The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-08-19
For NE Athens Post.
Important Matters.

Mr.. Editor when we were little boys
we used TO hear the following couplet.
"'Tis Edacafion forms the common mind
Just a. tho twig is bent, the trees Inclined"
And the sentiment seems to prevail
throughout the land, True, there arc
many growing up in ignorance; but then
public opinion Is against ignorance and
in favor Of education Thousands of dol
lars are yearly expended by the State in
support Of common schools and county
academies Private and public schools
abound. There Is no telling the time
and money spent in schooling the young
and rising generations All this is com.
mendable---end even more ought 10 be
done, than is accomplished, in this great
cause.
But are there not radical errors in our
system of education--if system il can be
calledi For one can see much to de
plorc, Win you consider these pointsf
LIST. There is not'a proper division Of
labor. Economists, both political and
moral tell us that division and subdiyis-
ion Of labor must ever be in keeping with
the progress of any community. Wher-
ever you see man acting as his own
smith, tanner, halter, farmer, miller,
shoemaker, carpenter, .cabinet-maker,
doctor, clerk, auditor, trader, merchant,
importer and exporter, &C., you soon
think Of the old saying-".Jack of all
trodos onI ,,,astax 90 ..z... % Nh -
much better is it to fnda teacher perch
ed up in some quasi academy, as professor
or teacher Of the whole encyclopedia Of
photography, reading, penmanship, ety.
mology, syntax, prosody, arithmetic, ge-
ography, history, natural philosophy, al
zebra, geometry, logic, mensuration, sur
veying, trigonometry, optics, acoustics,
navigation, mental philosophy, mechan-
les, rhetoric, geology, botany, chemistry,
political economy, moral philosophy,
mythology, physiology, anatomy. hygiene,
&c., &C., &C., and Latin, and Greek, and
French, &c., &c., &c.H Can any one, adj
hitting he has universal genius and has
mastered the whole course--can any one
properly teach all the above mentioned
studies in and at the same schooli No one
who properly understands himself and
the proper work Of a teacher, will pretend
TO say yesi Nevertheless, one-horse acad-
emies are springing up thick in the land,
and one-horse teachers are being employ
ed to give our children smattering in all
the counsel What dupes, or rather what
asses we make of ourselves and our chill
dren in this matterl Elementary or
Common schools should thoroughly pre-
pare the children for the High schools
and Academies; the High schools and
Academies should thoroughlyprepare the
children for the common ayocations Of
life, or for entering the College; the Col
lege should prepare the youths thereof
for professional life, or for the University.
The system of jumbling all together
should be abolished iEsta'ter.
I'd. Properly qualified teachers alone
should be employed as instructors. There
is not a farmer in the land that will COM
init his fine young horse to an unskilful
hand to be broken for service; yet these
same farmers not only employ unskilful
hands to. train their children for usefull-
ness, but even neglect to look into the
progress their children make i6ikeiSsi
les. There is not skilful teacher in -
country who would not rather take up q
child that had never seen book, than
one that has been started wrong, and has
been led into bad habits of spelling, read
ing, writing, &c Not only should the
common schools be taught by none but
those well qualified, but the same princi-
pie applies all other institutions of what
ever grade. A gentleman remarked, not
long since, that there were more qlacks in
the teachers profession, than in any 9TH
er. The late law of Tennessee requiring
teachers to be examined before teaching
our common schools, is working out bene-
fetal results.
Sd. We are in too great hurry to
get our children educated. Remember,
what is done in hurry is lily DONE
The old proyerb says, "make haste slow
ly." What would you think of an igno-
ramus father who would try to hurry his
first borne into manhood by the stuffing
processG Stuff, stuff, stuff, all the time!-
no, no; there must be time for digestion;
there must be rest, and exercise, and
time allowed before maturity can be ex-
pected. Every husbandman knows this
is the case with his corn; and patiently
does he wait till the time Of harvest.
Our children are hurried through one
study and into and through another, and
another, till they tire, or stslity or del
We repeat it, more time must be given to
the various branches it is designed child
should study-especia the elementary
branches-the foundation of all good
scholarship.
Aug. 1859. FArHrR.
B65- What do our readers think Of the
fnIlowiuo p Hr.a