Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1879-05-10
COMMUNICATED
10 the Shepherdsto'cn Register

An. zlrrrE- Week before last addressed you
a few words OF encouragement In your contest
sr,inst The abuses of Free Schools. To-day
friend pointed out 10 me an editorial in this weeks
Free Pres. commentings not on my arguments
but ON the material Of which my bead Is conpdsed
and calling me "blockhead, red capped % 19m
munist" chatter OF books" fo. | VIII reniiam
bv eating the writer gentleman and scholar,
and II any one saws that We both lie will swallow
NY share OF the insult There Is nothing IN ny
letter 20 call for such gross attack on me .: tie
writer. much less on you as the publisher. have
an undoubtcd right TO comment on the abuse OF
any public institution, and IL may be that you are
hound a. give every man q hearing even though
ne writes nonsense. Ny letter merely calls at
tention TO abuses that are TALKED of ~ wnfsrARs,
iust because a great many OF our intelligent peo-
ulehaye aspirations 10 public office aud they dread
10 run counter to popular prejudice. III The Free
pre-. wtiter doubts that have sympathfers In
this matter he is greatly mistaken, Tor, WITHIN the
last halt-year, have heard on al least IN rec oc
cssions the same ideas ventilated by very infuen-
rial and able men within the very shadow OF the
Pee Press Office. The baltimore papers we're full
of this subject few months ago, and 10 the moss
,ro.nlnent of them read, almost word for word.
what has excited to 50 heree indignai,on the
patriot of the Free Press. lie has quoted one
naracraph of my letter without giving the con
nection in which Il was used. He forgot to insert
The mart Ia which said that there was something
grand aud imposing In the idea OF a free sthooi
nd |
until ssch abuses had crept into u as called loudly
for amenduicr, Leaving out The hard names
was called | find nothing to notice except
that he invites nest OF hornets 10 attack
nv cars forgetting that my head being OF
wood Il is not likely that i viii be very sen.
sit,ve 10 their stings. The present school
officers vill lind nothing 10 comp ain OF, as spoke
in the lutnre tense and N the language oi proph-
ecy about what is tO take place with their sue
cessors next Fall. When wrote that sentence
.h.tf f,saa ahau Ia
that at many points 10 this county the pegs are
already set for the perpetration oi the injustice
mentioned. As 20 the rnEoRf OF iree schoois'
beg leave a. inform my assailant that nave done
more for Il than be has. and tnath some system
like that which we had before the war were sub
s,iutcd for the present absurd one would betound
in the front rank Of its defenders. AS things arc
now everybody gets LITTLE education which 70
a very good thing for those Who would getnooe
xithout free schools, but the advantage oi this ~
more than neutralized By the fact thatno one gets
a rHoRouGH training, unless he Il sent on IN some
college at o ruinOus expense. THIS u not always
the fault Of the teachers, for we nave many very
good Ones but that OF The law, wh'ch l oene'e
restricts the school curriculum ~ certain branches
pe9pie in general cannot afford 10 pay our heavy
school tax aud send their children abroad Tor
polshed education, a0d the botter class OF tracn-
ers are very often excluded Gcm tho Tree schools
altogether BY the favoritism | spoke OF and can
moi gel enough OF patronage 10 enable them 10
live by private teaching. The only part OF my
letter that could furnish pretert Tor tho attack
on m= was where spoke oi ccucatng tne Tag
RAG and bobtall," fc. The idea might have been
expressed In n happier way, VIII confess, buiI
can explain the term in n satisfactory manner,
and am the more willing TO do so as VIII Hi
two birds with stoUe by Illustrating, tthe
same time, two Of the points on winch lad stress
Not long ago, and not very iar from TINS pace
free school wastaught which was pstronized by
msuy tery respectable people. There was, how
ever, in the neigl5orhood, a family OF the very
worst repute, many Of whom praeuced proies-
sion the name Of which would shock ears polite,
and would 10 doubt be especially narrowing 70
the modest sen.ibilities Of the Free p'ss. critic
The lady OF the "modest mansion" referred 70
sent .Nb or three daughters 10 this school, as she
had perfect right 10 do under the law. Ihose
girls we're between twelve and seventeen years
age--old enough 70 have learned great deaf "i
Good and evil-and the children OF good home 10
auepces were Obliged 10 sit near them for sis hours
every day and the teacher dared not make any
separation or do anything 20 indicate Tear OF
any secret corruptng influence. HAD 90 done 90
he was sure OF losing his position, and perhaps
Justly so In view OF the law. II common ruInor
be true the careers OF these girls have since been
sucb as to justify the very worst tears. claim
then that ting the public 10 Educate such people
is gross Injustice and folly or, at least tnat u
force association wi IN them l. go. or even crime
This Is the class call "rabble." The fact that
they came TO school at all showed they had somo
vague hope of rising-a very laudabie one ~ tho
circumstances OF the case psrmittcd such hope.
Let some system be established that will ahnrd
the elements Of education gratis TO The REiLLr
Door. and no man win support II more hrmly thau
| will provided YOU stop at the point where they
have acquired sufficient knowledge 70 enable them
as read write nnd east up simple accounts, but
do not care ~ See them rendered iamiiar WIN tno
"milky way," unless 10 cases ut manifest talent,
as, in keeping their heads among tie stars, ihey
NAV, like Thales Of old, stumble Ia the rough
places wherein, unhapPily, the great majority OF
us Musr walk. Were 1t possible % maze every
man and every woman learned, wise sud happy,
no one would rejoice moro than would, but We
have on very high authority that Gle Who 10
creaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow, = and while
uf head II too ligneous Ia allow of my experience
ine in ms own person the truth VI the expression,
am willing b. take the word OF the great man
niu gaze Il uttersnce, for be spoke as II Inspired
especially for this occasion.
Isill now adtert to another matter. Pick up
any NEWSPAPER from any point aud two thirds Of
Its contents are the records ~ crime. Murders,
robberies, house burnings, fUtgrrirs and offences
against chastity form the ALMOST exclusive burden
ot the duefal catalogue. To sbhtwil my TREND
II Tie FREE Pres attribute this fearful ARRAY OF
crimef Itcan not well be charged 70 thewsr, %
IL il well known thgt the soldiers both Confederate
and Federal are among the most orderly people
@e have got. new generation has sprung mp
since the cessation Of hostities, and we m1sthunt
for the causes Of crime sOmew here else. We can
not blame the Ignorance Of foreigners as II u
sontetimrs fashiObablc 10 do. The countries from
which the most Of our foreign population come
have had. for many years, better schools than NO
haze Moreover: large proportion of those
crimes will be found 10 our rural districts, whero
IL l. u be supposed the foreign element II weak--
To what then, repeat viii the Free Pyess sttrib-
ute this fearful condition of thingsl attribute
them in great measure 10 the aversion 10 manly
toll spoke Of in my obnoxious letter, and though
will not charge them 10 public schools will say
confidently that the schools have done very little
90 hinder them which Is almost az bad In View %
what T. expected Of tlsese institutions.
Twill conclude by mving .ibat il - hardly
generous in the +" Free Press" man 10 hand me
over o. a whole nest Of hornets. Has be not venom
enough himsc II 10 do justice to my delirqtchcyl
have no doubt that some VIII '0el angry with
me- even some dsrihs design 90 benefit. !, hov
ever, assure my friend of the above spicy and en-
ternining, although sometimes very mi paper
that all The competent teachers vel the bulk ~
school patrons around me are, On the whole, 10
stmpsthr with me on this subject. Every one
NAV not have pluck enough 10 incnr the odihm
that some N az en- tertaiB for we, Was never
a seeker for popularity, and would prefer being
right % being the admired of those who can not
respect csndor even when n IL mistaken. When
the hornets attack hope u will not be in column.
mus, use one hand 10 reply b. the " Free Pres"
and horuetsthOuch they be, hope they will not
crowd on man with only bis len hand free for
yellow Jacket. Shoe hy go asay yet arhHe;
have your boss to attend to and ! must do bin
the Justice Of aging that he shngs hard some
times or ycu can apply 10 yourselves what have
sad 10 hin.
One word more Ny friend of the " Free Press'
cites the cases Of many young men in Charlestown
who are learning or have learned trades within
few years. am Tery glad 70 hear that the evil