Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-20

everything she can to promote her own
happiness and perfection. ID, IA.
This principle has its foundation IN the
law Of nature. (which" says Black
stone, - has graciously reduced the rule
of obedience 10 this one paternal prs
cept. that man should pursue his own
true and substantial happiness
!. This law Of nature being coeval with
mankind and dictated by God HIMSELF
is, of course, superior In obligation to
any other. II is binding over all the
globe, in all countries, and at all times.
No human laws are of any validity IL
contrary to this; and such Of them as
are valid derive all their force and all
their authority mcdiately or immediate
" from this original"
Ii IL not necessary TO ask If ours Is
national or federal government. Whe-
ther il be the one or the other, it was
ordained and established "to promote
the general welfare" Of the people OF
the United States. The welfare Of the
people depends in great measure upon
their intelligence. IGNORANCE is the
parent Of vice." Among the consid-
erations so ably presented by Professor
Minor in favor Of general education in
his institutes is the following: " Gene
raj education tends to improve the po-
litical condition Of society. 1t is uni
yersally true that 'those that think
must govern those that toll, unless the
toilers shall be taught to think also I;
and in popular governments, especially
in those where the right of suffrage is
limited by no other condition than those
of sex and adult age, the general educa-
ton Of the people can be deemed no.
thing less than an indispensable politi-
cal requirement. How else can there
exist that intelligent appreciation of
public affairs amongst the people, upon
the existence of which popular govern
ment is based, ana without which the
general interests can hardly fail to be-
come speedily the prey of yenal and
corruptmen?''-l NJ. Inst, PIP. 1928.
IL there ever was an occasion when the
general welfare Of our common country
was endangered, from its inception to
this time, it was when the Republican
Government, hoping thereby to insure its
perpetuity in power, gave servile race,
whose ancestors little more than one
hundred years ago were cannibal saw
ages in the wilds Of Africa, the right of
suffrage, and attempted to make them
socially equal with their former owners.
Recognizing the danger to " domestic
tranquility" arising from the,ignOrance
of this enforced citizenship of seryile
race, the southern States have nearly
bankrupted themselves in their indiyid-
ual efforts to educate. Reputation,
partial and complete, Of State debts,
has been brought about in almost abor-
tive attempts to educate. If all the
money spent upon the free-school Sys-
TEN since its adoption had been ex-
pended in paying the public debt, Vir-
ginia would not now be liable to the
charge ofeyen partial reputation.
The education of the masses by the
States and the discharge of their just
| liabilities are an impossibility. One Of
the prime objects of forming federal
government was, | conceive, to enable
the United States to accomplish gene
raj purposes which could not be effected
by the individual States. Ii cannot be
doubted that the general education Of
the masses, who are the voters in the
several States of the Union, is as much
a requirement of the General Govern
ment as is the maintenance of a stand
ing army. There is no enemy so hos
| tile to republican institutions as igno-
rance of those clothed with the right of
suffrage. Macaulay has justly and
rightly said: " 1t Is the duty of Gov
eminent to protect our persons and
property from danger. The gross igno-
rance of the common people is a princi-
pal cause of danger to our persons and
property. Therefore it is the duty of
the Government to take care that the
common people shall not be grossly
ignorant The education of the peo-
pie is not only means but the best
means of attaining that which all allow
to a chief end Of government; and if
this be so it passes my faculties to un-
derstand how any man can gravely con-
tend that Government has nothing to do
with the education of the people" This
reasoning applies with more force to re-
publics than it does even to limited
monarchies. The very salvation of re-
publics depends upon the capacity of
the people to think for themselves.
Ignorant, they will become the dupcs of
ambitious men whose motto is " Rule
| or Ruin. TEXAS