The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1851-02-21
For The Athens Post.
TIE NEXT LEGISLATURE-CANDl
DATES.

The time Of the biennial election Of our
Sra'c niiiccrs il fust approaching; and ac'
rordinr to custom. and the Iaudabc nmhl-
ion Of mnny Of our worthy and patriotic
c,izcns, scores Of candidates nrr genrrou.'
" Offering to sacrifice their time. their 'r'
hor, and their money for the magnnnImon>
purpose Of promoting the public good. In
mixing n choice of n representative, from
from this host Of nnhl, hearted ph'an'hro-
p-'s. it is rot only the privilege. bu, the
imperative du,y q, the voters, to scrntinZ"
rigdly the ability in political science" ms
! well NJ he moral character rs citizen nud
n mar, Of the individual who uii'rs himself
nS Representatives Of oGr numerous nnd
various interests IN the councils Of tho Sin'r.
Among the SUBJECTS whDc'' will profanity
Hgi'a,r the next Lagi>Ia'urc is iE'n' Of h'n'
cnron--'hn rr-modciIlrg and Amending oi
the Common School system; aud perhaps the
subject Of the alteration Of the CONSTITUTION
50 rs TO give the election Of Ju 'g"s and
Attorneys General 20 the pcnplr. The n
men,!ment ut onr Svs'"'n "i Common Srho -
is subject Of no ordinary imprrtancr. in
volvInr - it does the cultivation of the tai
ent of the rising generation, ana th"r'wrh
the pornanpncr and prosperity ot our InS'I
iutlpns, civil ani religious. The men VINO
4 e. tn "a II.
IN ion ourh', Of course, to b. men IT s"hc
at,ainm"n's in science, aud Who i'F' an
interest in the promotion Of learning,
and who have n sutiicicncy Of jndg'
mcn' to direct their PXcrllons IN the cause,
to its promotion instead Of ia ininry.
4, examr'c Uf the want Of the exercise ut
tbs ludymcn,, is furnished in one of the
provisions of Bill which was under c"n-
sI,icrntinn during the last session OF th"
f.eui.in,,tr, md which in other respects
may have been n very good one. Tins pros
yisicn is that no applicant shall be emp'oy-
ed as q teacher o! common school who IS
not colape,ent TO teach spelling, reading.
wr;tirc., and arithmetic ns far ns the rule "'
three! Tho sandnrd uf competency OF
,oer,ors ne ivn hy This Bin shows une ut
two things most conc'u>ive'y. that its an
thor was drplUrab'y 'Enoran, OF til" most
im1or,ant sciences Of literature, or that le
had not been n close observer of paSsI"g
events. and therefore did not understand the
nature Of the evil he vas endcavoring to
remedy. He was behind the ngr IN which
ho lived, some fifty or one hundred years.
II this bill had passed, the good it was DE-
signed to do, and probsby was qualified in
other respects to do, would have been al
mos, entirely neu rallied by this one injn,
Jcious p-ovision-placjng The standard OF
Teachers 100 low. And while Oh this p0in'
| will in,l remark, that br'"re the common
schpt system will prosper, before an Iin-
pctus can b, given to It TINT will move /.
nu, Of its present stale Of almost useless
ness, the standard # the TnaIitca of
Tea chrrs mus. be raised, ond as a n cessa-
ry consequence, their wages must be raised.
The policy now adopted IN many places at
employing cheap teachers Is one OF most
ruinous tendency; and the idea that any
man who il merely better scholar than
any Of his pupils, IS every way qna'iled 4"
,ench them, is onr which, if pracllced, VIII
keep the grade of education always just
where i, finds it, by cutting III all opporlu-
nily for the young TO become better scholars
than their first schoclmns,crs. The fact is
plain 20 all rejecting minds that all lndr.
yidlal who has merely gone over the rudl.
mrn,s or frs, principles Of science, i
not sn well calculated to teach that scl'nce,
even rs lar as he has studied It. Us person
who has studied The same science thorough. !
"; trocng it in oil its dl!leren, bearings
and observing all its different rcla'l"ns.-
Fer instance, one who has merely clpherrd
10 the Single Rule of.Ihree" is not 80
well Gunlilicd TO teach Arithmetic, even thai
far. a. IN individual who has gone through
the Science; nor is the person who has only
gone through Arithmetic, as capable Of
ieach.n NJ ns one who has studied an entire
course of Mathematics. These few hasty
will perhaps give an idea of
(whn, conslder) the injury of placing the
STANDARD of competency Of teachers too low.
But | commenced 10 talk ahou, the elcc>
ton of Legislators. We are too apt, il
making our choice for legislators. to BE- in.
f,uenred to vote for an lndrvIdnal from di'-
farept motives from those which should rule
our voies; considerations of nrrely per.
son,I or private nature ton often decide our
choice: we sometimes vote for an individual
ia, office bocamse he is our friend. or our
FRIEND. freud. knowing al the same tim"
that he is wholly incompetent {" discharge
the duties rf that office, either with honor
to himself or prof, to his constituents: n"
one presume will pretend that this Is act
inc from correct moiives-tho>e which
should govern an individual whose action
n fleets NJ, only hIs own interest, but that OF
the whule community nnd of po>t"rity.-
Agnin, we sometimes vote for particular
en- an,iidaie for office brcau-e he has. at some