The Yazoo Democrat., 1852-08-18

BENToN, AUGUST 9th, 1852.

tuttentlCn
generally, to the subject Of Common Schools
This primary department of learning, althougl
it has from time TO time, occupied the attention
of legislators and statesmen, and though it ha
been greatly fostered and encouraged by dona
tions in the form of lands and grants from tht
State treasury, is very far from having arrived .
that State of perfection and degree of useful
ness which its importance demands Those
schools, where the youthful mind receives the
| first elements of education where the genius oil
thought the seeds of mental growth and devel-
opment are first sown, should, more than all
others, be conducted in accordance with the
strictest principles of philosophy and sound
discretion. The importance OF these institu-
tions Is greatly enhanced, when We reflect that a
large majority of all the youths educated in the
country are not permitted to go beyond the pale
of the common school. Hele the minds Of all
take their shape and course, and here are accom-
plished the educations OF more than ninety-nine
hundredths Of the great mass of the people of
these United States. 1t is principle in Archi-
lecture, that unless the foundation be good, un-
less it stand fixed and immoyeable, the edifice
viii be toering. and ere long it will fall by its
own gravity; SO it is with the intellectual edi
fee. Unless our primary schools, which are the
foundation, whose superstructure are higher de
partments of learning, we say, unless these
schools are planned in wisdom and conducted
by sound discretion, how can we expect that the
College. the Seminary, the University viii
long retain that commanding position in the
scale of education which was originally assign
ed them? They cannot. They will degenerate,
and just in proportion to their deGenerdcy, will
the scale of education be lowered. Among the
Romans scientia erat poteslds, and the higher the
degree of knowledge, the more powerful the ma
tion. This is no less true of the present time
The more richly the principles of science are dis
seminated among the people, the father they are
instructed in the moral, mental, and physical
world, the more powerful, prosperous and happy
they will be.
Ii is not the intention of the undersigned TO
write an essay on benefits of general diffusion OF
l..ing or to attempt any radical change in the
manner Of conducting our common schools, bat
simply to bring into a closer connection, the
relations between parents, wardenS and those - |
whom they entrust the education of their chill
dren. We mean the teacher. 1t is a notorious
fact, that in many of the schools taught through
out the country, from the day on which the
teacher commences his school, to the day of its |
ending, not one half of his employees ever come
out to the school house at all. They are as igno
rant of what is going on at the school house
Except through the hearsay of their children) as
they are with the customs and manners of the
people of the moon; and 1t is equally true, that
many of these schools close without an exami
nation. No opportunity is given by the teach
none encouraged by the parents, and none en-
ioyed by The student of exhibiting to the world.
either his talents or his advancement. One uni |
form, monotonus, mind sitting, supplying |
principle of action prevails, and the consequence
is, that at the end of the school, the parties are
little in advance of the starting point, with this
difference at the end, the teacher must hunt him
new school, the parents complain, and the stu
dents pour a torrent of epithets on the poor
teacher, and thus, i" the last state of that school
is worst than the first" In short time anoth-
er teacher comes along in quest of school,
He finds this vacancy and Immediately applies
for it. lie hears all the blunlers and vices oil
his predecessor. and after being mortified with
his still lingering ghost, a few are subscribed,
few more promised, and few say they will
wait and see how the matter goes, and then per
haps they will send and pay for aehat time they
send. Thus with cold show on both sides a
new school begins. But on the first day of the
school, 10 the books are not of the right Sort
or they are of many sorts and wont class
Word IS sent to the parents to get new books
Word is sent back to the teacher, that such |
teacher used that kind he said they were the BEST
and he (the parent) could not buy SO many books |
Here IS the beginning of confusion, trouble
and untavorable auspices, and a probability that
this school will not be much better than the last
That this is fair portrait of majority of the
schools IN Yazoo, the undersigned would not
presume to say, but they are constrained to say, .
that 1t is lamentably too true in many of them [
Now this is bad state of affairs, bad for parents,
teachers, and students.
Being interested in common schools, the un-
lersigned, propose as remedy for these deficien-
les IN our schools, that there shall be conven-
ion of all the trustees, schoo-commissionersi /
md teachers IN the town of Benton, on the sec
md Saturday in September next to deliberate on
he following propositions, and an organization
o carry them into effect.
LIST. There shall be an organized literary socie-
y in the county of Yazoo, to be comnosed of
eachers, trustees of schools and all Interested IA
common schools.