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feeling had worn away from experience. He had been
acting as school commissioner for his county, and" knew of
what he spoke. The cause of education had greatly flour-
ished, the number of scholars had largely increased, the
schoolhouses were better. He had been compelled to form
several schools out of one to accommodate the increasing
pupils. There had been a great deal said of the expenses
of this system, but a more economical and efficient sys-
tem than that now prevailing in Maryland did not exist
in any of the States. He was not willing to condemn a
thing because of its source, and believed that good could
come out of Nazareth. The system of Baltimore had
been exalted to the skies and the system of the State had
been deprecated correspondingly, and he would ask what
was the difference? The State system was based almost
entirely on the system of Baltimore, and if it was good
for Baltimore, why not for the State? He did not say it
for the purpose of intimidation, but he knew if this sys-
tem was destroyed as was proposed, a great number of
votes would be lost to the constitution. Many citizens
of Worcester county had gone to the polls and voted
against calling this Convention because they were fearful
that the school system would be interfered with.
Mr. McMaster then entered into an explanation of the
local workings of the system, and maintained that it was
both efficient and economical.
Mr. Brown argued that this was the most important
subject for the consideration of the Convention, and he
felt compelled to say a few words for the children of
Maryland, whose best interests were now in peril. He
should not address himself to the present system, which
had been so furiously assailed by the gentleman from
Anne Arundel and others. That was not to be consid-
ered—it was killed by the report of the committee on
education. The committee report to abolish the present
system and provide no other to take its place, and he was
glad that he had no share in this great responsibility. He
had a proposition, which he should offer at the proper
time, to continue the system until the establishment of
another. The effect of the gentleman's (Mr. Kilbourn)
proposition would be to close every public school in the
State of Maryland, and throw out, say one thousand
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