The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-11

go IhGIcI bIlO tHl6QEH, ASpiTlDQ 6ODS ana
dauphters OF people Id movable circumstances.
Break up our high schools and you take away
oil chance oil advancing beyond the mere
elements OF learning from three-fourths OF all
the young men and women who now attend
them. The Chinese prevent the growth OF
the feet Of their female children with iron
shoes. Such barbarism IL certainly no more
than that which would stop the growth Of
mind and dwarf the whole higher nature,
by the hand Of God himself.
High schools are expensive. We admit the
fact A pupil in q high school may cost
several times moro than one In primary
the whole expense of the high school. But to
| thus charge them is clearly uniform, for as
above shown, the good done by the high
school 10 distributed oyer the whole system
Of which II Is part. The high school can be
used to give life and power and eficiency
/ to the whole educational machinery, and OF
course It's cost will be in proportion to Its
value.
pressed as against high schools, that they
furnish an opportunity to the children OF the
poorer classes that prompts them to an effort
To better their condition, to enlarge their
sphere Of action, to rise 10 the world, for the
sentiment itself 10 80 un-American, ana the
/ man who entertains 1t should seek home In
i a monarchy, rather than 10 republic. II is
the glory Of free institutions that they make
the chances Of success In life as nearly equal
as possible, and as the most powerful agency
In promoting that end is the public high
school, no true lover Of these institutions
would strikeit down.
i Aud listen to the great apostle Of American
liberty and education on this point. Says Mr.
Jefferson: "Will the wealthy individual (who
does give OF his substance to the public
scnools) have no retributionw
/ And what will this be?
! /. The peopling OF his neighborhood with
honest, useful and enlightened citizens, I'M
derstanding their own rights and firm In their
perpetuaton.
q. When his descendants become poor,
which they generally do within three genera
lions mo law OF primogeniture now perpet-
uatlDg wealth In the same families), their
children will be educated by the then rich,
and the little advance he now makes to poy-
the rich to his descendants when they be.
come poor, and thus give them chance OF
rising again.
This Is solid consideration, and should go
, home to the bosom OF every parent. This
, will be- seed sown In fertile ground. 1t Is q
provision for his family looking to distant
times, and far In duration beyond that he has
row Id hand for them. Let every man count
many generations he can 90 before ne comes
to the ancestor who made the fortune he now
holds Most will be stopped at the first gen.
GRAFTON; many at tie second; few will reach
the third End not one IN the State can go be-
Again. Cousin in his Account Of German
Schools" says:
, "Those who argue against the expediency
|, Of universal education are not deserving 81
an answer; those who, admitting this, main
tain that the supply OF education should,
like other articles of industry, be left to
follow the demand, forget that here demand
! and supply are necessarily coexlstent and
coextensfve; that 1t is education which Gre
ates the want which education alone can sat
isfy. Those again who, conceding all this,
contend that the creation and supply OF this
demand should be abandoned by the State to
; private intelligence and philanthropy, are
contradicted both BY reasoning and fact.
All experience demonstrates this. No coun-
tries present more remarkable contrast In
! this respect than England and Germany,
In the former the State has done nothing
! for the education OF the people, and private
!, benevolence more than has been attempted
elsewhere. In the latter the government has
done everything, and has left to private be-
, nevOlence almost nothing to effect.
The English, however, are the lowest, and
the German people the highest, Ia the scale OF
knowledge. All that Scotland enjoys OF pop.
uiar education above the other kingdoms OF
and ai11 among 5 the municipalities 81 Germany.
from Prussia down to Hesse-C as6ei, educa-
ton 10 uniformly found to prosper exactiy 10
proportion to the unremitted WatchfulnesS OF
the government.
There are two countries In Europe which
have excited the special wonder and commits.
|, Grafton OF the honest Germnns-WOnder 81
, the neglect Of the government, commisera.
ton for the Ignorance 81 the people; These
countries are France and England.
, This was the state Of things when Cousin
wrote his famous report. All that has been
2 done since to elevate and extend peculiar edu-
cation In England or France. has Deen done
/ by the government.
The popular argument In favor Of high
| schools is, that they are needed to complete 8
: system Of public education; that tn" beneficial
} influence they exert uDon lower schools Il
A. hat S$,,rn hno n
) more need Of citizens who can simply reac
and write than 1t has Of citizens who have
: some learning, some culture, some weight q
. character.
) lower school that Is not better answered by 9
: higher one, and the right policy In regard h
q common school system, Is to lay strong
foundation and then build upon 1t as high as
: Is practically possible.
. wrong inference, sometimes drawn from the
= statistics of our prisons and penitentiaries
: It Is found that a considerable majority OF tine
, criminals incarcerated In these institutions
have attended public schools, and can reac
! and write. "A sad commentary" upon oul
) public school system. These bad people
doubtless attended, in their youth, public
school just as they probably attended, g Sun
G day school or went to church; but, II INQUIRY
4 were made it would appear that they Die
. neither for length Of time, or In any way *
be much benefited. Nobody who understands
8 the matter ever claimed tnaC the mere me
: chanical facility Of reading. writing anf
: ciphering can do much towards the forming
y Of proper moral character. To do this there
must be long continued training, favorabl,
h surroundings, culture, the roofing out OF bat
: and the putting In Of good. Something i[
) this direction can be done In the short course
Q OF ali elementary school, but the years OF thu
! high school life furnish the fit opportunity 9
intoxicating the principles that are proc
e against temptation and the virtues that adorr
c the citizen. By the fruit thus produced ou
D public school system should be judged. y,
. Begging pardon for the great length t
8 which we have elaborated our views, we bee
s leave tohumbly express the hope that this abl'
8 body Of the representative men OF Louisiana
: will provide, in our new constitution, for
. 4. a State superintendent Of public educa
! ton; also parish superintendents.
Q 9. A broad course Of study In schools 9
every grade. from the primary to the Stat
. University.
f Let Us do that, and then be patient in GU
watchfulness and care. Time will cause ou