Year: 1877




r. L.
THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS.
We cannot forbear quoting the follow
ing interesting letter, from one OF the
clearest~headed men in Hennepin coun-
ty. 1t shows how deeply our citizens
are considering the great issues now
before the country:


LONG LAKE, Jany. 18th 1877.


Hon. I. D0aanelly:


DEAR SIR: am glad to see that you
are on the committee on education, as
entirely coincide with you,-(as far as
have seen an expression OF your opin-
ions,) on the subject of education.
often wonder that you do not become
completely. discouraged in your attempts
to arouse the people to sense of their
wrongs. and the folly .of sustaining in
power political parties whose whole ten
dency, is the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the rich
and the enslavement of the poor. It
seems almost as lruitless as the labors OF
Slsiphus and l can but admire your
bravery, and hope that you may live to
see the accomplishment of much that
you,are striving for. The cause of all
the evils of bad government is ignorance,
The stream cannot rise higher than its
source. and so long as the masses Of our
voting population remain ignorant and
uncultivated SO long will they be the
tools OF unscrupulOus men, whose selfish
purposes will lead us still deeper into the
quagmire OF misrule and corruption.
The cure tor these evils lies in a good,
thorough system Of popular education
that should be the watchword of every
patriotic American. Our existence as a
nation depends directly on the intelli-
gence of the people.


Our civil war aud the dark threatening
clouds that now brood over our country.
which may yet burst upon us in storm
OF blood, show us plainly that it is still a
question whether the nation has suffi-
cient intelligence to maintain a Repub-
lican form of government. l know it
will require time to teach a people wis
dom. but it is the only road to National
prosperity and good government, and
the sooner we start on it the better.
There seems to be growing feeling
among our best men that the question of
popular education is of too much impor-
tance, it too nearly concerns the life OF
this. Republic, to left to the whims and
caprice OF individuals or communities,
but that the State in her sovereign power
should decree that her children shall
be educated or in other words that we
should have compulsory educational
law SO that the parsimony or Indifference
OF parents or guardians shall not be al>
lowed to deprive child ofits Cod given
right to fair education to fit him or her
tor the business of life and duties as a
citizen OF this Republic. / hope that the
Legislature OF Minnesota may take this
bold step upward and thus lay the foun-
dation OF system that shall be bless
ing to all coming generations. am glad
to see that there is prospect OF having
a uniform system of school books fur
nished by the State at cost, thus saving a
vast sum OF money to the State and the
vexation and evil, OF such a diversity of
school books as now puzzle both teacher
and scholar. Let the Legislature take
hold of it like statesmen and give us q
system OF school books that every lair
minded person can endorse, free from
all sectarian or religious bias, having
nothing in them to wound or irritst, the
feelings of christian sceptic or so-called
hcathen; but touching only the morals
and virtues that have the sanction Of all


Our school books, like everything else
in christian countries, reflect the AFRO
gance and intolerance of the predomi
mating church. In this country it i.
Protestant and the children of Catholics,
Jews. and Infidels, must imbibe usefu
knowledge mixed with what their pa,
tents believe to be the poison of heresy
or superstition. The golden rule
which Christians claim as their own ne
culiar property, does not prevent any o
them when they have the power from
cramming noxious dose OF religion
down their neighbor's throat, and this i
fatal bar to the success OF our common
schools. Let as either have schoo
system where we are all put on equa
grounds, teaching universally admitte,
facts, the garnered treasures Of human
experience and knowledge. leaving til,
Theist and Atheist, Christian and Pagal
to the church, or elsewhere than tn,
,, school room. The feelings / have ex
pressed are wide spread among th
more intelligent Of the people. thinl
| could get the signature Of large ma
jority of the voters of this town to a be
tition in favor Of purely secular system


of common schools. hope you will ex
: cuse this long rambling letter; I do no
write it for the purpose of teacking 70,
your duty, but rather to make some suo
gestions, and give you some words O
} encouragement. wish you to kno,
that there are some that sympathize wit
, you and appreciate your nntiring devo
! ti0n to the true interests Of the people


ungratcful though many Of the peopl
7 may be.


The doctrines Of the Greenback part
are becoming very popular in this towr
: ! believe . majority Of the voters woul
, 60 for them now. and think By the ne,