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and enlightened, virtuous people, which will secure the regular progress of dis-
covery and invention in every department of life. With such attainments
the people learn their rights, learn how to govern themselves and how to turn
the raw materials of creation to their own benefit -- They are in the way
to reach the highest and purest enjoyment of which our nature is capa
ble. Instead of quarreling with the Creator for making so poor a
world, such as people will arise to the enjoyment of the boundless mu-
nificence spread out every where before the enlightened mind. Here you
see I am accumulating matter for a volume -- I must hasten on --

II. Those states which have made it a part of their public policy to ex-
tend the benefits of education to every member of the community, have been
rewarded with a sucess proportioned to the adaptedness of their system to
the wants of the people. Without attempting to discuss in a letter the relative
merits of different systems of public instruction, I will say a word on the utter
unfitness of our own.

Our public funds are not only inadequate to the wants of the country;
but they are so miserably managed as to become a public nuisance instead of a
blessing. Thousands now depend wholly on the public funds for the educa-
tion of their children, who would do something themselves, if they were
not permitted to learn on this broken [rud?]; and under the present dispensation
the funds are not sufficient to extend any real benefit to those who are who are will-
ing to suffer their children to grow up in ignorance. So they bring relief
to no body, but disappointment and distress to all. In thousands of cases
those who wish to make subscription schools, find themselves disabled by
the withdrawment of those of their neighbors who rely on the insufficient
public funds. I do think the allowance to districts should be guarded by
some such condition as would make it a blessing rather than a curse, if
it be inpracticable to increase the public fund. The leguslature might enact
that the districts should not be permitted to draw from the public funds their
annual quota until the district itself shall have paid into its own treasury
a sum equal to twice the amount of the state allowance. Or if the district
fail to pay into its treasury annually, then it be permitted to draw its
proporation of the public funds with interest once in three or four years.
The sum would then have accumulated to such an amount that the
district might have a good school one year out of three or four; and
this would be infinitely better to have a school of little worth two or
three months each year. It would be well also for the legislature to
erect a sufficient number of competent boards of examination. who
should meet once a year to ascertain the qualifications of applicants,
and under oath to grant certificates only to those found able to teach:
and allow none others to be employed as teachers under the public funds.

At present the funds inadequate as they are, are too generally squandered
on as unworthy a class as would be found in our state -- young men who are
too lazy to work and too indolent either to study themselves or to urge them
to it. As well might the money be distributed as the state award of [laziness?]
withouth the trouble of passing through the useless ceremony of gaing to the