Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1854-01-05

ticient operI alton throughout til
; State. At tbe present period, AM
for a 10 pg t me past, our comlpo|
schools have been doing little or n
good, but on the contrary, have il
many INSTANCES, and in different pdrl
of the country, been rather in th
way than otherwise, preventing tbE
people from g4tting up and hayint
schools on their own responsibility
and at their own expense. Tht
time has surely arrived when tht
Legislature d nd the people should las
Hold Of this important subject witt
d strong and unfaltering hand. Al
Very readily concur in the opinioE
that something ought 10 be done t |
promote the cause of education, AMI
still there afe no effective steps t;
ken. All W 10 entertain any persq1
al and State pride, must feel deeply
wounded when they are told by thE
recent census that Tennessee, though
the fifth State in the Union, in many
of the grea elements necessary tP
make he + one Of the proudest an
most res pected, stands last and low
est on th4 list of education, save on4
Of all th4 ST. ates composing this con-
federacJ'. The great difficulty thai
seems to have been in the way, AMI /
the eXcu$ $e lpr doing nothing NOR !
than we haye done, is, that we haye
had no hea hs, and that our schodl !
fund was too small to do more than
We have dom Z. If we are sincere iii
what we profess for the cause of edu :
cation, we Should. without hesitation,
provide mea ns to accomplish it..
There is on I way, if no other, that
the children Of the State can be edu-
Gated, which is obvious to all, AMI
that is, to levy and collect tax from
the people cf the whole State, or to
authorize the county courts, sepa-
rately, to d b so in their respective
counties, i'll such manner as may be
deemed by them most acceptable to
the people, sufficient in amount,
when addedI to our present school
fund, to Civ e life and energy to our
dying or dead system OF common
school educ dation. We should at
once make such addition to our
school fund as will make it lhrge
enough to vitalize the cause Of DOM
mon schools, and thereby max its
influence felt in every IA Inily through
out the Stat E..
While the re are millions being ap-
propriated I'd aid in the various works
Of internal Improvement, can there
be n pthiug done for education? =
While we are erecting magnificent
State ediicds, with mcl}Rs and ro-
tundas aecom mmodated to the recep-
ton of find statues and gorgeous
paintings t he exterior presenting
all the grandeur of carved and MAS
sive columns Which architectural IN
genuity can invent or display-the
base of the building to be finished
with a suitable terrace, together with
public gtounds, handsomely enclosed
and laid out in promenades. as taste
and e Xtrayagancc may suggest, and
then to be studded over with
and works Of statuary,
in imitation of oriental splendor
and folly, and which will, in all, when
completed IN a corresponding style to
the main ST fucture, cost the people
Of the State not less than a million
and a half 0 ! two million of dollars
II repeat the inquiry, while all
these things are being done py the
legislature, and that, too, at the pub
lie expense, raR there be nothing done
10 adcaF'te fte greaf caQse Of Ied4e4-
hoa2
Upon the increase and Iiffu sion of
an nong the great mass Of
the people. and the elevation Of la
Dor, depends to a very great extent,
the perpetuity Of our free institu
tions. feel that | cannot too strong
ly and too earnestly, press the impor
tance Of this subject upon your con-
sideration. Let US now, if possible,
commence the work in good faith,
and carry out the high behest Of
the constitu ution, and the rising gen.
Grafton will realize the benefits that
will necessarily flow from it.. 1t Will
develope,in its benign operation, the
intellect Of our chill tlren, and qualify
them for all the u Beful pursuits of
life. 1t will be v orth far more to