The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-09-30
EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY
GO HAND IN HAND IN FLORIDA.

On Monday, 22d instant, Major A. J.
Russell, State Superintendent of Educa
ton, delivered at Metropolitan Hail.
Jacksonville. a lecture on Education. of
which the Times. iT,i,u >ays "the follow
ing is t"lerablv fuI) report OF the ad-
dress, but cold type cannot invest it with
the fire and fervor of the speaker":
Fellow CrrIzENs: | come tonight to
speak to YOU. in my feeble way. on a sub
Ject second in my esteem only 10 The Ever
lasting Gospel of peac.. | DO not forget
that there Yet fingers IN the minds of
some the loug-agu pre- ulices against pop
ular education and also that there is with
them a seeming absence Of that equity
which men usually look tor in ali matters in
which money is involved refer - the
fact that the wealthy and atflU"n,, and
the taxpayers generally. are, 10y -v-
TEN OF public education, obliged T. l9V
tor the tuition OF the children of the poor
and n"n-taX-paying. NV theme, then,
is public education. propose tn treat
my subject first from the higher = md
point, as embraced in the pr.,r,. laN and
order of communities. tnc high and vnn"-
! bling conditions of ,uci,ty ih,. hi,h.>f
and most imperative duty OF rai.. genera.
ton to that which is to follow Il. ami fh,.
very pride which humanity >"ould TAX
in itself. esnecitlly A. /, relate, t. our
own country
Ours is a grand nation -tIn greatest
"day upon III, Garth, or thA; na~ eyer
exl>tc'i-grand, i in II achievements. IL
the rap;lifv q. it, ur,ltth ,iJ l,.>.Irn-
ment a,d in the ta,) .hat i, -. 9:.r..i
toget her every var t. ..i3i r..i.'t4ri Y g..
sentiment ard ~ur"l. reilulnt.~ lnA I.,lu,
cal ethics am, uritri tl., N a. .,,.,. ,r,:nu,.,r
rur,ose-trr .r41,u., on, 1j.. l,,.>. ,.....
! he lnrrn ut >rit ,rnv.tu,ur.t * ,~.. t.,.-
teri;v ar, nrN s>,iiu,lne a ririleo.l.jn i
! th.. r.n,.n,l.:l.,,. ,,t vi,.,.n ... I..,tt -.
every patriot ,io.,l swell .l...,tu ..i,,,>
a., rnr.i.;uaj,,,. r,.j.ir ln.j ...f:1 ,t.,,.j
counted with a ,,.lri, e., ,,,,f,r. ..lt.-4..r..
fc, to r.rncrr... i a,i ,,;:; ;,,,.r..,,. !.
Ir his o',r:nu> -.,i,fr< e., ,.- ,,..y
bow and e>.ry Girl born u,.Yn l.Ir soil
may ol II. ,.i,er..it f,.,h, a.rlrr - III. :i,l
est place. in ct,urcu ,,r ~;a,, kroN.i ,..it.....
I kiai. No blue blood .r ,, h}i.y ut ,,,.
cestry or knnlv lineage i ,l,.r ,-nrv rn
prcferm, nj hut th,. most nh~c,r..l, b.rt,
/ however imrn>, fishrd - rnhou ned may
bv his or her sinrlr and r r>onAl ,fort-
ascend 70 the lot,itsi pl3c,. in nnw.r So.
cial nosition or usrt,In.Ss An1 r..n..cl4-
hilitv. Whate> Ar of s"ver~icnrv j
known tn rs resides in the p4nll,. and
cannot be. Affiliated or d~;hron,l and
our form q; government continu.. tocx-
let. One mans vote. however ignorant.
vicious. i,rcnpiuu, nr careless. j, Az Offset
to any other vote. however intrlhu-nt.
virtunus. moral. or patriotic. whethe. ne
understand, the rca pol>hlt du,v hr i
discharging or whether our whole form pl
government he dirk h ank to him.
Standing upu. this condition "t thing>,
| ask YOU. III, telow-citizenS, if il il not
one OF the first dutics ut tine STATE - see
to it that her children are prepared 20 eA
erci>e these great and responsible ,iuti,-
of so grand and glorious j citizenship:
The history of government shows II.
conclu>ivcy that where Intelligence pre-
vailed success ana achievements were thc
rule. and where ignorance prevailed u;s-
tionAl di,inte.ratinn, squAlidne>s and Vice
were the legitimate consequence How
| strange does it appear - IL IA Il lh" i,.".
people of ancient PhTnicia and Egypt,
/ the nrSl Twin -tnOItItTS bi ~lCl!ct ana Ia,
| mechanic arts, sh"uld today he swept
from the earth ~ far as their mighty Al
| tainmcnts are concerned. So TIA! 4rt-.
! in all probability familiar 10 them. Ar,
now written and spoken II - 'f, lost
| arts arts which, if known to Us, even III
this dav of wonderful pr"gr,>r, vouud
astonsh the scientific world Cnut~n-
plate. if YOU please, the mighty pvrtnii~
out iu All ocean of sand, far remote II r,m
any stone deposit, aud Yet constructed
out of massive blocks o. stone, upht,ta 10
lofty positions in ml-air, OF such llmon
slons and ponderous weight to max"
the adjustment TO their proper places il
these mighty structures impossible to amy
known mechanical force OF our day,
other than the slow process OF the in
clined- plane as developed i'll the screw
and lever
As we look upon these, we are tempted
to believe they had acquired hv some TX
auieitr balance Of weight and forces, the
power to temporarily suspend the laws OF
gravity. Archaeological researches tell IA
that, il unfolding he ancien, mummic>
faint representations of motive power for
travel and transportation appear ia the
paintings of signs and characters upon
tb. linen cloths az they are unwr4pprd
from the housekeeping dead. And yet