Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-11
NASHVILLE AS AN EDUCATIONAL
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! interest in Nashville in 1851 was naught.
| In 1871 it is second to no other, being
| charge upon our taxpayers of over nifty
| thousand dollars, employing fifly-nine teach
ers, occupying six large buildings, and CIV
| ing Instructions to three thousand flve nun
| dred and sixty-one children between seven
| and eighteen years of age. 1t will by 1891,
| Judging by what has uniformly taken place
| in all other American cities, be by far the
| most costly as well as most popular and
useful department of the city government
| These schools take little boys and girls at
| the very threshold of knowledge and carry
them through the primary and grammar
| grades so thoroughly as to rank them OF the
! first-class. The boys and girls high schools,
| English and classical, because of the great
expense and the few scholars attending
such schools, are but partially or imperfect
ly supplied.
| Why should not this excellent and costly
system of preparatory instruction be mace
| the foundation for a great university
| in Nashville which shall embrace
within its domain the entire range Of hu-
man knowledge, together with its applica-
| tons to the daily wants of man? The said
university to affiliate more or less all the
! special and higher schools now in useful
! operation in the city, whether under public
| charter or as individual property, and all
! others that shall be hereafter established.
! All such institutions being so intertwined as
mutually to enhance the educational resour-
ces of Nashville and each other. The bond
! connecting all together, assisting each, Grip
! ping and interfering with none being the
! Board of Education so enlarged, empowered
| and endowed as to become the agent of the
| city in dispensing its bounty, good offices
| and support to the individual members OF
| the system. The subdivisions Of this COM
/ plete municipal university to be open to ey-
! ery pupil resident within the city limits free
/ of charge; the higher and special schools to
non-residents upon payment of the required
/ fees. By carrying into effect this PROPOSE
/ ton Nashville will at once take pre-
! cedence of any other town or
/ CITY in all this region, and in
| very few years will become city Of colleges
and special schools of every description, the
planwhen adopted admitting of indefinite and
! endless expansion, as the liberality of indi-
viduals, private enterprise or public need
may require.
To elaborate the plan thus announced in
| the above few sentences would require much
| space. A few hints must suffice here to
! show its practical workings. As just stated
| our excellent public schools are deficient
when we come to the door of the Boys and
| Girls High Schools. To put up suitable
| buildings, provide necessary apparatus and
! books, to pay able teachers, requires many
thousands more than q city upon the verge
| of bankruptcy is justified in expanding. Let
the city government enact that the under
graduate Department OF the University be
the Boys High School, paying into the
University treasury the tuition Of the linn
| tied number of scholars from the Grammar
schools whom the Board of Education
recommend as qualified. AT once we become
as far as our boys are concerned, quite on
par with the great cities of Philadelphia
and New York. The Academic Depart
ment of the University becomes an integral
member of our public school system. The
poorest boy in our streets is as free to go to
its envied halls as he is to enter the walls
of the Hume or Howard schools. His
father resides within the city limits, and he
has only to be good scholar and pass repu-
tably from A, B, c to Grammar, through
Grammar to the University, and through
its classes to its honors. 1t is impossible to
conceive plan more completely fitting our
poverty and our needs. 1t gives us a great
| ltlU0 SCHOOL III NLlCu VIC may AclhC Juot
| pride-a worthy completion to our inferior
! grades. 1t makes the University dear to
the poorest citizen, and where genius is con-
cerned, breaks down within our corporate
limits the middle wall between rich and
poor.
The Bows High School being thus com
pletely and cheaply provided for, our Boards
of Education may give their undivided
I IL - hot
we have for years so greatly lacked,
a fully furnished Girls High and Normal
| School. Here again comes in most efiec-
lively the principle of combination and CO.
operation, without which we can do moth
inc and through which we can accomplish
wonders. When we speak of Girls High
School. we speak of what is in itself a no
bic institution, capable alone of eXalting
community. Its course Of study extends
through at least four years, and requires
teachers highly educated and well supplied
with all material adjuvants, who with their
classes must be suitably housed. As fin
ishing off of our public school system, this
is even more indispensable than Boys
High School, for all our citizens are able to
send their daughters to school for a much
longer time than their sons. The rich and
middle classes alike may use it. To the
poor it is a noble boon, for let it not be for
gotten that it alone opens the door to the
only profession worthy wOman's notice
that of teaching. This school to be cOnve-
niently accessible to all our people must be
situated near the meeting spot Of the va
riOus street car lines, that is, in the very
centre of the city, and hence upon costly
F lot. How can impoverished, despOiled
Nashville undertake at once the establish
ment of such a Girls High School, as
neither Louisville, Cincinnati, nor even any
+ city south of Boston possess? BY not be-
inc selfish. BY endeavOring TO help its
neighbors while helping itself. By making
this Girls High School itself NE foundation
of one still higher and yet more needed
the Normal School of Tennessee.
Stimulated and encouraged by the work
ings of the Public Schools within the city
limits, our neighbors and friends of David
son have now in successful operation a
county system. As the city finds it difficult
, to do much beyond the primary and gram
mar grades, the county finds it impossible
Let our Boards of Education welcome into
their Central High School all girls from the
, county or elsewhere, duly qualified by
scholarship, upon payment of reasonable
fees. Thus great public want will be sup
,, piled, and our poor city treasury will b.
much assisted in meeting the cost.
For many years past, from Shelby to John
son, the friends of education have lamentei
the want of a Normal School in Tennessee
The lamented HattOn gave eloquent voice
b. to this want. Repeated efforts have beer
4 made to supply it, but in vain. In all ON
. goodly Southern land there are no schools 70
training young men and especially youn:
I. women as teachers. When our daughter
have finished their education in the acade
s my, seminary or other school, they must 6,
o at once into the schOOl-rOOm without tina
!, full preparation furnished at the public eX
/; pense in every Northern State. We neeC
not wonder then that so constantly strang
d ers from the North are assigned position