The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-04-29

IAV
Tallahassee and gainesville Acade.
m1eS-Ot1I1ty Of Lyceums-Dur
Young Nen-The Demands
of the Hour.
The mind of an intelligent Floridan must in.
deed be Unconditional that cvinces no exul,aton
at the fact that The two educational instrument
tall les noted above have been announced 10 the
public as eminent successes For my own part
l heartily congratulate the projectors and CON
ductOrs of these institutions on their far-sighed
enterprise, intimately related il is to the high
est interests of our State. 1t has not come TOO
soon, and 1t has come most Opportunely, trOw
to be the means OF firing the ambition and sun
lighting the minds of our young men to the At
tainment of know ledge and the realization OF true
manhood These renascbe demonstrations pre-
sent delightful reflex influence against the de-
plOrable mass Of ignorance that looms up 80
grimy in our midst, and for which We should all
feel pride and responsibility that it 50 clearly
merits. We should hail the dawn of the new
day with no common joy, for educaiiOns like
these it must be remembered are the fountain
heads OF thought that culture the mind and enrich
the blood of the rising generation.
Let me say, emphatically, that there are no
possible dangers, socially or politically, from
without so greatly to be feared and dep
rccaed as the magnitude of illiteracy within.
God knews that have an element of stolid
ignorance in this State that is as deadly as gall
the serpent with unextracted tangs in our bo-
som. The twin demons ignorance aud vice. that
90 hand in hand, are poisoning the stream at its
very fountain head. 1t is demonsirably true
that the ballot box controlled by ignorance and
moral responsibility is as much an instrument
of chance as dice box. The ignorant voter,
white or colored, swes the rank and file of the po
litical mountebank and the stenchtul demag0gue
who ARE SWitter than eagles and stronger than Ii
ons' to uproot virtue and SOW corruption. And are
you quite confident, MIR. Editor, that the good
people Of this commonwealth are not now in the
projecting shadow of an approaching political
peril the bare contemplation of which fills the
watchtu mind with dismay. yield intelligent
assent TO the pOstulate that education does not
make men honest, but it enables one to vote in
teligenly. Therein is lis potency, and the cor
relative value of educational appliances 20 pre-
vent disintegraton and destruction. Therefore,
how true it is that this topic of all topics should
be pursued with the closest continuity of effort
and the highest tension Of thought-brought
sQuarely up to the living present and grappled
with as one of the immedtc problems of the
day. In proportion as the conditions of political
health and lille become more difficult and COM
plex, they must be met by more culture, more
tOrethought, prudence and self-sacrifce. We
must cancel our remembrance of the reproachtu
shortcomings of the past by pursuing the line of
patriotic duty with more heart, purpose and in
dOmtabe achievement. What we need most is
the highest sense of public duty to the State in
this matter Of common school education.
Candor constrains me to say, what no one will
dare deny that has any respect for TRUTH that there
has been much culpable mat tention to the pres
sing educational demands of the hour, mani
fest bargain between duty and Incidence to g
more activity and responsibility in a field pre-
senting 40 many precious possibilities for noble
achievement. | venture to say that an imper-
sonification of the heretofore limping, semciv
lized educational policy of this State would find
its prototype IN the Seminole chief once OBJ
served "doing" the streets of Tampa, whose
garmenture " consisted of an old checker shirt
of scanty dimensions, pair of green goggles
minus one glass and an antiquated tooth brush
stuck behind his left ear. 1t is most grotesque
comparison; yet I am not quite certain that an
apology is not due the Indian for so disparaging
an association
Permit me to present just one illustration in
support of my assumption. In California, Chi.
naman in calico and pigtail is paid $50 per
month for grooming an ass; divide this sum by
two and you have the monthly pay, respectively,
of perhaps one-thrd of the impecunous teachers
in Florlda-per consequence large percentage
of our pedagogues are better calculated tor
manipulating California donkeys than for the in
structvc exercises of the school cabin. might
give other less piQu ant illustrations were 1t not
that the subject has an odor about il that makes
dissection unpleasant. This is ardent language
but not more 50 than my convictions, and
| have said, or may say here should be adjudged
Objectionable criticism of disturbing tendency.
But it is useless to attempt 10 disguise the truth
Rather let US have the manliness to look the sub
ject fully in the front and discuss 1t with due
frankness even if the devil is looking one
squarely in the face. In this attitude OF mlnd
and temper dare give myself liberty to ask the
ruling minds of this State whose educational ef-
forts may be said to be comparatively nH if it is
not about time for them to engage in pententlal
confession to conscience, that they may become
more serviceably on rapport with the enlightened
spirit of the times touching subject the impOr-
tance of which II is impossible to exaggerate and
which no good citizen, in out of office, can al
ford to treat with only perfunctory consideration.
The minds Of some are ANNOYED by the appre-
hensiOn that our Executive has not touched this
affair with the same forging grace OF his genius
that has characterized his treatment Of other
measures the consummation OF which has I'M
parted so much eclat to his administration.
The State Of New York will ever hold Dewitt
Clinton a prince among her Governors for his te-
paciOus zeal and Tesolute apprehension in the
matter of the Erie Canal and our deservedy
DOpular Governor will be remembered as endur-
ingly if acquiting himself in the more important
matter under discussion in like manner But
had he ingloriously failed, though his admins
tration has been the most eventually important
one we have ever had, the leaf of rue would surely
appear in the laures that encircle his brow
There are some men in this State whose in
stincts and capabilities are admirable that might
be potential forces In educating the public
thought of our people to proper appreciation OF
a high standard of education, but find 1t mpossi-
bic to cast off the repressive influence of debas-
ing Office seeking politics and interchange their
thoughts with the ideas and glory of the enlighi-
ened world at large. These somewhat rowing
but not questionable facts and deductions are pre-
sented as showing the necessity for utilizing the
means that are available for withstanding the va
rious disrupting agencies that threaten to over.
turn the present status Of the social and civil in
stitutions of our State.
But a truce to deprecatery criticism.
Let me, If you please Mr.. Editor, conclude
with few words to that class OF my young coun-
trvmen who have the divine spark in them, the
instinct of elevating manly achievement. wish
-. ~. "a them that hesides our academies and