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E. MERTON COULTER == TIE ATffllgS DAILY BANNER. 5* vol. in. ■ f'-- - - ATHENS. GEO! THURSDA? MORNING. NOVEMBER 24,1881. NO- 9 HU PAPER TO-MORROW. The Banner ' force will obtorre thanksgiving day and there will be no paper issued to-morrow morning, FREE thrum. (From the Cbriotlsn Index.) In the Christian Index of October 14th, appears a communication sign* ad “9. Landrum,” in which the recent action of the legislature, in making tuition fees at the state University, is criticised and condemned. As a member ot that body, wbo voted for the bill upon its passage, I ask leave to make a short comment; through your columns, upon that^pmmunica. tion. ' ■ Dr. Lnndrum, the author of tha rrtioie referred to, is a i -dative ot m-ne, and I allude to this purely per. eonal fact in order that you, and oth ers wbo may read this letter, may understand that I have no quarrel with him, and that any allusions that may bs made to hiui having the ap. pearance of severity, are made ‘mors iu sorrow than in anger.’ fin the communication I refer to, be declares that one of the reasons why there is not a large increase ot students at Meroer University is, ‘the mistaken policy of the legislature in making ths state University a tree school so far as tuition is oouoerned.’ He then proceeds to state three rea sons why he styles this action of the legislature a 'mistaken polio)’—they are the following: 1. 'Because it degrades University education, making it too cheap and common tor proper appreciation.’ 2. ‘Because it is wrong in princi* pie and damaging in practice.’ 3. -Because, in the opinion of lc> gal gentlemen who were members of the Inst Constitutional Convention, it is unconstitutional.’ For convenience, let us examine briefly lhe-e three reasons in tho in verse order ol their statement. Perhaps the Constitution itself is tlie highest and best evidence of what its provisions are upon tho subject, as well as ail others. If Dr. Landrum will take the trouble to turn to Arti cle 8, Section 6, Paragraph 1, of the present Constitution, he will find the lollowiug words: "In addition to the payment of the annual interest on tho debt due by the stale to the Univer sity, the General Assembly may- front time to time—moke such dona tions thereto as the condition of tho Treasury will authorite.’ How could those 'legal go’nllcmcn, who were members of the last Con stitutional Convention,’ have forgot ten the above provision when they expressed such an opinion us he has ascribed to them ? Surely the Doc tor must be mistaken; ho must have been dreaming. Could any lawyer who was a member of that body bo ignorant ot so important a feature? It would be difficult to find a lawyer in Georgia, whether ho was in the Con vention or not, who did not know better. Some hag was doubtless im. posed upon our Iriend, the Doctor, with tins ridiculous canard. I pass to bis second reason. If the doctrine contained in this somewhat loose and general remark, that free tuition is 'wrong in principle and damaging in practice,’ is a correct one, the civilized world is certainly going backward. If that declaration had been made by a Spanish or Italian monk of the sixteenth century, it would have been iu keeping with him, his surroundings, and bis purposes; but, coming from a Baptist minister of the nineteenth century—aud an educated man at that—it is astonish, ing I For one, I would not have be lieved that tho gentleman whose name is aigned to that communication had aver written tuch a statement, but for ‘ll a sensible and tins avouch of nty o« n eyas.’ IV hen we ttop a m uncut and think how much talent, much money how much Ml, how muoh time end eloquence and labor are now being employed among all oivilized people in devising ways and meana tor making education free; when we see Governments and indi viduals, and municipalities, each hi in own sphere struggling to do this very thing, and esteemiug it a crown ing triumph when they succeed, euob an utterance at tbie of Dr, Landrum’* founds tike a protest agsinit the civi lization of the age in which re live. It ie a common occurrence for wealthy citizens ot benevolent impul ses to endow professorships and found ■cholarshipa in institutions ot learning so as to make tuition free. ’Whenever they do, their names are heralded ae benefactors of their raoe, and ao they are. More than that, among thought ful people it ia beginning robe looked upon as the test and ttteaatm of the intelligence and enlightenment ofa na tion when its Government makes pro vision for the free education of the people. Wheuever a city establishes a system of tree schools,for a state or a county, it is considered a step for ward, and there is lio fact in its his tory to which it points with more geuuino pride, and nothin}; which re turns such an abundant, harvest of good results In the town of Lexington, in the county of Oglethorpe, is Meson Academy. Its founder, a Mr. Meson, many yeais ago bequeathed to Trus tees, in his will, a considerable amount of property for tho purpose of found ing this school and aiding, to that ex tent, tho oausa ot free educatiou. He lies buried in the school yard, and a slab of marble commemorates lus vir tues in an upilnph, and chief among them all stands credited to him the endowment ol the Academy. No ninn can tel! the amount of good this school has dune. It is true he did nut give enough to make tuition entirely free, bnl it was a long step in that direc tion. Hundreds ot youth have been educated there. Some of the first men of Georgia, ami Bonn ol the oilier stales, were partly educated there. It is still iu operation, doing its benefi cent work. It the long roll ot the youth who have drunk at this ancient and venerable fountain of learning were called,among other names would he found that ofBylvanus Landrum. Did he find it ‘damaging in practice’ then? I am awaro that tuition was not entirely free at Meson Academy, bui education was cheapened there by the endowment and the difference ia in degree, and notin kind. It will be a difficult task to persuade those whose pleasure it has been to listen to the eloquent accents that lull from Dr. Landrum’s lips in the pulpit, that it lias had a ‘damaging’ effect upon him. Let us now proceed to exxmino his remaining objection. It is tho stran gest of tho three. He says free tui tion ‘degrades University education, making it too cheap aud common for proper appreciation.’ Iu other words a poor buy, who is not able to pay for a University educatiou, shill not have it—that is about the English ol it. If ytfU arc rich, and can pay your way through the University, you shall be a scholar, if you are poor, and have no means, you shall remain ignorant. What dues lie mean when lie says making it cheap and common de grades it? It ought to be free and universal, much leas cheap and com mon. Th« Reverend Doctor has ros ally lost his moorings I tako Icavo here and now to say to hint that there is not a poor boy ia Georgia who is not good enough for a University ed ucation who has mind enough to re ceive it. When education stoops and enters the hovel of the poor and takes by the hand some bright-eyed boy of ready mind, it then assumes its most angelic form. Ha who can succeed in.tniking University education cheap Extraordinary Attractions! IN THE FOLLOWING LINES OF GOODS AT M. MYERS & CO. Teaxoy Sxjss Goods and Elegant and Appropriate Trimmings* AND BUTTONS. DOLMANS AND CLOAKIS'. The hand»ft:ner*anUnwt oonplets L*ne of^JAPAIfKSB L IQTJEVftn WARS and FANCY CHINA. Also a unit oomp'.ete stock of SHOES, CLOTHING AND FURNISHING GOODS. Thuio good* willbo a "Ad At at L<)WJ\ P UCR t*s they cim bs boijat in ftiorgir, and) we onW i% mil tnvoMy our war U. Rajpoot fully M. MYERS dfe OO. octl OijLK3tt Av’BVJ $, A rH v «N$,(IE‘>RttIA. and common, wid be entitled to be numbered amonrf, the benefactor* of the state and generation. ‘Too cheap and common.’ ; It caunot be too cheap, it cannot be too common. If t traveler,, twenty years from how, could traverse the whole state of Georgia, and net find a single youth to whom tie blessings of a university education were denied on account of his poverty, ho would find a statu in tho very from rank ortho whole civilised world. Doe* Dr.* Landrum believe that a University education ought to be ex pensive and exclusive ? Does he wish to draw a line. *Ud if so, where will he draw it ? Who ia he willing to see educated at the Universities in Geor gia ? Ia it only those who are able to pay ? Would he have tha legislature say, to the poor boys ot Georgia, that tho higher branches shall uot be taught them unless they are able to pay ? If he means to » iy that it will degrade education to bring it within the reach of the poor, or to make it so cheap and so common that the poorest can enjoy it, il that will degrade it, then I say let it ho degraded. The sooner the better. The legislature did not so think. They felt that they were not only con* ferring a substantial benefit upon those who were not able to help themselves, and deserved to be helped, but they believed that the cause of Uunivemi- ty education was dignified and enno* bled when it was ma le free to all, even the humblest. Hut, in a subsequent part of Dr. Landrum’s letter, we find an expres sion which reveals the secret animus ct his altacK upon the legislature. He says ‘this action of the legislature is a damaging blow at Mercer and Emory college*. The Methodists and Baptists of the Stale deserve belter treatment by their legislators.* When the legislature paased this bill, they were not thinking of ‘Mors cer and Emory colleges,’ nor were they thinking of the State University, nor the Baptists nor Methodist*, nor Presbyterian* nor Episcopalians. I will tell you what they were thinking of: they were thinking of their duty to the whole people ot Georgia, with* out regard to sect or religious belief. They were—a majority of them— Methodist* and Baptists, and they were upon an infinitely higher plane than the Doctor seems to bo writing from. Before them was ti>e whole people, they would have scorned the imputation that their aeiioti was con** trolled by any consideration spring* ing out ot the idea that, as legislators, they owed a duty to any particular religious denomination m such. Like a judgo upon the bench, a legislator ii sworn, and he should be blind to the fnct that there are different relig* ious sect* among the people for whom he is to mako laws. To him the Jew and the gentile must stand exactly Continued oa second page. important Announcement, TO THIS CITY AND VICINITY: 81R:—'Tbe~undersigned gcntlem in representing the l:vtc firm of Messrs.* Wilson,tfDanoe & Co., Manchester, Engla-id, are otL-riug t\>r rule to the Inhabitants ot tins country, |a.|large aud varied stock ot Fine Dry Goods 'C0N8I8TIN<*&( NRVAKTtyJ F RICH SILK, MOHAIR ;and other drkss goods. V Paisley, Camel’s Hair, Ottoman, Indian & Osh mere Shawls West of England Broadcloths: Fancy Cassiinores: Scotch, French and English Tweeds Moscow Beaver: Carr’s Meltons, Fine Diagonals. AGENT FOll Tills COUNTRY, iT <3 EX 1ST "W JS. 3L.3X-; S . Lite of tho Eirm of WALLS &Q1YRNK, Importer*. 48 Franklin Street, New York, has en gaged twenty Satwm’ii, win* wilt off r for inspecti-ni andante, portions n| the above goods, and from the lotv price* at which they will Ihj offered, tic feel* confl .lent of a *pcedy clearance. A LARGE QUANTITY OF REMNANTS IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH BROADCLOTHS BEAVERS, Tweedt* Cheviots and Cassimeres. Which belonged to tho Tailoring Department ot the above firm, and which wilt bo fold in tots to private familic* at Considerably! Below Mnnuiaeturer’s.Prices. This is tho greatest opportn ity ever offered to tho ladies to have their own Ulsters made to fit, out of the finest ma terial, which is impossible to have in ready-made goods. ONE PRICE WILL BE CHARGED, i which no abatement will bo made. The above goods can be seen at the store next to) A. lcville.* jewelry storo, on Saturday morning. JOHN WALLS, Cliior Agent, Late of Firm of Messrs. Walls «0 liyrne. Importers, franklin iSt, N% 1\ THE EXCELSIOR STOVE HOUSE. HEADQUARTERS FOll STOVES, RANGES HOT AIR FURNACES, HARD COAL, SELF-FEEDING PARLOR STOVES, MARBLEIZED IRON AND SLATE MANTELS, PLAIN and ENAMELED GRATES A SPECIALTY. t be Bul l, So save PLAIN AND STAMPED TINMVARB, GAS FITTINGS, CHANDELIERS, PEN DANTS. BRACKETS, GLOBES, PLUMBERS ami STkAM FITTkRS SUPPLIES, BATH TUBS, WATkR CLOSkTS, MARBLk SLAB*, STKAM WHISTLES, JKT PUMPS, KUUliKR IIORK, KTC. We have the largest flock and greatest variety of goods, in our line, that has ever bean offered in this city, and all ttought Wore the recent advance, We are hetter prepared to aerv the public generally than wver. Our stock la large and at reaaonable prices, and mu lime and money hy sending your orders or come an I make your purchase* of . HTCTXTXCTT’rT <Ss BELXiUTGF-ATJS, 36 AND 38 PE ACHTREE STREET, - ATLANTA, G V. BS-Aqenla lor Knowles’ Slonin Pumps. Mwufiictnrors of Concrete Sews cr anil Drain Pipe. Galvanized Iron and Tin work a Specialty. oct24 or