Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-09

erature and leRrTS I'm view OF the |
poor who must ve9smong us, and the |
orphan children va BE fathers perhaps |
sleep in soldisSsF 2 4 sYaves-let US not re-
peal this law. Thousands of schools are |
now in progress in the State under this
law. Teachers are employed in good |
faith by school directors, expecting to re-
ceive the benefits of the present school |
law. Repeal it, and a majority of those
school will stop. The doors of the |
schoolhouses win be closed, and the chill
dren will wind their way home, and |
Close the doors of your sehOolhouses, |
and you may open wide yonr jails, prisons |
and penitentiaries. Close the doors of your
schoolhouses, and, methinks, the Goddess |
of learning will ascend some high peak |
of the Cumberland Mountains and look |
down upon our State and weeping, pity,
and plying, weep. What is the condition
of our State to-day as regards crime2 Our
| jais are full and our penitentiary is over
| flowing. Whence come these cOnyiCtsi
Nine cases out of ten they come from the
| ignorant class. Examine the COmptrol-
| ler's report and see what an enormous sum
of money it requires to suppress, prose-
cute and punish crime. We do not pre-
tend to say that all who are ignorant are
| guilty of crime, or that crime is not found
anywhere only among the ignorant; but
ignorance leads to crime, and the tendency
of education is to prevent it. Then, shall
we, the legislators of the State of Ten
nessee, say to our constituents: Thousands
to suppress and punish crime, but not one
cent to prevent itl
Now, something in regard to the COun-
ty system of public schools. As we be-
fore stated, we look upon this as no sys-
tenn at all. 1t, perhaps, might do in some
| localities; but, as a general system, it GER
tainly would fail. Is it not well known
that some counties are rich and fertile,
| whilst others are barren and mountainous!
| And, perhaps, the scholastic population
| of those barren mountainous counties are
| equal to the scholastic population of those
| rich and fertile counties. Those who own
the taxable property in those mountainous
| counties cannot pay tax sufficient to
| school the poor children in those
| counties. And shall we, whose lots
have been cast in those rich counties,
by kind Providence, where we have
|
ton, refuse to lend a helping hand to the
children of the poor who live in those
mountain counties. When | advert to
those children l know about what am
speaking. | have seen them. | have
pitied them. Ipity them. | pity them
now. And perhaps to-day the blood from
their bare feet is sOiling the virgin snow
that lies spread out over those hills, with
clothing too thin to turn aside the chilling
blasts of a December storm. 1t is for
those children we plead. 1t is for the
benefit of those children that We ask this
body to-day to establish a system of free
schools, supported by taxing the wealth Of
the State We cannot support the county
system, from the fact that it will not
reach all the poor within the limits of our
State. \ few days past proposition was
entertained by this House looking to the
enfranchisement of the women of Ameri-
ca And, Mr.. Speaker, had the woman
of the State of Tennessee the right of sui
frage, and also the right of representation,
and were a majority of the representatives
here to-day ladies, whose hearts ever open
to the cry of the poor, and were plead
ing before them for a system of free
schools, supported by the wealth of the
State, for the purpose of enlightening the
masses of the people, | would expect to
win. Give Inc just cause and would
not fear the decision of the woman of the
State of Tennessee. With acute percep-
ton, and discriminating faculties keen
and active, her generous nature ever moves
her TO acts of justice and deeds of
mercy. Whose influence pene-
tTa dan syfhEg3a enBH9 gt Git 70 man,
who is ever ready to bind up the broken
heart and wipe away the burning tear;
whose light footsteps are ever heard in the
chamber of sickness, smiling at the table,
cheerful around the family circle, kneel-
ing at the altar, last at the cross and
first at the grave What would this world
be without her? 4 dreary waste-a dark
hOme-a night without a star. Had
women the means, had they the power,
the Door would be educated, the lame
would walk and the blind would see. And
to-day, Mr.. Speaker, if it were practicable,
l would have no fears in putting the ballot
in her hand and bidding her ego forward"
and assist us in educating the poor and
saving our State from bankruptcy and re-
pudiation.
Education is the pillar and prop Of con-
stitutional liberty. 1t is the keystone to
progress and success. 1t unlOCks the door
that leads TO the temple of fame-tO
hOnor-tO wealth-tO COntentment ald
peace. And the nation, the State,
the county that neglects it will be visited
by the blighting and whitening influence
of superstition, crime and misery. Edu-
cate the people Of the State of Tennessee
and YOU increase our credit; fail TO do
| this and who will trust usl Other States
| have adopted free schools supported by
e taxation, which do honor to those who
e originated them. And cannot the State of
| Tennessee follow in their wake! If we fail
to do it, mark what | tell you, we will 60
, down in the estimation of the people OF
: this great Republic. Ignorance, what is 1t
Can you define it? Has it ever been de-
c fined? Education, what is itl Everything
P The country that has been desOlateC
by the earthquake may, after time, as
y sumo its original beauty. The land that
has been visited by the tornado, and III
grandeur laid waste, may again blossom
as the rose. The province that has felt
the shock of battle, shOrn of its beauty
n by the march of cOntending armies, may
+ again become fertile, and the scars of wa
,t be wiped away. But the country wher'
4 the children of the poor are neglected
ID | and permitted to grow up in ignorance
l. will recede instead of advancing in NOR
Of ais and prosperity.
IN Then we hope the members of thI
W Legislature, who are The representative
n of the rich and the poor, in their wisdom
of will amend the present school law, O
ke adopt one in lieu, which will be credlta
e. bIe TO the State, and encouraging to th
schools which are in progress at this time
and lead to the establishing Others. W
hope that ere long schOol-hOuses, semlnf
ries and colleges will dot our countr
y from one extreme to the other; and thi
the CAV laugh of the schoolbOy will rim
ont upon the morning air in every vale
and upon every hill of the State of Tel
ng nessee. May young men be encourage
he TO qualify themselves to become usetl
at citizens. And, Mr. Speaker, one of Il
de Crandest speCtaCles ever presented to II
1r- world is a class of worthy young men
;h. cendinC the hill Of science, plucklng
ne flower here, gathering laurel ther
'r; robing themselves in diamonds of know
the edge and pearls of virtue, whose infuen
rec will be felt when they have gone down
e the grave to sleep beneath the dark sha'
Ide of the cypress-that sleep that knows
hat dream. After learning and intelligen
the come prosperity and wealth. Who do
are not pray for the prosperity Of his cou
to try Who does not express, with pm
dill and emotion, "This is my ow
e nv native landl" The tall mountain
ey, the gushing streams, the broad vallies
the the State of Tennessee, should be dear
pO- every Tennesseean. May no imper
the r,o,,er or rnonied aristOcracy ride o1