The Daily clarion., 1877-01-07

al this we pay cur taxes willingly 10
nu,;sb crime apd adjust civil suits at
law costs the State per annum, difecaf
nr Indirectly. at least 5000, ,O0o-
From this we see how expensive
onr 0ersons, qtghts and property are, lhe
School system will cost this year ABOUT
$500 900 or 800, 900, and that not by
direct taxation. Five thousand criminals |
distributed in the different counties OF the
State. and each confined IN jail on an
average of four months IN the year al
lowing the TAILOR forty cents per caPna
of his prisoners for food (eight or seven
and a half cents is allowed for tuition by
the State to prevent the burden OF forty
cents tax hereafter) with all the expenses
of the courts cost the people as much, IN
all probability as the tuition OF lZo, Ooo
children.
2d. The preventive force. This is the
system of public instruction. It Is adj
mitted by all thoughtful men, shat
virtue and intelligence are necessary to
the stability of free government
should also add that private schools ana
the christian religion are entitled to a
full share among the forces that prevent
crime. Neither, however is supported
hy State tax. The statesman knows
that upon the character of the population
will depend the peace, prosperity ana
security of the community. What Is to
form the character of our youths Tor
worthy citizenship, except our common
schools? IF this be denied, we simply
state that it is an historic fact that IN
proportion as common schools increase
crime and vice decrease. Besides, IN
those states in which they have been most
generously supported, no tax has been
paid more wiIlingl ly' and under no con
sideration have the people been willing
to surrender this right arm of their
strength. No less true is it that men
who know their duty and are capable OF
calculating consequences, whose con
sciences are not debauched, are rarely
the dupes of political tlicksters.
cit were, indeed, Il gross absurdlty to
say that morals are not rectltied through
diffusion of Of knowledge which shall
compel men to see what is wrong, and
that the impulses Of the corrupt passions
and tgW must suffer some abatement Of
their force and daring when encountered
like Balaam meeting the angle, by
clear m lnifestation of their bad and
ruinous tendency through a convinced
Judgment and protesting conscience. If
1t b. answered that there are bad educa
ted men VINO use all sorts Of nefarious
practices for personal and self-aggrand
iZemont, who care no more for the public
good than does the wolf for the interests
of the owner whose flock he dev0urs. We
reply that the fact that some men, in
spite Of knowledge and an enlightened
judgement, persist in the wrong, does
not invaiidate the argument in favor Of
the Lelgn influence of knowledge Itself.
Because some Of the corn sOWn by the
planter does not germinate, does net
prove that the greater quantity will not,
and the failure of the less quantity to pro-
duce results does not shake the planters
confidence ia the gracious reproductive
power of nature. We insist that in the
absence of the sun, the cattle would soon
present fcene of desolation, but this
does not imply that with the sun
every part of the earth will present a
scene of beauty; yet without it, by no
possibility can the earth escape destruc-
ton. The same thing, we aver of
knowledge, impaired to the masses
through wise system of public instruc-
ton.
What remains if you do away, Mr..
Editor, with the great preventive agency
TO wrong and crime, and vice and intel
lectual death? Penitentaries, iails.
whipping posts, dark dungeons, soldiers,
bayOnetS arSpnals and all tho Dov,ora
that brute force can use to coerce. 20
restrain and to compel temporary obedi-
ence to laws. You may butcher men,
saber them, hang them, imprison, tax
them heavily to supply the punitive
forces of government, anything may be
done to them in the langage of soft per
suasion according to some, except 10
educate them.
CHAs. II. OrKEN.
Summit, Miss.