The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-09-13
FRRE PUBLIC EDUCATION.

8; 9gronS man lhaheS Feiy "eeaA
Argument in favor Of any position,
we take it for granted that the other
side is just and right |; and the fact
that one of his intelligence and sa-
gacitg has found so little to say
against public education, must con-
vince many who know him, that
very little can reasonably be said
against it. He finds fault with pub
lie education because, says he, our
public school system was introduced
into this country from monarchical
governments, and therefore has G
centralizing tendency. Now there's
something in that. We say there's s
something in it, not that we are
able TO see anything in it, but be-
/, cause it is the opinion of gentle
man who usually understands what
he is talking about. And, following
the same line of argument, we must
oppose TIE Importation Of Jersey
cattle into this eountry-since the
matter has escaped Capt .Lipscomb's
notice-on the ground that it will,
if unchecked, have tendency to
contract the borders OF our own
broad land to the narrow limits of
the Island of Jersey, from which
these cattle are brought
While we feel that the opposition
to our public free school system is
not strong enough to affect it seri,
ously. we wish to put ourselves on
record as being in its favor and
we wish. too, to answer in q very
plain way these very plain ques,
tions: .Isit right that the property
of the rich man should be taxed to
educate the children of the poor
MANI" and '.Is our public free school
system a farce 2"
lin answer to the first question
wemight say that the ideaof self-goy-
ernment pre-supposes intelligence
that the trainers of the Constitu-
ton contemplated a government by
an intelligent people-and that
popular education is demanded as
being essential to a wise exercise
of the rights of citizenship and to
the preservation and prosperity of a
republic but argument of that kind
has been found inadequate to satis-
! fl the man who pays taxes. Then
we must turn elsewhere for an an
swer. The old Romans refused to
let poor men serve in the army,
because they believed that the man
without property was also without
patriotism--that he had nothing to
fight for and would. therefore, make
poor soldier. We have happily.
learned better, and when the toe
sin of war is sounded, without dis
tiuction of birth or property, we
buckle on our eartrldge-boxes, shoul-
der our muskets, and stand elbow to
elbow in defense of liberty and
property. Our battle-felds are fer
I'll with the blood of poor men
men who owned no property them
selves but died willingly in defense
of the country, andin defending the
property Of their wealthy neighbors.
lit is right that poor men should
she'd their blood to repel an inyad-
ing army and prevent the destruc.
ton of property in which they have
no interest, is it wrong that men of
property should pay small tax to
educate the poor mans child-to
drive out the greatest of all public
enemies, Ignorance, whose strong
hold is among the poor? Viewed in
this light, or any other light what
ever, public edueation,is right-not
only right but just.
?. But we are told that our public
free school system has broken down
the private schools of the country );
that it does not supply their places
and is. therefore, farce. The sys-
TEN certainly is not perfect, and its
friends do not claim perfection for
it !; but it is the best for which we
are prepared, and it is improving.
After all, the system itself is much
better than its critics and human
nature is what needs reforming.
Beggars have been known to find
fault with the grace of charity be-
cause those who give do not give
more freely. even when they do the
best they can and free democratic
citizens, while receiving the benefits
of the public school fund, have CEN
sured the State for giving at all
when it must give so sparingly. If