The daily gazette., 1877-01-10
From the n y. Journal of Comm rec.
COMMON SENSE RESPECTING
COMMON SCHOOLS.

We are glad to find that Governor Rob
inson, though yielding his assent to the
line Of reasoning by which is asserted the
duty OF the State to provide a Common
school education for all its youth, yet
stops short at that point and sets himself
against the notion that the State ought to
take the place Of the parent and the
church, and to be at the expense of pol
iShing manners, and teaching all sorts of
fashionable accomplishments. Governor
Robinson argues rightly that everything
above the common branches of learning
may safely and properly be left to be
taught by private and denomina-
tional schools. He might, as we think, 60
further than this, ana leave the whole
subject to private enterprise; but he is
| right so far as he goes, and we are glad to
| find our own views, more than once ex-
pressed in the columns of this journal,
thus reinforced. The Governors sugges-
tions will doubtless have the more weight
with the friends of State education be-
cause he speaks not as an opponent OF
the system, but as judicious friend who
is concious that even friendly point of
view it is capable of being carried to ex-
treme lengths.
This is i'll fact the present danger of
the common school system. There are a
great many taxpayers who have no inter
est in it at all, except as it bears upon the
prevention of crime and pauperism; and
many Of them, failing to recognize its
value in these respects, reluctantly bear
their share of the pecuniary burden. On
the other hand, the theorists who think
they occupy an advanced and progressive
position in demanding general culture
by the State, united with the large class
Of parents, small taxpayers, or not tax
payers at all, with large families and the
pauper instinct, have carried the day here
tofore mainly because common-school
education is to a considerable degree ad-
mitted to be a common benefit to society
at large, and because it has been argued
that the money spent upon schools is to
q large extent saved in the administration
ofthe courts of law and the support OF
jails. The latter argument, however, is
Of diminishing force.
| Whether in consequence of a more
philosophical studyEof the phenomena OF
crime, or a change in the phenomena
themselves, it is becoming to be under
stood that mere education is of little val
ue in the prevention of crime. Certain
brutal forms thereof do indeed decrease
under educational influences, but
others are not at all restrained, and still
others multiply. And the parallel argu-
ment, depending upon the other common
benefits of the common-school system,
becomes greatly attenuated when attempt
ed to be applied to the teaching Of French,
German, = music, drawing, and like
ornamental branches at the public ex-
pense. In certain abstract way, every
thing which is of real advantage TO an in
dividual is common benefit to the socie-
ty of which he is member; but if we are
to avoid communism, we must require
that the State shall be looked TO only
when the object sought TO involves a
common duty as well as a common ad-
vantage. Here is going to be found the
weak point of the public school system;
and the futher it comes to depart from its
original simple plan, the more conspicll-
ously will this weakness be made to ap-
pear. We may grant that the knowledge
of German, French, music, drawing &c,
is useful as well as ornamental, but a
knowledge of medicine is at least equally
useful, l,and it might be argued with Just as
much force that the public schools should
openthe road to the practice.of medicine as
that they should start pupils on the way
to architecture or other professional EN-
ployments. When they approach this
pnint, taxpayers will revolt; and govern
ment becoming communistic, based upon
confiscation,sswhat now is merely mild
reluctance to pay school taxes will be
converted iuto resolute struggle to
maintain the rights of property.