Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-12-16

ported in favor of the elestion of the fol-
lowing officers for the ensuing year
President-NeiH s. Brown. %.
Vice Presidents. Whitworth, Rev.
w. B. Rankin, Davidson VIM. Rule,
Knox; Rev. E. 0. Tsde, Hamilton Hon.
VIM. Bosom, B. McDonold, Rev. Geo.
Beckett, Rutherford j. B. Killebrew,.
Mr.. Stewart, Montgomery.
Recording Secretary. Braden.
Corresponding Secretary. B. Linds-
ley. ~ ~ Z 90 'l
Treasurer-J. o. Griffith.
Executive Committee = A. Roberts,
Perez Dickerson, w. Shelton, d. D., J.
7. Leath, S. Burnett.
Gov. Brown thought that some man of
more educational pretenses than himself
ought to be called to preside in future
over the deliberations of the Association.
DR.. Elliott hoped that Gov. Brown
would consent to preside.
Gov. Brown then said that he did not
pretend to be teacher or a scholastic
man. This cause would live and its
sphere of operations would increase, and
the Governor thought some man who was
a practical educational man should be
elected President of the Association.
Mr.. Dolbear suggested the name of
Judge Watson as President.
Judge Watson then remarked that he
declined the honor.
Mr.. Bennett said that if Gov. Brown
declined ne would suggest the name of
Mr.. J. B. McDonold.
On motion the report of the Committee
on Election was adopted.
Or. Elliott stated that though the gen.
tlemen present were in favor of this
State Teachers Association, still they de-
sired to have an Association of their own,
and to this end he would state that these
gentlemen meet on adjournment.
Rev. DR.. Sears, the Agent Of the Pea
body Fund, then made some remarks in
reference to the county 81 stem. He said
that he had listened very attentiTely to
the political argument in reference to the
county system. He would gay by way of
pleasantly, that considerable portion of
the address was brought forward to show
that it was State system. IN the mid
die of that address he learned that it was
address it appeared that no annual report
was made. In Massachusetts, but small
portion of the money used for shool pur-
poses came from the State. He regarded
State system of education as one that
was under the direction of the State. s
A State system vas one that undertook
to do by the aid of the State what could
not be as well done in any other way
Boston had its city normal schools, but
had nothing to do with the State normal
schools.
The Doctor said that the Normal schools
would be managed by the State. What
ever an individual man could do better
than an Association let that man do. But
there were certain things that could not
be done. But if there was anything
which the State could accomplish better
than any other body, it ought to do it.
With reference to SUPPLEMENTARY the
Doctor said he would reverse the entire
train of the argument of the morning
You begin with the least interested indi-
viduals that are to be found in the State.
They appoint you School Commissioners,
and it is no disparagement to say that
persons who have had no experience in
this matter are not the persons to select
superintendent or a schoOlmasteT. For
the common people, who have not studied
the subject of education, to give shape
10 the system of education, is the worst
sort of thing imaginable. He had known
hundreds end hundreds of schools ruined
because a man had been appointed a
teacher from fsvoritism.
The aggregate of the commOners would
have to choose the Superintendent You
have County Board of Education. Can
there be anything more unWieldy than a
County Board of eighty men2 Very
little business could be done where there
was such q large body. He had been
mortified at being present at meetings of
Boards of Education, where one thing
had been adopted at one meeting and then
| rejected at another, thus making the
Board ridiculous.
In the vast majority of the counties
of the State there would be great desl
of difficulty in levying a tax. There was
no one who felt sufficient interest to act
in the matter. And so, in this whole sys-
TEN, you have to have such a system OF
schools as the people in the least intelli-
gent part of the State may require. This
was like having a missionary society
wait until the people of the country
wanted missionary sent TO them, and
were willing 10 pay their expenses.
The uneducated class, and also the
rich, would oppose taxation fer school
purposes. Suppose We place ourselves in
the shoes of a wealthy man. The man
called on to pay the heaviest part of the
tax might say, 81 cannot afford to do
this, as l send my children to private
schools Your schools do not have suffi-
Gent duration, and are moreover not of q
sufficiently elevated character to justify
me in Withdrawing my children from the
private schools" But if children were
withdrawn from private schools, those
private schools would be at an end. A
rich man would be sharp enough to see
that IN order to have good system of
education, heavy rate of taxation must
be levied. Why do people go to
the best hotels and to the best
tailors? Because. they would rather have
good article than bad one.
Another objection to the present sys-
TEN was, that it was system that would
came into operation at future day. He
Understood that the counties had to raise
all the money, and at the end of five
years he thought that half of the counties
in this State would not have the present
system In operation. Now, what would
the various towns do without schools ?
What would your Board of Immigration
do without a good system of education ?
A coed system of education was in itself
a sort of Board of immigration.
The proper officers should be appointed
by State authority, and no body of men
could select school agency without hav-
| ing some State direction. 1t would be
ruinous to any system not to have gen.
eral head. In manufacturing establish.
ments it was thought best to have a man
of general intelligence to superintend and
to give him fair salary.
The whole matter of education was as
much a matter of study as law or medi-
cine. The old system was for student
| of the classics and mathematics to carry
ell his love of abstraction among children
of ten or twelve years, which abstraction
they abhorred. Every good educator
| would consider the order in which the
faculties of the child were developed, and
if he did not, he would be like physi-
clan, who had never studied anatomy.
So also he must understand matters OF
discipline. Much also depended on the
skillful arrangements of the studies TO be
pursued. A man who had had nc
experience in school matters would
not succeed. In order to have
proper light on this subject there would
be State organization. The Doctor
further remarked that he thought State
Superintendent should be appointed. And
rather than not have this State Superin-
tendent he would be willing to pay hall
/ his salary, and the Doctor remarked that
he spoke suthoritatively. The Peabody
fund was distributed to the schools of the
State on condition that the schools should
be kept a certain time. And if there