Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-10-25
The City schools.

MEssRS. EDITORS: MY attention mas
just been called to your " local, in yes
terdays paper, in which great injustice
is done to the teachers of the Linden
school. Your "Sixth Ward correspon-
dent seems to be spelling for another
muss in school matters, for he has either
ignorantly cr wilfully grossly misrepre-
sented the actions of the teachers in said
school, and in reply to his foolish and
unfouuded charges / would state:
First-That there is no " book store
in said building; but, to accommodate
both pupils and parents, when pupils
bring the money and request it, they see
that they are provided with such books
as the published rules and regulations of
the Board of School Visitors require,
to-wit: such as are used in their class;
| and if a parent sends with his child suf-
ficient funds to supply him with them,
and request the teacher to get them, we
confess that we are unable to see how
your correspondent or any one else has
cause to complain or to feel aggrieved
about it.
Second-No such charges as your cor
respondent complains of are made in
said school by any teacher, and your
correspondent is mistaken when he
asserts that all such things are furnished
by the Board. They furnish the
pens, ink and chalk used in the
city schools, but slate pencils to only
the lower grade of primary schools ;
and owing to this fact, four rooms in said
building have been supplied by the vol
untary contributions of the pupils, and
since the school opened in said building,
the lst of March last, they have raised
funds for two boxes each, and as each
room usually contains sixty pupils, If
each one contributed, it would require
the large sum of two cents each to sup
ply each one with pencils for three
months. But as it is voluntary, only a
part of the pupils contribute to the OBJ
ject. In my own room my pupils, since
September 3D. have thus raised ninety
five cents for pencils, mucilage, etc., for
their own use and convenience. Pupils
so often lose their pencils that teachers
are compelled to use this method OF Sc
curing and keeping them in the school
room so that each can have one at every
slate exercise; and when thus purchased
they are distributed and gathered daily.
/ think your correspondents children
do as L know several belonging to the
school have done, to-wit: They told
their parents their teachers wanted them
to bring FIVE, ten or twenty cents for such
things, and then spend the money for
candies, cake, etc. and am certain that
if he has been called on as often as he
states his children have imposed upon
him, and obtain money under false pre-
lenses as above stated; and in conolu'
sion would say that each and all of the
teachers in said book store would be
happy to show your correspondent" or
any other patron, through the entire es-
tablishment consisting Of eight rooms,
each supplied with sixty book
shelves, on each of which is usually kept
a specimen of all things required in that
department of said bookstore" in
charge of bright eyed, rosy-cheeked boy
or girl; each of whom would be happy to
have chance, of showing them how to
use them, to secure the largest return for
their labors, and we are sure that most
of our little "clerks " will prove, Z" by
strict attention to business" that they
each "have an interest in their special
department, and hereafter, if they should
desire to add two, five or ten cents to
their individual stock " in the concern"
we hope no patron viii feel sufficiently
aggrieved as to invoke g the thunders of
the press" to prevent them from doing
so, and to you, gentlemen of the press,
we would say that each one, from the
chief clerk in the establishment to the
little six year old, will be happy to see
/ you at any time during business hours,
which are, at present, from am. to 4
p. m. daily Saturdays and Sundays ex-
cepted.
Y ours truly, TEACHER.