Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-03-12


form pressing necessity. Children
Of our laboring classes leave school
ignorant of much they would find of
value because they have been taught
instead what they will never use.
Mr.. Bonaparte said the tendency
in America is to leave manual labor
to foreigners, and the professions and
intellectual callngs are filed with
imperfeotIy trained and sadly disqual-
flied men. We lose good carpenters
and smiths to get worse than worth
less clerks and, bookkeepers, Our
public schools go far to coavert this
tendency into positive evil. 1t is
national folly to educate children
to be unhappy and dangerous. If
the public school makes more COM
petent voters, what We srcud for them
is the best of investments. But do
they furnish us competent voters p
Most injurious to a society governed
by universal suffrage is the belief that
one mans opinion is worth abont as
much as another's in public affsirs,-
Men who half understand are led as
tray by mere huenoy or empty fat
terry Of their hobbies. The puolic
school pupil can talk volubly about
subjects that the old man, who never
heard of them in Bremen or Cork,
must listen to perplexed; and it is an
easy step for the young man to per-
suade himself that he is an authority
on topics of current interest, while
in reality the father is the better CHI
zen. He knows too little to be east
ly misled, and will cleave to the truth
because too stupid to be acted on by
sophsims. The tendency is to super
fetal knowledge.
Mr.. Bonaparte discussed some of
the topics that have sngrossed public
attention, including the greenback
craze, etc. He said the law as to sill
yer coinage makes us laughing stock
for the world. The Golden Club,
made up of gentlemen who favor GER
tain views concerning trade, which can
beapproved or rejected with freedom, is
made to appear as band of conspi-
rators, "Carbonari." with enormous
wealth at their disposal, to be used
in the ruin Of our manufacturers. If
such ideas are the teachings OF the
public schools, it we're better that the
voters only knew enough to vote as
"My Lord or Monsieur le Cure"
should tell them.
Mr., Bonaparts said he favors com
pulsory education, and fofthe instruc-
ton Of his children the parent should
pay if he can He said there is abso-
lutely no difference in principle be-
tween public sonp-houss and a pub
lie free school. Each may be a good
thing if its benefits are offered to
those who would suffer without
them. Each becomes demoralizing.
and injurious when they are abused.
We have been educationally pauper-
lied. Many who would regard as an
insult the suggestion that they send
their children to the almshouse, treat
their gratuitous attendance on public
schools as a matter Of right. Mr..
Bonaparte spoke of his experience
as counsel for st. Mary's industrial
School. Parents who would not APP
prentice their children or send them
TO asylums will use fraudulent means
to get rid of them or send them to
that institution because it is a school
and gets a small assistance from the
State. He said opinion az to gratu-
tous education no doubt has been
msled by sympathy for the self-edu-
Gated men who have forced them
selves into prominence, but the Frank
Inns are able to care for themselves
and do not need hel p to bring them
out. While there is no reason why
father who can should not pay to
have his children taught, there is still
less reason why he should be permit
ted, if he prefers, to let them grow
up in ignorance. He said we are
curiously. illogical as to this. The
sons and daughters Of tradesmen and
artisans would get some instruction,
perhaps as much.as is good for them,
were there no public schools. The
system ought to provide such instruc-
ton as will partially fit all classes of
citizens, especially the poor, to earn
their livelihood. The purely intel
iectual study in each grade should be
modest but thorough, teaching moth
ing but what can be readily mastered
by apupil of average Intelligence, and
children should be discouraged from
entering any grade unless reasonably
certain to complete Its curriculum.
Parents, when able, should pay what
equally good tuition would cost in
private schools Of the same class, am
pie provision being made for the par
tial or total remission Of fees to the
INDECENT. Every child of school age
should be registered, and fathers Or
guardians severely punished for failure
to send it to a public school or some
other school as to insure respect for
the law.
He said he could not help connect
ing the Feasibility shown when the
public school system is criticised with
the sensitiveness shown by the de-
tenders Of slavery thirty years ago
There is an uneasy consciousness that
the system is really faulty Two
years ago, at commencement, he
said he gave brief expression to the
opinion that reforms were needed in
the public school system. Since then
the technical instruction in manual