, 1879-02-15
Common Schools.

That the views which this paper has fire.
quently expressed as to the necessity OF
maintaining the public schools simply IS
common schools, and arresting the growth
of the so called high-school as subyers;ve
of the intent and ends of the
public school system, are neither novel nor
enormously founded, may be shown by
examples enough. In the message recently
delivered to the legislature of New York
by the governor OF that state, the subject
Is discussed with unusual clearness ans!
force. Ii is properly observed that, to
the extent of giving every child n good
common school education, sufficient to en-
able him or her to understand or perform
the duties of citiza nship, and 10 carry on
intelGgently and successfully the ordinary
I labors of life, the common schools are and
should be objects of the deepest concern
to the whole community. To the few who
desire and are capable Of still hi.her cd
ucation, and who have ambition To shine
as professional men, and In the arts of
literature, music, painting and poetry,
the door is wide open to them to win dis
tinctions in those callinss. But The gov
ernor of New York does not hesitate to
say that to levy taxes on the people for
such purposes as those last named is spe-
cies of legalized robbery and even the re-
| cipients come To know IT. Their sense of
| justice cannot fail IL condemn it; IL lowers
The standard of morals, and helps to de-
bauch. instead of purifying, public opin-
ion. 1t also he observes, breeds diScon-
tent on the part Of those who are educa-
ted, or attempted TO be educated, to some
| thing above or different from that for
which they are fitted and implants in their
minds the false notion that it is the duty
of society to take care of them all their
lives. Moreover, it really disqualities
them for duties and labors 70 which they
are by nature adapted, so that not only
great injustice but great decentralization is
the result Of system which collects mon
ey by force from one mar to educate the
children of another man, for callmgs which
they can never I'll. TO the argument
sometimes advanced that the system is a
benefit to the children of the poorthe gov
ernor answers that it is fallacious, because
the children of the poor generally leave
the schools with a common school educa-
ton aud goto work for themselves or their
parents. Yet while the poor mans chil-
dren are thus at work, his little home is
taxed to give TO the children of Others a
colle. gate education Nine i'll ten of those
educated in the s,-called high schools at
the public exp nse would far better pay
their own bills than to have them paid by
the people of the state. 1t is added that
these views are So manifestly just that
there can be no doubt that they must ulti-
mately prevail; and 1t Is asserted that the
normal schools established in yariousparts
of the state of New York are, with very
few exceptions, wholly useless and fail en-
,raly to accomplish the objects for which
th.y were established and for which the
state is annually payin. large sums of mon
ey from the treasury The above Is a
close SUMMARY of the governor argument;
and it agrees well with the views of all
who have attentively considered the sub
lect One result OF the discussion in our
own s'ate has been the creation of 4 pub
lie sentiment which VIII pTeEeat any fur
thcr direct appropriations from the treas
ury ike those 50 long made in favor OF
the college at Corvallis. In all the states
where the so-calied high school his been
grated on the common school system
there are protests againstit, similar to that
made by the governor of New lcrk, indl-
eating purpose to enforce the mainten-
ance of the public schools simply as com
mon schools according TO the original de-
sign.-O.eg0niGi-