M :
-r.:'., v ' - -.. L .
' vn PUBLISHED WEEKLY, 1
5Y
At f r ""anhIf paable in advance.
REPORT
Of ike tleey
' Syitem of General Educattoa.
onrsiffned, directed by. a resolu.
r A the last Legislature, to prepare a
X? SW of Public Education, for
ttiPiu3tin ot ioor -or indigent paren
1 rtfally REPORT :
. '..u.th -rtpnslvp nlans of Public
VAtniioa, supported by munificen appro-
uriatiods, nave occm uVv. Kv.
U in many of the States, for a cnsidera
L ueriod, yet ne one, that they have had
in opportunity of considering, seems to be
idaotedirr its details, to the civil divisions
of this State, the extent of its. territory, or
Ibe jcattered residence of its population,
n indisDensable requisite in any plan to
' t, : .Utll V 4atjitlaf rt Inl
beidopiea , a '"' . :r"r.rj ses of Internal Imorovenieot
tfpeqo-l benedt pgnou ne oie schoolmasters to be appoin-
State, and, 'fnlttVn Ttl J ted nder lhe act 8haU e,Cted by " ,,U
tetbe greatest possUleyP oport on of he, , , bf U)e voteg oflhe freeholders (or
poor ana inaigenioi free white persons) residing within thed.s-
States have been; enabled to ava.Hhem- nn,hal, he c0llsidered dulv
seltesof the preex..tmg; divisions ot town-. . . g Drev;ouj,v I)r(Kl..
ft,ps, pansnes. . ced 'lo lhe dislrict -committee, who are 10
cooveruug ; --1 ;T ' preside at the election, a certificate from the
wbict .from the fullness of !-airman of the school om,nissioners, or
lhey have oftener beeu ob hged to subdi- , - . hoard, stating that
vicfc, Tor the purpose 01 avoiaing 100 mimer- j ' d 1
oo$ a collection of scholars tW one teacher, f,!S j,'
thatito combine for the ske of procuring: a J
mffideiu number. Jn some of the States,! jon
one sixths an.d in otners, one lourm, 01 me
fijtire pupubtion is receiving Instruction,
oneixthi and in others, one lourtn, 01 mei . 7T . .' , ' . '
snnoaUv. common schools alone ; and? , ., . , . , , .
miiiuaiij, 7 1 vnip shall h rfppmd dulv fleeted.
sa decided and" unequivocal have been the
Wllt'UMai rurvij wi ; mwc ii04ts.uisvis9. i . , . :; i ,
upon the morals and iritelligence of the ci-
iins, and the consequent prosperity of f
tf.eSfatPS where they have been best sus- i
twined by public patronage, that an univer
ul conviction has resuliedjjhit the atten
tion of an enlightened ' Legislature could
ni oe di awn to a subject more momentous
i: its natoe, or more vitally conducive to
tp subiRiy andTjnTyotld-gtory 01 a free 1
gwernment. . " - .'- ' -.r- ; !
. lhe first obstacle to be surmounted, is
tbat presented by j the inequality of the
coui-ties, both in, extent and population, as
relative to each other 5 and; .in many of
the counties, thejdettsLy of the, population
in some parts, and its thinness in others.
:his difficulty can only -be effectually obvia
hd by a law founded upon a local know
ledge of all th!e couoties, though it is proba
ble that such a law jnight be passed 'upon
ihe assumed basis of the existing districts
for militia companies. Upon ibis branch
pf the subject,' it is thereiore respectfully
mbmittedk - I- : '
' 1. Thai the whole State shall be laid off
bylaw, into convenient school districts. '.
2, .That the Justices of the Peace for
each county iti the State, shall . innuail t
and all the same Court when the Sheriff
elected, and immediately before bis elec
tion, choose by ballot, a majority of the
Justices being present on the bench, not
less than twelve, nor. more than f ourteen
persons, who are tJiher .Magistrates or
freeholders of rhe county residing. therein,
who', when elected, shall constitute the
School commissioners for that comilv- " r;
1 , 3, No ballot shall be counted, unless it
have written on it a number of names equal
t) the' number of persons to be chosen at
tiiat balloting, nor shall any one he deemed
tlected, unless he receive a majority of all
tiie votes given in at the balloting.
4. The person first chosen at the elec-
too of any of the said school commission
ers or if there be roorf than one chosen at
thdbailoting.vhen a choice shall be made,
the person having the highest number of
totes shall be deemed chairman .of the
Board ; and for the purpose of ascertaining
thi with precision, the Clerks of the Coun
ty Courts shall enter 00 their minutes, . the
result of each balloting. - But when the
Commissioners are chosen, they may, at any
meeting, elect .any other individual their
chairman, which choice they 'shall certify,
under their hands .to the next CountV
Court, that the Clejrk of which may enter
the same on record. . v
5.; That the said school commissioners,
shall in convenient time after their election
appoint not less, than three freeholdeis, nor
more than five, in every school district m
thett respective counties, as a school dis
trict committee, whose duty 11 shall be to
examine instructors, displace such as are
incompetent, visit tiie school at such: times
nd"as often as thv think necessary, and
tequireol the master such exercises as may
shew ther - progress in learning.- v They
taay also": expel scholars in case of misbe
haviour ; aQd no-schoolmaster" displaced
them, or .schotar, expelled, shalt be re-
ceived at any I other school established by
wis law., Uut the schoolmaster or scholar,
committee, as soon as Dos
aTJDointment. to convene, after ten days no-
ticeat two public places in their "respective ; proceed to the ejection of . sheriff,-' to bor
countTes," the freeholders (or free white - row, of authorise to be ' borrowed, a som
persons) residing in " such disti icifor the f adequate to the put chasing all the land and
purpose of selecting a convenient scite fir --j erecting all the buildings necessary for the
the district school, and when the selection j said establishments within their county, at
is made, the district committee shall certify the same lime assfssiog on the county a
the same to the chairman of the school com-; tax or taxes, adequate to pacing the inter-
missioners.
71 When it shall be so ceitifid to the
Bfhnif rnmmittiitnprt 'thpv ! ill M " HS
' in i
may be, put chase of the proprietor of th
land, the number of acres prescribed .by
law, and thereon cause io be ierected the
necessary buildings for a school house, and
the ousters residence, and ever thereafter
keep the same in due repair 5 and if be
commissioners and Jhe owner of the Id nd
cannot agree as to the purchase, then he
commissioners may have the same con
demned tor 'the uses aforesaid, under the
same rules and regulations as lands may
now be condemned by law, lor the purpo-
for the purpose of avoiaingtoo numer- , . , , . . - .: r?n
11 c r , , . . ., . i hp ic Hnlv nu.i hfi?d to leach readme Linff-
J . .
ie' common rules of arithmetic,
addition, subtraction, ntul tiplication,
- r . tuiw laiiiii. aim aiicr ikjicui & 1 1 v. wb
. - . . - ii i r 1 1 1 1 1 iiw 1 nr uiriiirni aiuiu ljkl a
9 " Whenever, a vacancy occurs, from a-
W X U III mi' mJ i ' 1 till V1 w - - "
master, it
snail oe tne auiy 01 rae ois.rici
committee to certify the sami fort uvith, to
the chairman of the school coininissiouers,
who shall, ihereupoii, ; direct the dislrict
committee to convene ; the electors of the
district in the mannei above required, for
the Durnose of auDoin'mff a successor
40dahe;r&ulCpisucfrV
mediately certified by
by the district commit-T
tee to the school commissioners. At the
end of every. six months, "the district com
mittee shall give the schoolmaster, at his
request, a certificate, stating how long du
ring the last six months, he has kept open
school under this act.
10. The schoolmasters shall diligently
instruct the scholars, during the Hcurs prej
scribed by law, iri the several branches of
learning above nientUmed ; forwhich they
shall be respectively entitled to demand
und receive from each scholar ; ll
pel session ; and if the parent, guardian or !
master, liable to pay for arty scholar, shall,
on demand, neglect or refuse to do so, the
same raav be received by warrant before
eny Justice of rhe I'eace. ' Lvery such I
schoolmaster shall -also bei entitled for; the
time he hath kept open .school fir receive
semi-annually at the rate of ' dollars
per annum, to be obtained in. the following
manner, viz: As soon as he has obtained
from the district committee, the certificate
nerein before mentioned, stating lhe time
he has kept school wiihin the then last six
months, and deiiveied the same to" the
chairman of the school commissioners, it
shall Ibe the duty of the said chairman to
give him an order on s the County Trustee'
for the money appearing , due 'un the said
certihcate, which ordr beins countersigned
by the clerk of the said commissioners,
. - - 0 . o
and presented to the County Trustee for j saKlxourt and did" elect a sheriff without as
pay mentr it shall be hi duty instantly id j seising the tar or taxes as aforesaid, and if
pay the same; and if ne ; snail neglect on
refuse so to do, the money due thereon
may be recovered by warrant before any
Justice oflhe Peace; and on the trial of
such warrant if six jnonths have elapsed
between the assessing the tax herein after
directed to be assessed, and the issuing of
such warrant, the said Trustee shall not be
permitted to allege or plead, that he has no
funds, in his1 hands from which the said
money ought to be paid; but judgment
shall be reudered against him, to be paid
out of his own proper goods aud. chattels :
and such trustee, may immediately sue for
and recover the money f from the sheriffs,
who ought to have collected the . tax and
paid thet money oyer to him, either by war
rant before any justice of the peace or by
suit against him and . his securities on theif
bond.; On the judgment obtained upon a
ny such warrant against any parent, guar
dian, county . trustee or sheriff, Jno stay of
execution shall be .allowed.- And if any
such defendaut shall pray an appeal from
such judgment, and shall not prosecute the
same, or shall not on . the trial' thereof di-
h-minish the original judgment, then the ap
pellate court shall renderj udgment against
such defendant, for the, sum originaliy re
covered, with interest at the rateof ;- .
per cent, per annum until the same is paid
apneal frDm thesentence of the dis-f m&m
W committee to the school Commissioners I .11., And tor tne purpose 01 aetraying
of the count v w hose decision ,; on f the case I the expense of" the school "establishment
aU be fiaal. ' ':J.:' : I f :Gv" ' h Z :" , I hereof proposed it.shali be the duty of the
Lb U shall he tt fitl'nf Witi district t iustices of each iunty. a maiontv: being
,n;
thefjchool commisioners, and before they
1 ess. and j ' ter cmt. uer annum
of the piincjil of the sn so borrowed;
th jroc"s ;f which tax of taxVs shalt be
f pledged to tne creditoror creditors ; and
Khiill not be repealed of altered until the
whole debt is paid off. And for defraying
the yearly r xpnses andiccounting for the;
sauie, it shatl be the dqy of the chairman
of the achovd coaimisiouers to mnke out,'
or cause th clerk of tlti! apid commission
ers to make out, an accoiiit of the dis
bursements lor the preceding ' year, and to
return the same tojgetheri wjtii an estimate
of the expenses forthe ensiiog ye-r 'to .the'
County Court at its sessi hen ; the suc
ceeding ! school comniissiiers are to be
elected, and before the sane are elected f
nud it shall be the duty of the justices of
lhe said court, a raijcrity being on tiiej
bench, immediately after making said elec
tioji, and ' before they proceed to the elec
tion of sheriffs, to assess; 011 their county a
tax or tMxes, the proceeds of which shall be
estimated to be at least equal to meet all
the expenses as aforesaid; which tax or
taxes it shall be the duty of the sheiiffi of
the dou.ity to collect, unjder the p;ime rules
and regulations that he collects other taxes,
and pay over the proceeds of the s trae to
the county trustee, takiug duplicate re
ceipts therefor, and return his account with
.bench,
one of the said receipts to the chairman of , the spirit of laWs! already in the statute
the county scnool commissioners, within ' book. The nature of the remedy assigned
six months after the said tax or taxes are ! 10 the schoolmasters, 'arose from the pre
assessed as aforesaid, under the penalty of I sumption that they would for the most part
dollars.
And the sheriff, ;
before entering into office, shall give bond
with two o- more good securities, in double
the sum eJomated as aloresaid, payable to
the chairman of the county court, and con
ditioned for his due performance of the du
ties aforesaid. And H shall be the dutv of
Shecruntv trustee - tOi Wi' .Vr iiiuef :
ari
rawn 011 him by the chairman of county
school commissioners, as soon as the same
shall be presented, ti return his account to
the said chairman, and pay over to him the
balance of money inhis hands,' if any, at
past fourteen days before tne silting of the
court at which said chairman is to nidke his
return as aloresaid, unTier the penalty of
' dollars. And the said county trus
tee, before entering into office, shall give
bundwith two or more good securities, in
double the sum .estimated as afoiesaid,
payable to ' the chairman of the county
court, and conditioned for the due perfor
mance of the duties aforesaid.
! 12. And if the justices of any County
Court shall proceed to the election of She
r& without assessing 1 the taxes aforesaid,
men an mose wno are on tne Dencn when
sucb election of Sheriff is inade, shall be
liable to the sum estimated as' aforesaid out
of their own property ; and it shall be the
duty of, the State's Attorney for the said
county to commence suit against said jus
tices', returnable to the then next Superior
Court for any adjacent county, and said
suit shall be triable and tried at the return
term,'jbefore the said court proceeds to any
other business on the docket. And no e
vidence shall be admkted on the trial of
such suit, except the records of the said
Cpunty Court, or a copy thereof, shewing
-. t- r .- . - ' --. "
that the defendants yere on the bench of
juugiucuuji pass agamsi me aeienoani,
the same shall be final to all intents and
purposes, without being questioned or ques
tionable in an other court whatever. And
it shall be the duty of the cierk of the Su
perior Court, immediately after the termi
nation of that term, to issue and deliver, or
cause to be delivered, to th sheriff of the
couoty where the j defendants ; reside, ah
execution on said judgment ; and it shall
be the duty of such sheriff within
days after the delivery, to levy' the money
due on such execution, and pay, it over to
the chairman of the county school commis
sioners, under the penalty of v i r vr
dollars; and the said chairman shall apply
the said money towards defraying the school
expenses of the said current year. . ;
f J3. The chairman of the county school
commissioners, , may at any time visit any
district school. within his county, and make
any order, rule or j regulation, for the gov
ernment thereof, and every order, rule or
regulation so made shall be final and con
clusive, unless where he'diSmisses a school
master or expels a schoiar, " in which case
such schoolmaster; or scholar, or any . one
in their behalf, may take an appeal to the
county school commissioners, whose deci
sion shall be final. And the 'said . chair
man shall report every order, rule or regu
lation made try him as aforesaid to the
clerk of the county school commissioners,
and have it entered on their minutes. And
if it ' shall be deemed necesssry. pti any
such visitation , or - at meeting -of any
counly I school commissioners, to examine ;
any witness on oath concerning any matter helps to inspiration it tne tnougnt, t n
then and there under consideration, such ! woufd say) is slow to jcome, a glassy of gooa
chairman shall administer fsuch oath, and ! wine encourages it, and when it doetcoute.
i such witness knowingly and wilfully an-
swers iaiseiy to a material question, ne or
she shall be guilty of perjury, and liable to
all ihe penalties! thereof. ; .
- ' ' ,1 " ft- "
14. Every county court may, either at
the beginning or end of the year, a ma
jority of ihe justices being on the bench,
make' some reasonable Allowance' to ls
chairman of the county school commit
sioners. j J H': f ;j i . . 'X':':j-'-:-'1
15. The clerk of the county, courtjshall
act as clerk and keep the. accounts of the
county school commissioners for his coun
tr; and every sheriff shaU promptly serve
all notices by the chairman of the school
commissioners delivered to him to be ser
ved ; but no such clerk or sheriff shall be
entitled to any specific compensation for
such services t but they shall be consider
ed as pal ti of the, extra, services for which
counly courts usually make allowances
The foregoing details as to the assess
ment and collectioii of a tax for the 'pur
pose of defraying the expense of the inst i
tution, have been entered into by the un
dersigned, under, a belief, that if the Le
gislature should adopt that mode of raising
a fund, it j is of the utmost consequence to
the success of the system, that the perfor
mance of the duties assigned to the justi
ces, should be enforced by every reasona
ble sanction, since , the neglect of those du
ties in any one county, would' at once phia
lize every movement ; and enjoining the
performance of a public duty at the peril
of private responsibility, is . but following
be dependent upon 'their salaries, solely,
for the ! actual means of subsistence, and
tlirit any delay in tbg payment of them
might prove ruinous, j j
If however the; wisdom of the Legisla
ture should adopt other ways and means
for decaying the expenses, such as trea-
: t in t i Tit rnraofiii fund, payable out of th
treasury, or setting apart for the same pur
pose, the Bank Stock belonging to the
Public, and its shares in the several navi
gation! companies, some of which, it is un-
' derstood, are about to become productive,
then punctuality would be insured, and the
above suggestions superseded. Which is
respect
ullyj submitted.
JOHN LOUIS TAYLOR.
P.liKOWiNE, x
JOS. CALDWELL,
DUN. CAMERON.
Novi 2
I Moore'si Life of Sheridan
This is one of the most valuable publrcationi
(of its kind) that has issued from iherjji ess for
i a long time. As Mr Sheridau- lived during
the most flourishing period of English, Literal
t ture, and had a close; connection with theia&st
'. -brilliant ereniu.-es of his time, the work con
sequently embraces a rich and highly inter
I esting portioii of literarj history, biograpay
and anecdote.-
Southern Patriot.
EXTRACT.
SHERIDAN. A curious instance of
the indolence and; procrastinating habits f
Sheridanj used to be related by VVoOdfall
as having occurred about this time. ,A
statement of his conduct in the duels with
Capt. Mathews on account of his, SV
elopement with the celebrated Miss Lin
ley, having appeared in one of the Bath
papers so false and calumnious 'as to , re
quire an immediate answer, he called upon
VVoodfttll to request that bis paper might
be the medium of it. But wishing, as he
said, that the public should have the whole
matter fairly before them, he thought . it
right that the offensive statement should
first be inserted, and in a day or two after
be followed by bis 'answer, ;. which would
thus. come with more relevancy and effech
In ompliance with his' wish VVoodfall lost
not a moment in transcribing the calunini
oqs 'article into his columnsnot doubting,
of course that the -; refutation of it Would
be furnished With still greater eagerness.
Day after .day however elapsed, and not
withstanding! . frequent applications on the
one side, and promises on the other, not a
line of the answer was ever sent by Sheridan-
who having expended all bis. activi
ty in assisting the circulation of the poison;
bad not industry enough left to supply the
antidote. ' Throughout his whole ; life, in
deed, he but too consistently acted upon
the principles,' which the first Lord Hol
land used playfully ' to impress upon bis
son, Never; do to-day what you can pos
sibly put off till to-morrow, nor ever do
yourself what yon can get any one else to
do'foryou.'js
Among his habits, it may jiot be unin
teresting to j kodw that his noiirs of com-,
position, as long as he continued to be an
author, were at night, and that be required j
a profiuioo of lights votinw kia; while he f
3d, 1825.
Wrote. .VVine) too, was one of , hfat favor u
a class of good Wine rewards if.'
, There remain among his - papers three
acts of a drama!, without a name, writtea
evidently in haste; and with scarcely any
correction : the subject of which is so wild
and unmanageable, that I stiould not have
hesitated iri referring it to the same early v
date had not the dmfbductnnr irtto one
itv scenes of ' Dry be that tear, be hush-
that sigh,' proved it to have been produ
ced after that pretty song was written."
The chief personages upon whom the
story turns aieia band of outlaws, who, un
der name and disguise of devils, have taken .
up their residence in a gloomy ; wood ad
joining a village, the inhabitants of whiclt
they keep in perpetual alarm by their in
cursions and apparitions. In. the same
wood resides a hermit j . secretly connected v
with this bandjf who keeps secluded within
his cave the beautiful , Heginilla, hid alike
from the light of the sun and the eyes of
men. She has, however, been indulged in
her prison, with the glimpse of a handsome
young huntsman, Whom she believes to bei
a phantom, and is encouraged in her belief
by the hermit,' by whose contrivance tbi4
huntsman (a prince in disguise) has beeni
thus presented to her. ' ;
- Of all Mr. Sheridan's unfinished designs,
the comedy which he meditated on the sub'
I lect of Affectation, is that of which the a-
bandonment is most to be regretted J p
a satirist, who would not confine his ridicule
to the mere outward aemohstration ot this
folly, but would follow and detect it thro'
all its windings and disguise, there could
hardly perhaps be a more fertile theme
Affectation merely of manner, being itself a
sort of acting does not easily admit of any
additional coloring on the stage, without
degenerating into farce j and, accordingly p
fops and fine ladies with very tew excep
tions are about es silly and ; tiresome in
representation as in reality. But the aim
oflhe dramatist, in this comedy, would
have been far more imporjaoi aud exfep
. ''MeY and hoW aiixious ne was to kep be
fore his mind's eyes the whole wide hori
zon of folly Which his subject opened upon
him, will appear from the following list pf
the various species of Affectation which I
have found written by him; exactly as. I
give it, on the inside cover of the memo
randum book that contains the ony re
maiuing vestiges of this play 3
An Affectation of Business ; of Accom
plishments ; of Love and Letters and Wit ;
of Music; of Intrigue; of Sensibility ; of
Vivacity ; of Science; and Importance; of
Modesty ; i f Profligacy ; cf Aioroseness.'
In this projected comedy he does- not
seem to have advanced as tar as even (he
invention of the plot or the com position of
e? single scene. The memorandum-book,
alluded to, on the first leaf of which he had
wriiten m his neatest hand (as if to ncour
age himselfjio bejgiii) .Affect atiott con
tains, besides the names of three of tne in
tended personuges, Sir Babble Bore. Sir
Ferigrine Paradox, and Feign wit, nothing
bulhunembodied'sktchesof character, and
scattered particles of wit, which seem wail
ing, like tkdimpeifrct forms and seeds in
chaos, for thebrooding of genius to nurse
them into syslem' and beauty.
lhe rough sketches' and fragmenls of
poems, which Mr. Sheridan left behind
him are numerous ; but those among them
tnat are sumcieutiy nnrshed -to be cited,
bear the marks of having been, written
when he was very youngs and would riot
much interest the reader; while of Uie rest
it is difficult to find four consecutive Imp.
that have undergone enough of the toilette
ot composition to be presentable in oriAt
it was his usual practice, when he under
took any subject in verse, to write doa '
his thoughts first in a sort of poetical ;
prose, With here and there rhyme or met
ricaritne, as they might occur ; nd then: -afterwards
to reduce, with much labor, ihia ,
anomalous ! compouad. to regular ;. poetry. ;
The birth of his prose being, as we have al- .
ready said, so difficult, it may be imagined .
bow painful was the travail "of his verse,'
Indeed, the number of tasks which he left "
unfinished, aie all many proofs of that
despair of. perfection which those best
qualified toj attain it are always- the most
likely to feel..- 'y .- , . ; ;
His best bon milts are iri the memory of
every one. (' Among those less known, per
haps, is his answer to 'gen, T , relaV
ttye to some difference of opinion between
them on the war in Spain : Well T-
are you still on your highV horse ? u 1 f
was on a horse before, J am upon an le- 1
phant now." No, T- you werepon
an ass before, and . now . you are otoa- a
vVVe sbalj for; the present conclsd Witb
the following letter; addressed to one of his ; ,
StafibrdVlectors.ii'-V-O:. :V -v--r- :.r-- :
- Cavendish square Sunday nisAi,
"DaAnKiwo JoHJif iV:Zf . r V
H" I shall be in Stafford ir the course of
next week, and if your majesty ? does" m it
rew old aiiiance,;X shall never agaia
Mi
mm
ml
Mi:
j
7.1? I
YAM
v
M.I
n i
1
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f :i ri' 'l ' ":' ''L t.- ..
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