Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-10-28
The Public schools.

auguration they have been uniformly well
conducted. and have steadily improved. This,
we believe. has been the result of the system
adopted. after a great deal of deIlberanon'
by the BOARD Of Education; and which has
been firmly adhered to. One of the most i'm
portant features of this system is the rule /
which prescribes but one session dd'ty. Yet,
against this rule are made the principal, II |
not the only complaints against the schools. |
We must believe the complaints are in great |
measure produced by want Of due investiga-
ton of the subject; especially when made by
parents who have children in the schools. We
take it for granted that no such parent would
willingly do anything, or have anything done,
which might give very serious blow to the
efficiency and prosperity Of the schools. Per
sons who have no children in the schools, and
pariisans of private schools, which have been
broken up or materially wOrsted. by the es-
tablishmcnt of the public schools. might not
be so cOnsideratc. To these we desire not to
address our remarks. But the first class, we
wish to read and digest what we have to
say:
The efficiency and strength of all public
schools are greatly dependent upon system
which secures to them pupils from all classes
of society. Gotten up for the benefit of all.
it is important that the children Of the rich
and the poor the powerful and those having
little power and influence, should be instruct
ed together. In our public schools this is
happily the case. A very large portion
probably the majority of the pupils are
children of parents able to pay the tuition of
private schools. They send their children to
the public schools to he instructed in the
solid branches of education, whilst the Orna-
mental are taught them at home, or else
where, ia the afternoon. TO this large class
of pupils, then. the one session day is indis-
pensablc. Abolish it, and substitute two scs-
sions a day, and they will necessarily be
driven from the public schools to private
shoots, where they can get instruction in both
the solid and ornamental branches; for the
city cannot incur the additional expense OF
employing teachers Of the ornamental. Well.
,priye the schools of this class of pupils,
and at once they begin to be regarded as
schools simply for those whose parents are
unable to pay for tuition. This would be
most unfortunate. The poorest man in the
community has a pride which revolts at the
idea of having his little ones placed in the
position this would place them.
Again: There are in the schools a cOnsid-
cradle number of children whose parents, in
many instances widows, desire their services
during the afternoon. Compel these children
TO attend two sessions day, and the parents
must lose the advantages of their services.
Permit them to absent themselves during the
afternoon, and they must fall behind in their
studies, and thus interrupt the grading syss
TEN which must be kept up, if the schools
are to be prevented from degenerating.
Again: The boys and girls are taught in
the same buildings. Under the present sys-
tem il is impossible for the two sexes to play
together; and hence. during the whole time
the schools have been in operation, no case
of vice or immortality has occurred to cast a
stigma upon the fair name of any one, or to
injure the high standing OF the schools. This
is a consideration which every parent who
has a daughter in the public schOOls-and
who regards her honor as the apple Of his
eye-should never lose sight Of If there
were no other argument in favor of the one
session system, this would be conclusive, in
Our estimation. We cannot believe there is a
father in Nashville who would wish his daugh-
ter to be thrown into the society of boys ON
the play grounds at school.
Again: 1t is Of some importance to the
city 10 keep the school property in good con-
dition. As there have been no opportunity
afforded for ill-usage, the desks. seats, walls,
window glass, &c. of the school-houscs have
been kept in admirable order. They speak
volumes in favor of the present system. Aud
in addition TO this, we hear OF no one living
near the schools complaining of them a. an
annoyance The children come and 80 with
out any noise or disturbance, and the sight OF
them as they do so. is pleasure to those who
see them daily. a private school of twenty
Buys is hundred fold more annoying To
neighborhood, than the seven hundred boys
and girls of the Hume High School. We
single out this school. because We have OBJ
served it daily since it was inaugurated. But
gather these seven hundred boys and girls on
the play ground, or even but small portion
of them, whilst the teachers are of to dine
we believe teachers do dine--and the school
would soon become pest to the neighbor-
hood.
We might add to these reasons Tor adhering
to the system of one session day, others,
gathered from the experience Of public schools
in those States where they have been long in
use and every system fully tested. Bat it is
unnecessary. Those already given are con-
elusive. AS parent having children m the
schools, we should most deeply regret To see
a change to two sessions day. We should
regard il as the entering wedge to the burst
ing up and destruction of the whole system.