Schools And Education

A cominon school eduoation is voy renerally regarded as a necessary instrúnientality to fit the people tor selfgovernment mul the propor exerciso of In; electiva franchise. In that view of b - oase, ooininon schools iiiay propurly )c regarded as forming a neoossary elenont of Kopublicnu govornnient ; and berefore they ahould bo undcr tho control oí the govuruiucut, be regulatod by aw, and supportod by taxation and lublic tumis. That reasoning d068 not tpply to schools thut teach seocarian loctrincs and dogmas, nor to professional schools, colleges and tho higher seminaries of learning, whicharo not designed to fit nion for comiuou indttstry and self-governineut, but for the highor walUs and einployineuts of life. It is jrossly nnjiist. to tax any set of men to support schools that teach crcods and lort i mes and a systoin of philosophy, or views of government, whiuh they boieve to be false or unsound. Henee üur public schools, supported by taxaion or publio funds, are striotly nonsectarian in their charactor and teachmg; and there are a few State colleges md universities of the same uon-soctariiin character, of which tho University of Michigan is in the first rank. But nearly all the colleges and universities, and all the theological seminaries, are of a sectarian chara-cter - each religious sect establishing, supporting, and as a general rule patronizing, its own institutions. Education tends to expand and discipline the mind, to makc iudustry moro effective, to elévate the ideas, refine the manners, and improve the general condition of a peoplo; but many of the Auiorican people have attributed to an eduoation in schools influences and merita which it does uot possess Many have supposed tbat general education would prove al most a sovereign remedy for crime, and for poverty also. The history of our criminal jurisprudencia and State prisons shows that eduioation cbanges tho eharacter of crime and lessens the number of highway robberies and murdors, assaults and bati md othor crimes against the ]r sou ; but actually iucreases frauds and forgerios, embezzlements and every speoies of swindling, and also burglaries and conspiracies of various kinds. All thoso classes of crimes are generally committed by educated men, and more by public officors, and officors and em pioycs of railroads, banks, in9iirance companies, and other corporatioun, than by any othor cUss of persons. Burglary has become a science, as well as a practical art, and is generally commit led by gangs of conspirators, who travel trom city to city, their operations being managed and directed by educated men. All the professious, all classes of officers, and all classes of persons who fill or have lilled the highor employments of life, are represented in our State prisons- and in much larger numbers in proportian to thoir whole number, than tho laboring classes. An indantrial education, and habits of industry and frugality, are more effeotive than an education at the schools, to prevent and lessen crime. Colleges and academies were established at an early day in the Colouies of ilassaelmsetts and Connectieut, New York and Virginia; and at a later day in other Colouies. A system of comuion o's, for the education of all the children and youth of the Colony, was established by law in JMassachusetts in the year KU7 ; and very 30011 afterward in Connao'iout and New Hampshire, and all the New England States, exllhode Island. After the formation jf the Federal Government laws were ted by the States of New York, Ethode Island, Ntw Jersey, and Pennsylvania, ander which comuion schools were established and maintained in those States ; and afterwards the system was extended to Oliio and other new States, until the system wns so extended as to offer the ineans of a cominon school education to all tbe childreu and youth of the then tree States ; and since the close of the great rebeliion and civil war, and the emaucipation of the alavés, the system has been very generally adopted in theSoutheru States, and the means of a common school education extended to nearly all the colored is well as the white children aud youth in Stiltes. Our schools, system of educution, and modes of iustruction, have been brought to a high state of perfeciion. The disoipline of the schools is also generally good, but less perfect than the teaching. There is more laxity of discipline in the es than in the common schools; iind better discipline in the graded and hifih Bohoo's than in either of the other olasses. The hazing system, and the rowdyism growing out of it, have boen discredilable to many American colleges. But the great deftct is in fauiiiy government and discipline. The opinión is generally entertnined by uur youth, ana has become pretty common among pareuts, that boys and girls in their teens should be treated as youug gentlemen aud ladies, and be allowed to toliow their own inclinations - with out much parentnl government or restriiut. Thia defect of family governiiicnt is mnch greater and more preval.-nt in cities ttian in the country. It 18 largely fiom the want of employment at home, for children, in cities nd villagos - there being no such want of employ maat on the farms, in the country. Want of employment is the mother of waywarctness and dissipatiou, vico and criinp. With the advantages of common school libraries as well as Bchools, and tho best system of instruutiou whieh ihe world has ever known, the al most entire want in most families, of guveruiinnl, discipline and industry, leaves city and vilhige children and youth subject to dangerous social inflaences, and to tlio coriupting teudeucies and inflo of cheap novols and romances, and the frivolous and demoraliing matters and stories published in newspapers and other periodicals, which tend to unflt tlie mind tor regular iudustry, aud the sober and rational pursuits of life. Both males and témales imbihe tbe idea, that whou educated, they can live by their wits, - by trade and tnime, or by professional lifo and office, without manual labor, or much labor of any kind, or much econoiny. They all ex peet to attain high stations iu lifo, and that wealth will roll in upon them, without much effort on their part. Tho colored poople have entertined the same idea, - that if their children were educated it would raiso thoir social position to an equality with the whites, and relieve them from tho neoessity of iiiucli manual labor, and from the drudgery of servants. How sadly they have bron disappointed ! How few of the best educated persons attain the rank and position which they expeoted in early life ! The higher tho positions which men attain, the greater and more numerous be teottptationa whioh beset them ; the more their ambition is stimulated ; the more thoy are likely to acquire habits of extravagance and prodigality ; aud the greater the dauger that they will be temptod into what may be propeily tciiucd ha.ardous and gambUu'x speculatious, or fraudulent schemes and operations to make money, and be tinaliy drawn into orirae. Public oflicers are often tempted to take bribes ; whiofa aro frequontly dignified with the 1:1111.: of presents. When a man in public lifo accepts presents, he sacnfices his indopoudenoo and subjcots himself to obligations to persons wanting office or official favorn, whioh will aoon underTiiiiin and dtstroy his bonesty and uprightness as an officer. (Jrime ia an evil which cannot be prevonted by schools and seminaries of learning. Tbough crime is terribly prevalent in our country, the fault is not in the schools, nor in our systein of education ; but in human selfishuess and ambition, which become greater and more iutensifiad as the mind is developed. Nor is the fault in the disciplino, nor in the want of discipline of the schools ; but in the want and defacts of fatnily government and discipline, which, instead of restraining and training up children to habits of iudustry and economy, very gunerally leaves thein to run wild when out of school, md to grow up in habits of indolence and prudigality. The fault is in th weakness and inefficiency of family govotnment, and in the sfoito of society and of public opinión, which looks with too ínuch leuiency upon extravagance iind prodigality, waywardness and vice, fraud and bankruptcy, and crime also. Much of the crime has í ts source in our systein of partisan politics, and much of it results from thü corruptiug tendoncy of ft largo portion of the literature of the day. None of it can be properly charged to our systeiu of public schools. The schoolt are not, and cannot be made, substitutos for law, a polioa, and tribunals for the aduainistration of justice. An industrial education, with proper moral and religious instrnction, will reduce vice and crime to a miuiinuin ; but it is impossible to repress and entirely preveut either crime or vice. It cannot be done by the schools, nor by any systoin of education. No moral or religious instruction, without the restraiuing power of law and the administration of justice, hfis much iniluence upon great numbors of persons, who are tempted and inclinad to the commission of crime. Large olasses of persous can be restrained only by the pólice and tbe fear of puuishinent. Ba Umlerwear for the largost iniin at Joe T. Jacob' store.