From a comparison with no one of the eight American and European states that I have mentioned, can Virginia find, in what she has done towards enlightening her people, the slightest warrant for that pre-eminent self-esteem, which, in some other respects, she is so well entitled to indulge. Except England, she is far behind them all: and even England (if her Societies for diffusing knowledge have not already placed her before us) is now preparing, by wise and beneficent legislation, to lead away with the rest. Let me not be deemed unfilial or irreverent, if I expose, somewhat freely, the deficiencies of our venerable commonwealth in this one particular. It is done in a dutiful spirit, with a view purely to their amendment: and may not children, in such a spirit and with such a view, commune frankly with one another? A great and obvious difference between our primary school system, and the _common_-school systems of the northern states, is, that _they_ take in ALL children: while we aim to instruct only the children of the _poor; literary paupers_. We thus at once create two causes of failure: first, _the slight value which men set upon what costs them nothing_, as was evinced in the case of Connecticut; second, _the mortification to pride_ (an honest though mistaken pride,) in being singled out as an object of charity.[6] As if these fatal errors had not sufficiently ensured the impotence of the scheme, the schools themselves are the least efficient that could be devised. Instead of teachers retained expressly for the purpose,--selected, after strict examination into their capacities, and vigilantly superintended afterwards, by competent judges--the poor children are _entered_ by the neighboring commissioner (often himself entirely unqualified either to teach or to direct teaching,) in the private school which chance, or the teacher's unfitness for any other employment, combined always with cheapness of price, may have already established nearest at hand. There, the little _protegé_ of the commonwealth is thrown amongst pupils, whose parents pay for them and give some heed to their progress; and having no friend to see that he is properly instructed--mortified by the humiliating name of _poor scholar_--neglected by the teacher--and not rigorously urged to school by any one--he learns nothing, slackens his attendance, and soon quits the temple of science in rooted disgust.