Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1879-03-18
COMMUNICATED.

Ed. SpirH:-In ths Shepherdstown Reg,
lister of March 9Th, find an article headed
so Tho Free School System and Law" in
which the writer in Every labored manner
attempts to show that she free school system
is Ants Democratic, and antagonistic to the
principles of Republican form of govern
ment lad the writer of that article at
tended one of our free schools but few ses,
sions, be would not now parade his lament>
able ignorance of the history of the Dem-
ocrato party before the people. Thomas
Jefferson, the fou2der of Democracy, was a
strong advocate Sfree schools. In fact it is
one of the fundamental principles of tina.
time honored pakty, to educate the people J;
and only those @hose ignorance and selish-
ness is of the b >nst character would wish to
destroy what >srSrnments founded on
truth and fustI eoEpfeservs;~ the free
education of i'll es Look, if you please,
at the goyernm Prussia, which compels
her people to ed heir children, and tell
mo if that peop OF a happy and pros
porous people. lntil the people are ed
ucated can we ex that purity in society
the author of the hcle in the Register so
much wishes for: II first indispensable thing
is education and Whatever people has the
most of it will be Il e most free. Virtue r..
suits from it, because virtue is the child of
conscience, and cotRpience must be in
struced by intelligence The common school,
then, is the basis of freedom, and the system
is an absolute condition precedent to the
spread aud perpetuity of Republican institu.
tions throughout this cpuntry and the world.
Ignorance is slavery. mo matter what are
the existing forms of a government, igncr>
ance will reduce them 10 the ono form of des>
potism, as surely as thd needle turns to the
pole. knowledge is liberty, and no matter
what are the existing forms of government.
knowledge, generally diffused, will carry life,
liberty and power to all men, and will estab-
lish universal freedom so long, and only so
long, as the people are universally made capa>
Bile of its exercise by education.
The meanest tyrant may permit his slaves
to possess more of the actual material COM
forts of life than can be commanded by the
free spirit of an unconquerable people, but it
is only the universally intelligent people who
can know its rights, and knowing dare
maintain them. The taxation and appropri>
alton of the money collected for educational
purposes, must admit is highly important
matter, and the people do we'll to closely ex-
amino the purpose of their servants who have
the distribution of the funds but to say that
teachers are forced upon US who are obnoxious,
Is taxing very great liberty with the truth,
and to say that the Free School System tends
to socialism " is to say tina. universal edu-
cation is degrading in its principles. Estab-
lished as it was by the voice of free people,
and boing the mos. reliable safeguard of
American liberty, the Free School System
must exist as long as freedom and justice are
uppermost in the hearts of the American
people. And that article of the Register, in
common with everything which rises in OPP
position to truth and justice,
Leans its idiot back
On folly's topmost Twig"
Y u. F.