur
ing the French Revolution, although not
so much unknown during the monarchy
and aristoCracy that the French Revolu.
ton displaced. '' ..'t "'.N
Let us say that many public gentlemen
have not yet learned, Notwithstanding
all that has been written, to distinguish
between the French Revolution and the
Reign of Terror. The Revolution was
the overthrow of the monarchy and aris-
tocracy, state and church, and surely no
true American will object to this, any
more than he willapprove of the horrors
of the reign of terror in France, or of the
arbitrary ard illegal arrests and mob
rule and corruption in our own country,
during the late war and since. Would
that our public men of late years had
been as pure and incorruptible as the
patriotic public men of Republican
France now and heretofore. a.l.i /
William Henry Buckle in his mastery
work on Civilization, as do other philo.
sophie authors on French history, show
the fearful condition Of things in France
prior to 1889, that drove plundered, en-.
slaved and starving people into revolu-
tion, the most wonderful and complete
in the history of any land. 1t was the
intelligence, not the ignorance of France,
that inaugurated and conducted that
great revolution, and established that
French Republic, one and indivisible,
that withstood the combined despots of
Europe in arms Where has the world
ever seen an exhibition of such popular
power and grandeur? --., |
1t was also the intelligence, not the ig-
norance of this country, in 1875, that re-
sisted British tyranny and accomplished |
the American revolution, making these
"free and independent States" True,
the English lords and rulers thought
otherwise, namely, that it was the ignor-
ance of the Americans that caused their
rebellious folly, but the fact that New
England and old Virginia were the seats
and the soul of that "rebellion," as the
British lords called the revolution, proves
our position.
These historical references in Institute
educational lectures may be profitable.
A little friendly criticism by way of cor
recting inaccuracies, and shaping sound |
judgment on important points is the
privilege and duty of the press, too, in
this connection. Truth is the object of
correct teaching, the sole aim of the true
teacher.