Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-25
THE n

BALTIMORE, January pat q meet
ing OF the Board Of Trustees of the Pea
body Fund, to-day, Sam. Watson, Of
tennessee, was unanimously elected TO
fl the vacancy caused by the death of
w. q. Rives, Of Virginia. The report Of
D. Seafs says that, since his last
report, special attention has been
gwen 10 West Virginia, Arksn-
sas and Western Tennessee. In West
Virgins, during the past year, 300
schOOih0uses were erected and one nor
NAL school opened, while q second is
waiting only for funds sufficient to pay
the salaries of teachers. The State Su-
-perintendent spPeaTs well qualified fer
bis duties, anu the county superiDtend-
eBts whom DR.. Sears saw are self-sacTi.
fciDg aud efficient. Everything, ia fact,
appears promising; although the system
is in ita Infancy. 1t appears that for ev
cry $1,000 from the Peabody fund, $4,000
were raised by the people, besides What
they paid for school houses. Ia Ar
kansas deep interest is felt on the
subject OF education. The State Is di.
vided into school districts. Thsre Ia a
State superintendent elected by the peo-
pie for feur years, as well as ten circuit
supeTintendents appointed by the Cover
nor for four years, and slsO a trustee in
each district is elected annually by the
people. A tax Cf d dollSR ia paid by
every inhabitant over the age Of twenty
one years,
Al Pine Bluff a proposition was made
to give $500 from the fund, if the people
you'd raise 5000. At Little Lock,
where there are 1900 white and 1000
c0lOIed children, arrangements were
maze fot large primsIy schools in each
Wsri, and Tor q high school to accom-
modate from 400 to 500 advanced pupils.
A similar proposition was made 10 the
towns Of Fort Smith, Van Buren,, Jack
sonp0rt, Camden, Washington, Fsyette-
vile, Helena, and four or five other
smaller towns, which, so far, mas most
part been accepted. Tennessee has a
school Law, bus not so perfect as West
Virginia or Arkansas. The sub-district
system is its worst feature, introducing
nothing but confusion and disorder.
Uu~fortunately, also, the school fund has
been pledged as security for State debts,
and until recently no distribution has
beer made to schools, and then only Ia
snail amounts. The school Law, al
though Of nearly two years standing,
il lust beginning to take Ch. O.. A year
ago there were few or no schools.
Now there are in several counties an av-
erage OF about fifty schools. Knoxville
city has now a complete system Of gra-
ded schools, for the support Of which
5000 are paid from its treasury, and
$1,000 from the Peabody fund. The at
tendance was nearly equal TO that OF the
whole country last year.. The public
schools Of Chattanooga were called into
existence by an offer Of $1,000 from the
general amount, and are also higl-
ly prosperous. Memphis has been
similarly aided, and is now erect
ing q fine, large building TO bear the name
of Peabody. Four Of the civil districts
Of Tennessee have received various
amounts, from $500 to $1,000 Similar
arrangements have been effected In
other States. Perhaps no city has made
nObler advances than Petersburg, Va.
In Louisiana, through the ~graluitous
agency Of Hon. NJ. B. Fistsr, general
agent, schools have been established In
ten towns OF the State,