The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-05-14
Inducements for Mechanics TO Settle
I'm Nashville.

We have received the following com
munieation from mechanic employed
in one Of the Government shops
NASHVILLE, May II, 1855.
Efit,~s q RE Unioa.
GEvTLExEN-I have seen Of late many
articles in the several daily papers OF Nash
vile urging employees, mechanics, to
make this place their home when Govern
mert work is ended. You invariably tell
Us that we can make money by stsying-
an indueement that looks well on paper
But grant that we could make money by
staying, who viii tell Us how much could
al average few thousands during
whole lifetime. Money indueement alone
won't do, gentlemen. We know that il we
live in the Northern States our children
viii be educated We know that, if our
families were to live here our children
would not be educated. How many Nash
vile mechanics can afford to keep their
children in school when tuition is six,
eight or ten dollars s month
You invite Us 70 settle here that we may
hsve our children brought up in ignorance;
that We may be accounted as poor ioLite
Trash, greasy mechanics or zsldsills Of society.
II you want the Northern mechanics to
settle in Tennessee you must induce the
Legislature to provide system OF public
schools that will insure the education Of
every boy and girl in the State. Do Il and
many viii stay. MECHANIC.
In response TO our correspondent we
can say that the mechanics of Nash
vile have always received good wages.
As q class they have been industrious,
thrifty and respected. Many of them
have accumulated fortunes, and others
have filed various offices of honor and
profit There has never been in Nash
vile prejudice against them, sIch as
has prevailed further South. 1t is true
that there have been, are still, and ever
WIl be, men in our midst, having more
money than brains, more pride than
Judgment, who regard the working
man as beneath them, but they are not
peculiar to Nashville They are TO be
found everywhere Happily they do
not give tone to general society. Their
views and vulgar notions may have
weight with few exclusives equally
foolish but with the CREST mass of our
population merit is the standard of the
man, rich or poor,-a man of leisure,
OF mechanic. As Nashville increases
IN free population, in manufactures, in
trade and commerce, there will be still
greater social equality, and it will be
difficult to keep any one down without
Just cause
oar correspondent is sojourning in
Nashville at very unfortunate period
to form proper idea Of the educa-
tionsl advantages afforded her. chill
dren. There are, at present, but few
schools in the city and they are pri-
Yate and tuition high, 40 high that
many parent Is compelled to teach
his children at home, or let them 90
untaught This is one Of the evil re
suits Of the war. When peace is fully
established, we may expect change
vastly for the better Previous to the
war, We had public free-schools, where
the children Of the rich and the poor
were educated together They we're
largely attended, aud proved blessing
90 thousands Of children We know
of numerous mechanics children edu-
Gated in them, who are fine scholars
proficient in ali the branches of Eng
Igh Education, IN French and in Latin.
Some OF them are now enjoying good
positions as clerks, professional and bu-
siness men, ornaments TO society, hons
orod Alumni Of our free schools, and
the pride Of their parents. These
schools have been suspended for sewers
al years but the tax for their support
is continued, and considerable sum
70 ct present IN the City Treasury TO
their credit So soon as peace and quiet
are restored, and the Government
ceases TO occupy the school houses, the
schools can aud doubtless will be re-
sumed, and become as fourishing
rs ever So il our correspondent, and
his brother mechanics in Government
employ, should determine to cast their
lots with us, they need have no fears
on the score Of the education Of their
children We have children who we're
educated in cur free schools, and feel
deeply grateful 10 the public spirit
which initiated and kept up these in
sututions, and 10 the able management
which made them successful We have
other children also to educate If we
believed with "Mechsnic" that taey
could not be educated here, as the 9TH
FRS were, We should even at this late
day strike our tent, and seek a home
where they could But we have an
earnest faith in the future of Nashville. |
As excellent as were her public and
private schools before the war, we feel
assured that at no remote dsy they
wal be revived and attain even high |
er reputation Ia this faith we say to
persons already in our midst, remain
with us; to those abroad looking for
future homes, come and make Nash
vile your abiding place.