Newspapers / The Weekly Raleigh Register … / Sept. 3, 1804, edition 1 / Page 1
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Vol. V. Froithe.NtiUteUiScncer. .fT iit!tr4 : OF THE .Letter Secm&t The great objects of state le gislauon are, , 1 . i; Education. J - -1 2. Internal irorirovemeTits. and the i , - 4. Punishment of crimes. On the manner in which these objects are accomplished moist e ventjiajly depend our liberties, our personal happiness, .and the wealth and respectability of the commu nity, j r It is to awaken the attention of the legislatures of th severafstates Ho the accomplishment of those ob jects that I have undertaken to make this qsldresg. , 4 1. On the subject of Educa- Ticy, little can be jsaid which has no been said aeady. There is not,' there cannot, fee a Assenting voice on its 'importance. ;It would seem to be sufficient to shew, what no rnaii has denied, that a free state cannot exist without the wide diffu sion of knowledge which can alone flow from- education, 1 to awaken every mind to its magnitude. Knowledge "i says General Washington in one of his earliest' official addresses' to Congress, " is in every country tbje surest basis of public happiness. In one, m which the measures of 'government re ceive then, impression soimmediate ly from the te -.se of the community as in ours, it is prfportionabIy es sential. Tothesecuritypf a free con stitution it contributes in various waysbyconvincingithoyqWho areen trusted vAthtKe public administra tioijj that every valuable .end of government is best answered by the enlightened confidence of the peo ple: And by teaching the people themselves to know, and to value their own rights ; to discern and to provide against invasions of them ; to distinguish between oppression and the necessary exercise of lavT fill authority ; between j burthens proceeding from; a disregard to their convenience, and those re sulting from the inevitable exigen cies of society ; to discriminate the spirit of liberty from that of licen tiousness, cherishing the first,- a voiding the last, and uniting a spee dy, but temperate vigilance against encroachments, With an. inviolable respect for 'the lajtvs." . . That governments directly rising on principles calculated to ensure the preservation; of equal rights should be indifferent to such a vast object can Only jfihd a solution in the complicated! machinery of hu man, actions. Vhen too are ad ded the inducements growing out of personal convenience, and eco nomy, cur surprise naturally rises In exploring the causes of this indifference we jbhall probably dis cover -the most efficient means of, overcoming it. , 'f'hey are principally found in the erroneous impression that a gene ral system of education, under;the f i ... direction of thej public, involves a great and unnecessary expence ; and in the want jof individuals dis posed, with becoming zeal, to de vote their minds to devising suita ble plans, and parrying them into execution. j That a greater expence is incur red under a general system of edu cation, than that! at present incurred is not true. This will abundantly appear from a view of the great pumber of shoois at present in ex istence, from thje little time which is too often devoted by the teacher to instruction, by the small num ber of pupils, from the imperfect style of their education, h from the excessive expence in many casesin curred by individuals in theeducati- of their children When all these rcumstances are taken into con aeration, it will bt found not un safe to affirm that more money is at present laid out on the education of youth, imperfect and limited as Bfiat education is, than would be 'sufficient to provide for the esta blishment of a general system, so comprehensive as to embrace every child in the county. But there are other additional sources of expence which r though not usuajjy jrqgardeci m examining this subject, merit the first place in qur reflections. In a country where labor is at all times convertible into money, it is a great expence unnecessarily to consume time. The time at pre sent taken up, owing to the unskil fulness of instructors, is generally twice .as much as is necessary. When, therefore, the child has attained that age, that gives a value to his services the whole of this value is so far destroyed as his time shall be uselessly consumed. Let the cultivators of the soil, those who are the most reluctant to come into a general system of instructs n, seriously weigh this consideration, andthcy will not fail to perceive how deeply, even on the score of gain, they are interested in its ac complishment. The distance at which common schools as well as respectable semi naries of learning are placed, from those who send . their children to them, are1 sources of great, of al most incalculable expence ; so great as frequently to impoverish those whose enlarged minds induce them to give their children the advantage derived from them. Hence the unfortunate state of things which virtually disqualifies the poor and even men in moderate circum stances, from properly educating their offspring ; whereby. the ad vantages of education are monopo lized by the rich. And hence the long train of political evils that threaten the subversion of all go vernments indissoluble connected with the enjoyment of equal rights, oyly to be maintained by a wide diffusion of knowledge. Letus, in order to test the accu racy of this statement, enquire into the probable expence of a svstcm of educaiion that should embrace all the male children at present within the United States between the ages of ten and sixteen. The number of children between these two ages is takcn,because it consti tutes a class in the last Census, and because it is considered that a gtod system of education, conducted du ring that period, would be adequate to giving all the necessary elemen tary knowledge. The number of (-male children between 10 and 10 years old in the United States, at the taking of the census, appears to have been about 340,000. A well qualified preceptor, with the assis tance of a young man between the age of 18 and 21, could easily teach reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography, to three classes, each consisting of thirty pupils. Such apreceptor and assistantmight be got tor a salary of 550 dollars. Add fifty dollars for the reut of a school room ; making all together six hundred dollars The educa tion of 340,000 youth would require 3,771 shools, the establishment of which, being computed at GOO dol lars each, would cost in the aggre gate, 3,245,200 dollars. 'J 'his sum sounds large ; but on compa ring it with the magnitude of the object, and with our numbers, it, at once, appears, very moderate. If it should be raised by a poll tax it would not exact from each per son in the United States more than fifty cents ; and if assessed on property would not impose a bur- tnen ot more than thirty cents on a hundred dollars. Families would pay on an average four dollars a year; , There is one view of this subject, evincive of the lightness of this im position, which must be conclusive with all men of sound judgments. Such are bur habits tnat we pay from choice on single imported ar ticles of consumption sums as great or greater than would be required fopr th attainment of thia irripoi- tant object.. O&ci&fo tre pay above four miUir'ot dollars which -is double the estimated expence of educa tion. ... On Sugars aoove four millions, also double. On- lilncs about two millions and a half. Here then are three- arti cles of consumption, two of which are absolute luxuries, and the other not a necessary of life, for which individually we pay without a mur- ; mur, more than would be enough : to educate all our children, and for which, in the aggregate, we pay five times as much. And will any rational being say that the gratifica tion of anitmd. appetite can be put in competition with the education of a whoie-rmtion ? It is not then becaitse the esta blishment of a system of genera! education would impose intolerable burthens upon the ptophj that it as not been yet adopted. No. It is because, no man has hitherto taken the pains tq investigate the subject, to analyse it, to lay it before the people in theplain and popular as pects of which it is susceptible. Occupied almost exclusively with party considerations, our great men have not condescended to exert their powers on subjects so unim portant as the diffusion of know ledge, though of -all the instruments of individual happiness and true national glory, it is the mightiest I Much may be said, in apology for this apathy. During our revolu tion all was action. Then indeed, it wltTUlie" duty of the patriot to concentrate every tom of resource into exertion. The triumph of our political principles depended upon the strength of our arms. Since the revolution, We have had much external, and not a little in- temal danger, to guard against. Let us then drop the curtain upon the feeble efforts which have here tofore been manifested on the sub ject of education 1 Overlooking the past, let the present and the fu ture command ftur whole attention. NOW is the TfME for doing that which dutv commands. Ad dressed tov the people, these re marks are feeble. However disin terested or philanthropic the views of the writer, thev are not sup ported bv that weight of character, or surrounded with that lustre which he, whose talents and vir tues unite the affections of the na tion, stamps upon whatever he suggests. To such men then I address my self. Does the zeal, you have heretofore so conspicuously exhibi ted for the welfare of your country still glow in your breasts? Does that country in proportion as it rises to importance, animate and invigorate ydur attachment ? Do you feel a more tender love for itv from many of its best blessings Ow ing their origin to your labours and sacrifices? By all these proud feelings I conjure Tou to seize the auspicious moment for accom plishing that great work, which by educatmg the whole nation, by e qualising and diffusing1 knowledge, shall give the stamp of immortality to your labours. All great men are ambitious Be yours the am bition of doing that good whose ef fects shall be imperishable ! Sav not the people are prejudiced, and the plan will be. Unpopular t If they were prejudiced, it would be your peculiar duty to enlighten them, and banish their prejudices. B ut t h ey are not prej iidice d ! T h ey are sufficiently liberal to appreciate the, value of knowledge.. Give them but the means, and they will bestow its blessings on their chil dren 1 They are a rich mine, fraught with precious ore heneath' ths surface, however rugged to the eye Dig deep and you will find it. Give them an object worthy of dieir liberality, and you will not be jroubJed with their prejudices. Does the expenditure of ten annual millions, to support the credit and defend the interests of the country, and of many more . millions on its i nterior concerns, excite theirpre judicei . WiUacn thc4iture f a sum infinitely smaller, on an object equally great, fail to gain cheir approbation ? v American Cotton Saleable in China. In 1794, Mr. Jay made a treaty with England, in which lie very imprudently stipulated that Cotton ,hou!d not be exported from the United States for 10 years. It is no justification to the negociator, whether he knew that cotton was produced in this country or not. His ignorance, in this particular, ij ..utL. ci,;.M u irnm i I J ' . tin'ill I If IL 11 lllllll 1I1L11 AM. wm it A man invested with minis- j sure. cerial or diplomatic powers, is pre sumed at least to be well acquain ted with the subjects on which he is to negociate, and if he sacrifices the important interests of hisnation, lays himself open to the justreproof which weakness oi folly deserves when exhibited in a, great public character. The wisdom of Con gress, or rather the just policy of the southern senators, (for it is un derstood that some of the northern members had other and perhaps less liberal views) saved us from the disgrace of. accepting the inju rious stipulations or the 12Th arti cle, and the exportation of cotton, sugar and coffee has been most ad yaritagepusly continued. Had the contrary conduct-been pursued, the best branch of oix carrying trade j would have been.lpst, and incalcul able mischief must haveresulted. Since that period the southern! states have turned their attention ' to raising cotton, & it already forms the largest and most valuable arti cle in our list of exports; and is des tined to ericrea'se in a few vears to double 5 is present quantity- -v j ' For the year ending the 1st of j October, 1802, there was 2 f, 501,075 pounds of cotton ex ported f rom the United States, and ! in 1 803 for the year again, ending on the 1st. of October no lesi a quantity than 41,405623 pounds j making an increase of 13,734,548 j pounds. i n the last year, which is j equal to 50 per. cent, on the quan tity stmt out of the country in the former year.' Great Britain con sumes thegreater part of the whole quarxity exported, and it iriay.be presumed she will always require large supplies, hut her merchants and manufacturers have it in their ; power almost to fix the price of what they purchase -from an idea that they are the principal consu mers, that .there is little or no de mand on the continent of Europe, and that no other great market can be found. They are suppCsed tO have combined to depreciate its value, ?nd it has been reduced be low its prime cost in the United States,without reckoningthe charge of freight br insurance. And if ! these were not the causes of its de preciation in England, it might be expected that large shipments of the same article being made to two or three capital potts hi the same country, the prices would necessa rily be much lessened and advanta ges woutd be taken by, the puncha sers of that circumstance alone, disconnected from every other. Ev ery person the least acquaan ten with. commercial atfairs, must know that the merchants generally seize with avidity the least circum stance which will serve to benefit their particular interests, and nei ther those of Great Britain, France or Holland have ever yet been con sidered as deficient of that know ledge in the commercial art, the complete want of which has often exposed our own to their impost- tions, makine them m same install ces the ' eatest "sufferers y theit placing unbounded confidence- ziv E'lir cpepn rPrfce CuYtwU and state-j rnents of rhartetsi purposely made; out to de ceive the , unwary and ' ttii- suspecting indiViuaL M1$&vpty of cotton could he iiu'pfibrtedinjln land, the exportation of thijittcla ,would rjiateriall ,ttoe.,thfr'o&af: try," while it greatly enriched the planter ; bitt it is feared that the' -quantity being augmented to doU bic cr treble its "present amount,' combined with the causes above rei ferred to, and others' whrcri fnight be named, the value of itrny bk much reduced. But if the Euro pean market could be relieved of a part of the quantity j and if a j market could be procured for the surplus on reasonable, terms tnough ma distant country, it is conceived important advantages : . 1-1 1. I li . wuu,u rcsU4t lu me pxanicr m fii st instance, and rembtelv to the whoIe community, especially to the ' snipping interests oi trie miaoic and eastern states; " . It is well known thai cdttdn liai been for a long time past, sent'froxrk Bombay to China, where it is. ma- j nufactured in immense quantities. ! Inlate years it has been shipped frora Bengal to Canton, land it is. pro? bable that English policy will en deavour to extend the com mere ei The Chinese find it more for their interest to pay for cotton of a fb reign growth than to devote theif lands to, its cultivation, &the;expe rience of the last fifteen or twenty? years has confirmed them in piirsU ing a practice to which it is said they r were once compelled to resort, fromj the dreadful effectsof a farninC; -which happpened among them in consequp.nce of neglect in rabing a regular supply of rice so neces sary aa article of food in all parts of the East. In che Ca'tcrimarkeJt,it,i3 pteay med, we niay find aeadv: Sale, for fall that portion of our cotton which Lngland does not want. -The qua- .: lity called upkmdcOttori is supjao sed to be superior to the best fromt Bombay or Surau In time of war the Indian cottort cannot be sold in China much under eighteen or twen ty cents per pound, as it is then subject to a L:gh freight and insu rance, when shipped ori English, bottoms. As the English, by Mr. Jay's ti-eaty, had secured the ear. riage of cotton from India to China (with all other articles from their settlements, in the direct course to every part of the world, the Uni ted States excepted) this trade has . been almost exclusively in theiy hands, and we have seen our mer chants driven to the necessity of exporting hard money as the onlv means thrOugh which" die "UriitecT .States coufd be supplied with nan Aeens and teas, which are nOw n j generally used bp the people of this, country wnite tne xliglish pay for . theirs chiefly in cottd- rrtun" 6p- articies trom Ind hic aaministra factures from E , England sends mfT: tfch rstytar of the-nnuat eLn. mt nnaai netatraiolf Bayards has just quantity IS krtat into my" bands the menace considerable vrote h,m pir. wrrs onlv feW1 sfy and protection. their China 'of no mean ser. Sir, Sir Eard HS iNew-York, and iVhat he shall be permit- awav nearly a mi" 'sentatives of govern- th e greater part of wi 'vr serv.ee. one fact rel!ffycSnuT'-whor f rWandfoi'the purpose of open .Worthy of bvmerely to; seil the r car Joes, imwiuriu promiseweil as these, of lieu of the sixth, and for' tbe right of val of the seventh article otrsoes' and of American property, the prot ofpur ings ori which in London had bt!?iVltiu--suspended. Cbttoti ,0f the secoridTr or inferior liality in the sodthem This it is presumed fcust be an ferror -certainly if true it must be o very lte years' for a very few years ago, cotton wa impo? ' ted mto Bengal from the Malaba co$t Cotton has been already exported frwri thei United States t6 CEina with profit I it
The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 3, 1804, edition 1
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