Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-12-06
fbr The Fayetteville Observer
Education. Number Four.
NV TIopE, Tenn. i,


Nov. ~, 1865 !
Mn Epron.--Atter lapse Of sew
er,l weeks, | again drop you some
few lines on the subject of Common
Schools. There is no subject that
should engage the attention Of pa
rents with more interest than this,
for when we take a proper view of it
in oil its relative bearings on society,
its Importance and inestimable value
force themselves upon our minds. =
Indeed, ] am astonished when ] see
so little attention manifested by some
parents in reference to the education
of their children. That there is a
great deficiency in ou1 system of
Common Schools, is too lamentably
true to be called in question. This
being admitted, thu inquiry naturally
arises: Hoao shall this defect be rene
diedl I feel disposed to lay before
the readers of your paper the plan |
believe, if adopted, would remove the
present deficiencies of our system, or
at least the greater part of them. In
the first place, 1 think it would be
wise, polite, and patriotic in the Leg
|islature of Tennessee, to erect at the
expense of the State, one school edi-
flee near the centre of the State and
endow it, for the alone purpose of ed
ucating teachers to teach. / would
desire that each county be permitted
to send to this school in proportion to
scholastic population, and teachers
thus qualified to return to their re-
Ispective counties and be assisted by
the counties to establish schools in
each county, to be conducted upon
the principles of the State School, on
ly on a smaller scale. | would desire
that each civil district in the county
should be entitled to send in proper
ton to scholastic population. In con-
nection with the establishment Of
such County Schools, / would suggest
the propriety Of holding biannual
conventions in the county seat, for
the purpose of aiding and advancing
the cause Of educational enterprises
those Conventions to consist of the
school commissioners and teachers of
the different civil districts of the
county. 1t would also be necessary
for said conventions to appoint an ex'
ecutiye committee to attend to
the affairs of the convention be-
tween it's different sessions, part
of whose duty would be to take the
the oversight and management of
such County School. And further
in connection with the establishment
of both State and county schools,
there should be permanently estab-
lished well selected library, which
no doubt could be procured by indi-
vidual subscription. Things being
arranged, whenever there was need
of a teacher in any civil district, the
commissioners thereof should make
this known to the committee: whose
duty it would be to aid said commits
missioners in procuring the services
of a competent teacher, ard thus COM
mission rs and committee should CO.
operate for the benefit of the rising
generation. If we had such institu-
tons as are contemplated, Tennessee
would not be longer groveling in the
quicksands of ignorance, but her sons
and daughters could rise up and vie
with the most renowned States, EN-
pires and Kingdoms. Yet, her sons
of poverty and daughters of want, by
the advantage of liberal training,
could measure arms with the noble
and lordly in birth. In order to the
permanent establishment of good
schools, there must be union of effort
on the part of parents. They must
feel and see the praeticability of CO.
operating in this great enterprise
We, as citizens, cooperate in carrying
on our internal improvements. Our
business men unite their energies to
promote each others mutual benefit.
Our religious enterprises are carried
on by union Of effort, and in fact,all the
great movements that distinguish us
as people have been accomplished
by union of effort. But alas! how Of
ten is it the case that we see men Of
wealth paying very little attention to
the proper cultivation Of the minds
Of their sons and daughters, striving ,
to lay up store-houses Of wealth for .
them, and at the same time neglecting ,
the most important thing with which :
hey are entrusted-the training of }
heir offspring. If I possessed the !
,loquence of the Ancients and could :
'e surrounded by my countrymen, | :
yOllld call unon them to aronca from,