One is, the political system being given, what ought the Education to be ? And, how far is it the business of the state to direct, control, and encourage that Education ? A man (under which term we include woman) has two distinct relations or classes of relations towards the state : one comprehends his duties as a citizen, wherein he is or ought to be wholly sub ordinate to the state ; the other compre hends all his functions as a producer and enjoyer of wealth, wherein he has or ought to have all freedom that is not in consistent with the proper discharge of his duties as a citizen. It is barely ne cessary to state this proposition in order to perceive that his Education as a citizen should be directed by the state. To sup pose any other directing power, any power for instance which may educate bins in prineiples opposed to the polity of which he is to form a part, is to suppose an inconsistency which, in discussing any question involving principles, we always intend to avoid.
His Education then as a citizen, it must be admitted, ought to be under the super intendence of the state : but How ought the state to exercise this superintend ence? It is not our purpose to attempt to an swer this question, which involves the consideration of some of the most difficult questions in legislation. It is our object here to present the questions which it belongs to the civilization of the present and future ages to solve ; to show What is to be done, not How it is to be done.
But we may answer the question so far as this : the state having the superintend ence of the citizen's Education, must have the superintendence of those who direct that Education ; in other words, must di rect those who are to carry its purposes into effect. The body of teachers therefore must be formed by, or, at least, must be under the superintendence of the state. Unless this fundamental truth is admitted and acted on, the state cannot effectually direct or superintend the Education of its citizens.
Every branch of this inquiry into Edu cation runs out into other branches almost innumerable, till we find that the solu tion of this important question involves the solution of the greater part of those questions which occupy or ought to oc cupy a legislative body. For this reason, as above stated, we cannot attempt to answer in its full extent, How the state must direct the Education of its citizens, because this question involves the consi deration of How far the direction and control of the state should be a matter of positive law imperative on all, how far and with respect to what particular mat ters it should encourage and give facili ties only, how far it should act by penal ties or punishment, how far it should allow individuals or associations of indivi duals to teach or direct teaching accord ing to their own will and judgment, or, to express the last question in other words, whether and to what extent the state should allow competition in Educa tion ? To these questions, and more especially to the last, the answer is in general terms, that the general interest, considered in all its bearings, must determine what and how much the state must do. This an
swer may be said to determine nothing. It is true it determines no particular thing, but it determines the principle by which all particular measures must be tested ; and it would not be difficult to select instances from our own legislation, where enactments relating to places of education have been made with a view to particular interests only, without a re ference to all the bearings of the question, and which, consequently, if tried by the test above given, would be found to be mischievous. As to the last question, the answer more particularly is,—that indi vidual competition must not be destroyed. It is possible to reconcile the two prin ciples of state direction and control and individual competition. The state may allow no person to teach without being examined and registered : such regis ter will show if he has been trained under the superintendence of the state or not. This fact being established, it may be left to individuals or associations of individuals to employ what teachers they please. In all the schools founded by the state, in all schools under the superin tendence of the state (to which latter class belong nearly all charitable foundations; and all such foundations which are not under the superintendence of the state ought, consistently with the general prin ciples already laid down, to be brought under that superintendence), it follows as a matter of course that none but teachers trained under the superintendence of the state should be appointed. The selection of the teachers, out of the whole authorized body, for any particular school of the class just described, may be safely left to the local authorities who have the immediate superintendence of these schools.
If the principle that a state ought to exercise a superintendence over the Edu cation of its citizens as citizens be admit ted, it may be asked, how far and to what branches of knowledge does this extend ? To this we reply that a precise answer can only be given by the legislature of each country, and the question cannot be answered without many years of la bour and perhaps without many experi ments. But it follows from the principles already laid down that no citizen ought to exercise any function of government, or be intrusted with the exercise of any power delegated by the state, without having received some we cannot here say) Education under the superin tendence and direction of the state.