The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-07-19
IMPORTANCE OF FREE SCHOOL.

establishment of system of well reg
ulated graded schools for primary in
struction. So important do we con-
slider this subject that we do not think
it out Of place to devote little more
space to it this week.
From the first we find that educa-
ton was the fairest flower in all the
garden Of progress in America. The
very earliest colonists,. after the Span
iards, were strongly imbued with the
importance of education. The Puri-
tans of New England, the Dutch of
New York and the Scotch-Irish of
Pennsylvania, alike realized that most
of the evils which had driven them to
the New World were the result of ig-
norance and superstition, and they
early set about establishing schools
for the intellectual training of their
youth. The first public school, to be
maintained out of "the common stock
of the town." was established at Bos-
ton in the fifth year of its existence.
But the real beginning is to be found
in the law passed by the colony of
Massachusetts, in I647, which de-
creed that every town, "after the Lord
had increased it to fifty families"
should maintain free school and a
town of 100 families a grammar
school. This act is the great charter
Of the free school system.
Little; however was done for the
first quarter of a century, and 1t was
not until the year 1881 that the fight
for free and universal education was
really begun. Thaddens Stevens (all
honor to him) became the great cham
pion Of public education in the Legis-
lature and threw himself into the con-
test with fervor and persistence. In a
speech ofthe most powerful eloquence
he won over the House of Represen-
tatives and defeated the opposition to
free education. Since that time the
common school system has spread un-
til good education is within the
reach of nearly every child Of the Re
public; and it can now be truly said
that no nation IN the world does more
for the enlightenment of its citizens
than the United States. We had, in
1892, 2Io, 900 public schools taught
by 334, 900 teachers, ATTENDED by H.
500, 900 pupils and costing annually
SII9, 900, 900, besides a large number
of colleges and etc.
There is but one dark spot in thi:
bright picture of the educational con
dition Of our country. In spite of al
that has been done by the states anC
federal government, there are nearly
S, 200, 900, people, or 1874 per cen
of the entire population unable tc
read, and about 6,25o, 900, or II pc,
cent, unable to read and write. l
is, needless to point out what thi
means in free republic. 1t is how
ever, largely the inheritance which
slavery has entailed upon us. The
greater portion of these illiterates arr
to be found in the Southern States
and among people of foreign birth ii
the great centers of population.
Whether by national appropriation
or by compulsory laws we must ge
rid of this great mass of ignorance
1t does not seem likely we can ge
the former and it is the duty Of tn,
states to adopt the latter. The com
mon school must be planted at ever,
crossroad in the South. The illiterat,
foreigner who seeks for freedom Oh
our shores must, at least, be made t.
pay the price Of his citizenship b,
compelling him to educate his child
!, ren. 1t is impossible that free insti
: tutlons can survive in communitie
where ignorance is rife. The system
of our common schools has been de
clared to be the palladium of ou
freedom" This continent is now tn
home of the highest as we'll as tn
freest nation in the world and w
should remember that the common
school has been in the past and vii
be in the future the fountain of ou
strength-the guarantee of safe gov
ernment "by the pople, for the peop
lie, of the people"
THE wildcatters are looking hope
fully toward the extra session of Con
gress.-Rochester Democrat ant
Chronicle,