The Daily Nashville true Whig. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1851-1855, 1855-09-03

Our Schools

Vuf bQno0lds
Nh. EDIToR-By your kind permission, propose
for the consideration of your readers few thoughts
upon the subject Of our City Schools.
see in your issue Of the 9th uIt, communi
cation signed ''Senola," which propose to notice
first, and then to proceed 10 other matters. Then
without further preface, agree with "senolA" as
TO the importance Of the subject and in view OF the
same am sorry to learn that the american School
System" is considered experiment in Nashville
and just here would say that there are those in
our midst who do not so look upon the system, and
that believe it TO be the duty of the next electors
of a new Board OF Education to vote for none who
hold the system as an experiment. More OF this
anon "Senola" takes exceptions to the District
system and says, that it has become so fashion :
able to follow after the North in everything" &c,
&c. To which would say, Let us prove all
things hold fast that which is good." Tell Us, Mr.
g. where have your teachers of the present schools
come from, but from the North, with few excep-
tons? But to follow up your argument, reference
is made 10 the Nachez schools, and we are told that
they are good example of the Central system;
and on the other, we are cited to Memphis as a
pidCt W SEE ltiC lupcflcClOuo VI UT lis
trics system. know that S. desires the advance
ment Of our schools; but if he reasons upon the
subject, and from examples foreign from the true
policy, we need look for nothing but falling Short
of the true plan. Yeu are told by S. that the
Natchez school went into operation in July, ls45.
But we are not told what was the population of
Natchez then; nor does he tell US the number of
pupils in attendance. He tells US, Also that there
are twenty schools in Memphis and be fails to give
US their population and attendance.
Now l object to this mode of exhibiting sub
jet of such importance, because one school was
all that Natchez could be expected to sustain, with
her population, which in 1850 was 4, 4s4; and two
were enough for Memphis, according to the same
rule; and insist that the amount of population is
the best rule for the number of schools and their
location the best for the location of the school
buildings. For Memphis bad in 1850, s,s4l inhab-
itants, and in 1853, $4,000. So that the failure in
Memphis is not as S. would represent, so much as
for want of population. For let me compare Mem
phis with her u 900 inhabitants and twenty schools
with Cincinnati with her more than ll2 900 inhab-
itants, and her seventeen schools, and we have
Memphis with 600 patrons, and probably ohe-third
slaves not to be counted-ssy 400-and Cincinnati
with over 5000 patrons for every school. But as
s. says Ito express the idea BETTER" if ten men
are employed to do the service Of one, their ex-
pense will consume the business. Seeing that S.
has corrected his statement as to the extent Of &C.
commodation already fixed, and that there is man.
fest necessity for mere and other accommodation
for our schools, propose to take home survey
of the subject, and bring this to close.
Nashville, in 1853 had Is, 900 inhabitants; South
Nashville not less than 1900, and the population
of the entire city, including both, must be 29 or
"a, 600, spreading over an area Of p miles, by one
mile in width in the corporate limits, TO say moth.
ing Of the suburban population on all sides. Then
by the rule proposed, deduct one.thrd for slaves
and we have 16 900 population within the territory
to sustain, shall say one center schoOlS will not.
But will propose that able with the means
as shown, to sustain three schools, and we ought
to do so, and l will 60 farther, and say that we
ought 10 have one large school house in the north
end and one in the south end of the city-and to
manage them we ought to be as careful to select
such men as have full confidence in the system and
place the same beyond experiment, as we would be
to regard the saying Of the Father of his country,
viz: "Put none but Americans on guard tonight"
in all of which have full confidence.
WE-CANN.