Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-03-15

is to be rather considered their misfortune than
their fault and is mainly owing to the fact that our
destitution Of Normal Schools has left this large
class Of responsible persons to adopt such chance
methods of imparting knowledge as the rules Of
their former teachers, or their own Individual ex>
perience and Judgment, perhaps caprice, may sup
ply, with no settled system of instruction, and con-
sequently with but few beneficial results. Our
youth, male and female, fresh from the precincts OF
the school room, take up the occupation OF teach
ing without training, and most generally as tenn
porary resource. Such cannot of course be expect
ed to feel that interest 10 their vocation which viii
cause them to make proficient pupils of others or
efficient instructors of themselves. The very ma
ture of preceptors duties renders important that
the teachings of wise experience should first be
his. He must explore the subtleties of the mental
and moral nature Of those he would instruct; he
must understand, control and direct those powers
of the mind in the paths of usefulness and wisdom
His work is the training Of youth for the serious
business of life; discipning the future rulers and
supporters of great and growing country; the
cultivation of mind and heart, By imparting useful
IDEAS and implantng fixed principles; and surely
this is avocstion worthy to command the best
trained minds, the most mature judgment, and the
highest intellectual gifts. That person who enters
upon the.responsibIe task of developing and direct
recting the hitherto untutored mental faculties and
Of stamping the impress OF virtue upon the moral
nature of the young, certainly needs preparation
for his peculiar work, well as he whose profess
zion it is to heal our physical n6rmites or to guard
our rights of property. As yet, perhaps, we do
not clearly see what is the best method of conduct
ing education in the South, but we think that the
establishment of the Normal School should be the
first step, and preparatory to al others.
Another deficiency in our educational system, Gf
system it can be caled,) is the want OF unity
among our teachers and the absence of any thing
like combined effort.
Now the business Of popular education is, or
ought to be, n0tiOnaL business. 1t should not be
made question of church, or Sect or party, but
each should cherish and practice sufficient beraty
of sentiment to contribute much as may be in
their power towards the public good We owe it
to ourselves to stand banded together in this great
cause, for in the prosperity of the whole we shall
find our individual benefit. Every teacher in the
South should cooperate with his fellow-workers
and one of the first objects OF each should be to
produce and cherish AMIGA relations between
themselves, as members of an honorable and re.
sponsible body. In the absence of unity and COM
bined effort, we have of course nothing which can
properly be denominated system in education.
Each instructor follows out the plan derived from
his former masters or from his own judgment, and
each teaches ''seemeth good in his own eyes"
No leader has yet been found possessing the requ-
site zeal, ability, and perseverance, to establish
broad platform wherein all may stand as equals and
labor together. No one, perhaps, has sufficiently
informed himself as to the precise nature or mag
ntude of the work to be accomplished No one
has brought together, from individual experience,
common fund of useful information, from which an
educational system suited to the wants of the South
may be deduced, or having examined the different
methods Of instruction now in use, has adopted the
best characteristics of each, and applied them to
improve the very imperfect order of things which
exists at present in lieu of such system. As
early as the year 1779, Mr.. Jefferson proposed to
the people OF the South, plan of education which
was to consist Of schools of three regular grada-
tons, viz lst. Elementary SchOols-2d A class
Of Colleges calculated to fit every pupil for the life
and business of American citizen, and 3D.
Finishing University, where the highest branches
should be taught in the most thorough manner He
deprecated the practice Of educating Southern chill
dren at Northern institutions distinctly stating his
opinion that Southern youth must be educated in
tba Gfafa
sovereign and independent" Washington, too
was of the same opinion, yet both of these great
men were, aud are etil considered, staunch sup
porters of the Union.
A third and great deficiency in our what shall
call it!) pseudo system Of education is the al.
most entire want Of school books-ISouthern school
books. Our elementary books especially, which it
is all important should be Southern in their char
acter, we receive lat advanced price of 80 to 40
per cent? from the North, usually the far North
In this, in everything else want, we spend
money abroad, it benefits no one at home. Their
works bear the impress of the section from which
they emanate, and of the writer's who compile them,
writers who, for the most part, to judge from their
books before US, have made their love of learning
entirely subsidiary to their love Of gain A host of
those books resders, for example, are published in
series, each one having reference to the remain
der very good plan we acknow ledge, but devised
we are credbly informed, by the Northern caterer,
because the first acts lever to open the door of
the school room, the rest follow as q matter Of ne
cessity, aud the Southern "pocket" is vexed with
investment for three four books instead Of one
But il is to the character Of these works in question
that we chiefly object. Scientific, classical and
metaphysical works we could bear TO receive open
as they are to the same charge OF unsutability to
section, but the elementary, the very u, B, c,
books OF children, modelled and compiled as
though there was nothing either of mind or matter
South of MASON and Dxon's line are, to say the
least exceedingly trying to ones patience and good
nature. There many aud positive distinctions
OF character existing in each Of the great sections
OF our Union idiosyncr acies which are BY means
to be disregarded by the teacher, the writer Of
the school book Our habits Of life daily round
OF du,ies, and our ultimate aims, are so widely dit,
ferent from those of our Northern neighbors, that
il is impossible that the same species of training,
the same lectures, the same books which are adapt
ed TO their wants are also adapted to ours. II the
aims and pursuits Of life with u-, vary distinctly
as the parallels Of latitude which divide from se
North, can the same system OF preparation, either
mental physical, afford US the power Of follow
ing them srghtH We think not. The child OF the
South to become the ''true man" for the South,
must be educated at home, be must be taught to
ideutify himself with his native State, its men, it,
history and its future interests. The extent OF
territory, gives rise to causes, social political and