Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-01-28

charge of its schools. Besides the State
Superintendent, there are ten circuit
superintendents, the former being
appointed by the people for period
of four years, and the latter by the
Governor and Senate for the same pc
riod. In addition TO the proceeds Of the
school fund there is per capita tax of
Sl assessed on every male inhabitaRt
over the age of twenty-one years. The
districts are required to raise by tax an
| amount of money sufficient, with the
public money apportioned to them, to
defray the expenses of school for three
months, and have power to raise in ad
dition money for prolonging the school
to any greater length of time that they
may choose. This common school law
is, perhaps, as good as could be ex-
pected under the circumstances ia which
1t originated. In this State, as in others,
it was deemed important to insist on lib
eral contributions from the people them
selves as a condition of receiving aid
from the Peabody fund. At Pine Bluff
only fifty children out of two hundred
were attending any school. One gem
tleman of the town is paying two
thousand dollars year for the education
of three children at the North. This
would be half enough to provide instruc-
tion for all the children of the place. A
proposition was made to give $500 if the
people would raise $4,000 for this pur-
pose. At Little Rock, where there are
1900 white children and 1000 colored,
there is but one school. and that has an
attendance of only l20 children. Ar
rangements were made for large primary
schools in each ward of the city, and for
high school to accommodate 400 or 500
advanced pupils, the Peabody fund con-
tributing to that end $4,000. Similar
propositions were made to the following
towns: Fort Smith, Van Buren,, Jack
sonport, Camden, Washington, Fayette-
vile, Helena, and four or FIVE smaller
towns, which, for the most part, have
been accepted.
Tennessee has common-school law,
not perfect, Indeed, not even as good,
perhaps, IS that of West Virginia or of
Arkansas; still the common schools can
be carried on under it without much in
convenience until it, can be safely
amended. The sub-district system must
be regarded as the worst feature of the
law, introducing nothing but confusion
and disorder. Any neglect or unskillful-
ness on the part of the directors of the
sub-1istriets is liable to defeat the plans
of the higher board, who have the charge
oflhe>most advanced schools The money
appropriated by the. State for schools
consists of the proceeds of the school
fund, property tax of two mills on the
dollar, poll tax of twenty-five cents,
and railroad tax of one-quarter Of one
per cent mile for each passenger. Un-
fortunately for the schools, the school
fund has been pledged as security for
State debts, and until very recently, no
distribution has been made to the schools,
and then only to small amount This
common school law, although Of nearly
two years standing, is just beginning to
take effect. One year ago there we're few
or no schools organized under it; now
there are in several counties an average
of about fifty schools. In Knoxville
county, last year, there were only 1900
pupils in the twenty FIVE private schools,
now there are 1000 in the seventy
FIVE public schools of that county.
In East Tennessee, public schools were
FIRST introduced in Knoxville, 10 con-
sequence of the encouragement and aid
of the Peabody fund. The city has now
in operation a complete system Of graded
schools, for the support of which $4,000
ore paid from its treasury, and $4,000
from this fund. The attendance of these
schools is now nearly equal to that of the
whole county last year. The public
schools of Chattanooga, called into ex-
istenee by the offer of $1,000 by the gen.
eral agent, are also highly prosperous,
and have firm hold upon the public
mind. Memphis has been aided in a
similar manner. and is now erecting a
fne, large building, to bear the name of
Peabody, Four OF the civil districts of
Tennessee have received various
amounts, from $500 to $1,000.