The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1878-11-12
American bench Huds Il, federal head In

American bench finds its federal head in
graduate of Yale. the American bar
finds its leader and chief in graduate Of
the common schools. Aud finally, in the
matter of inventions and discoveries, IL
the universities can boast OF tho electric
telegraph, the popular schools can boast,
not merely of quadruplex telegraphy,
which has qaadrupled the invention Of
Morse, but CT the discovery Of America,
Of tho invention Of printing, of steam
navigation and of the locomotive.
l have said these things, not because
there is any novelty in them, but because
| want to magnify the common schools.
and the teachers who eerve them so well,
and because | believe popular education
to be absolutely essential not only to the
good name of the State, and its political
well-being. but to its industrial prospect
ity, as well ard want to push this
thought home upon all the people Of the
state, the property holders, the laboring-
men. and, above all, upon every poor
man and poor mans son in the state, for
these common schools of ours are, re.
peat, SO many bridges which lead from
ignorance up to knowledge, from seryi-
tusle to freedom, from poverty to hetter
distributions Of wealth, and from obscu-
rity to fame.
Abolish free schools, or starve and
cripple them, and free institutions will
60 down with them. On the other hand,
gather into them all the pale young crea-
tuies Who are stunning both soul and
body In factories, the wretched children
of want, who are growing up in viaA aud
in highways, lanes, deus and CUTTERS
the saddest waste which the all-seeing
heavens look down upon in Christian
lands, increase high. schools, multiply
free libraries, make education not only
gratuitous. but universal, aud You shall
have more school,houses to build, TO DO
sure, but fewer jails, more Ben. Frank
Inns. but fewer Dennis Kearneys, more
honest voters, but fewer reporters and
ballot box suffers, better laws, better ad
ministration. and with these better liber-
ties, better justice. and better social
aud Intellectual life,
May | have your patience for one
more thought? The nations DRIFT is
westward, like gulf stream, into the
great basin Of the Mississippi. and be.
You'd the Rocky Mountains, where, il
they do not, as yet, :" fat money" they
have almost fiat crops, with untold
stores Of mineral wealth. States and
territories are being formed, compared
with which Connecticut il mere dot on
the map. In all this great march to the
Pacific, how shall this little common
wealth of ours on the edge Of the At.
lantic, hold her ancient prosperity and
renown2 Oaly, answer, by better ed
ucalion Of the people, better intelligence
better skill in the arts of invention and
discovery, aud in the processes aud econ
omies of production. But these are de
pendent on our popular schools. Anc
in this connection, desire To say, there
is a gentleman now living in New Haven
who made his wealth an honor to him
self, and blessing to the people Of thu
state by founding the Sheffield Scientific
SCHOOL, say to the people, because by
the muniflcence of the founder, aud tn,
acton of the state, there are more thar
thirty scholarships in this noble institu
ton, which can be had by the poores
scholars in the state without money an'
without price, and for the morest asking
A nign way IL thus opened from the com
mon schools up into the highest ranges
of the working science. All honor. then
to Joseph Il Sheffield. He has built /,
| himself monument more durable thar
brass, and u name which the state viii
not willingly let die.