Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-11-03
Education.
FIR he Fayetteville 0bss,ver
= ~ III

minds Of our people, ! rarely hea
anything said concerning elementar,
instruction. And, indeed, but few
persons seem to think that correct
rudimen,al training Is desirable
Now, there is not, perhaps, one Of the
thinking parents among us that
would not see the necessity of proyl
ding n stable foundation for any ma.
terial structure, which he might be
about TO erect And yet tho Same
man, although dearly loving his of
spring, will unhositatingly phce them
all in the care, and under the guild,
ance and instruction of men who can.
not tell the difference between an
Iadserb Of place and a posscssivc-ad-
lcotive-pronoun. IL the matter were
looked into, as it should, by all means,
be, | entertain no doubt that were
tho teachers Of our public schools re-
CURED to spell the words in twenty
consecutive lines of any newspaper,
taken Mt hazard, not one of them
would do il correctly; and onc-third
of them, at least, would miss the
properly spelling of fully a third Of
the entire number Ii is not my
purpose, at the present moment, to
inquire into the causes of llllterd to
men being engaged to teach. | W i'll
remark, nevertheless, that it is made
easy for any designing man to pass
himself, among simple minded, limo
cent school commissioners, rs n imam
of parts, 'by the pd blishers of school
books. Who, for instance, that can
read at III, cannot hear child re-
spond TO a printed question, having
a printed answer, in Smith IS Grlm-
mar? And who that knows, wilrrle-
ny that unlettered, aud some partial
Ill,
" letiered parents will listen to the
recltations of their childreI, with
profound admiration of their preeept-
or, when be, perhaps, apart from The
book. cannot distinguish verb from
IN advcrb. nor IN adjective from n
IL we desire our clsiI-
iren properly taught, why dove not
take measures to secure the services
Of competed It lnsffuctorsY Aud can
we expect, nay, have we any right
10 expect, that our children can be- !
come learn ed, when we employ len
% teach them-not because they
nave proved themselves competent.
nut because they will work cheap
"But, ask the parents. I" how shall
We, who are ourselves uplehrned, as
,ertain, in the absence Of any prop |
MY constituted board Of cxanipa- !
ion, whether he BIO competent or
'oiY We'll, I.suppose you will have
ON difficulty, here But You,
doubtless, know some gentleman with
II your reach who has the reputation
f man of letters: ask him to aid
gu. How do you ascertain whether
our black smith be n good workman2
BY his work. you say Very
'el.. Now, if you cannot try tho
lie teacher by bis work being no
ndgo yourself-4you can get another,
tho is h judge, 10 try him Tor you
Ind if every unlettered parent wo uld
b this, n board of examination wo nld
c thus constituted, without the in
srvention of the Legislature.
One hint more, aud | shall have
one Always distrust every iooT ID
I, and even every professional teach
: who often changes his text boo ks
7 he latter have nscertained by n !,
ial, which to him is satisfactory. IIr
lstany given book is well suited 10 [
10 purpose designed; aud if he do Q
de that IL shall be the book. on the :
Ibject of Which it tIeats, which shall ].
used in his school, why should be- i
der another on the ! ame subject b
lless it DO TO benefit the publisher? (
A SUFFERER. =
Lleetisa Of Jmiges By The People \