Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-28
OUR COMMON o
Structures upon ExamlBatiOns-Hhy Should
Teachers Lose by VaGations2

Editors AppedJ-As your Learned re-
porter" has no school accounts to render
for SUNDAY reading" you may not OBJ
jscJ TO a couple of odd fOgies" tanning
the subject with a slight bre6zs from the
days Of ''lRng syns." Those good old
days when the three +. r. K 8 were con-
sidersd the uIBimatum Of school learning,
and they were so ehectually taught that
no scion Of the told field SCHOOL, dared
question the photography Of Reading, Rlt-
ulg and RiUtmetic. From this earnest
faithful 'seab OF learning We come to the
asmOdel boarding school" both male and
female, where extensive preparations are
annually made in the way Of Thesplan
societies, dialogues, charades ana other
flTciuJ performances to delight dOblng
parents and humbug less fond ones into
believing their dear hOpetuls had attained
q vast amount Of learning; and OiGen-
times half the scholastic year is apprO-
priated to these same preparations or IN
''soirees musiCdles' and not musical
seaucss, and other foreign innovations;
for the vulgar English tongue would
never answer in displays made by TINS
latter daV race of Brummels. Better mis-
pronounce foreign idiOms h use u
commonplace mother tongue correctly
since "schCOl examinations" seem still
to be the nOrdsr of the day" or in more
modern p~8rlsnce, "just the rage" quite
the thing" "COnyBrsiug with the world
I we use the worlds fashions" and what
fashion has sanctioned common sense
scarce dare criticise. Yet to an "old tOgy"
who has often listened TO Professor Nc
Gutfsv's euIogies of the common
schools" of the Northwest, 1t seems rsther
strange TO see these public shows IN
Graded schools, where il is supposed by
| those who understand anything Of the
workings Of these same graded institu-
as-- MrnH HLa HafnnHAnN hlHFHH glnn ma
tent no pupil has passed without beng
thOroughin the preceding grades, with
! McGufeY, we believe that when properly
| conducted these graded are the
/ best engines Of education for the masses
| ever known. l well remember on9ot his
many narratives in connection with
/ these SCHOOLS in which be appeared tn
| Goa in one Of the district schools" Of the
! Northwest and found a young ~barofooted
woman Of about twenty years of age in
| structing a number Of balefOoted urchlns
in the regular SOcratic mode, each one OF
| his barefOOtsd brigade feeling perfectly
/ at home and giving his or her opinion
| freely, and added the DR., 81 never listen
ed to a finer feast OfressOu and h0w Of
SOUL and never can l forget that best
/ davis teaching 7 ever witnessed; and yet
had a committee from the school board
| come along as 1 sat there listening, while
/ nv horse and myself rested, they would
| no doubt have reported this teacher as
keeping q disorderly school ana been
/ suspended" We have never heard OF any
/ such lack of appreciation by our MEM
/ dhis Board Of Educstion;' yet it does
seem that some of their proceedings sre
ambiguous, especially on the time
/ tablet Shall we work these teachers
/ nine months or ten months? Shall We
nav these teachers for the time they work
| or for the time they think they should
work. and they consider and vote and re-
| UOte 10 reconsider. Do not teachers have
to live in vacstion2 This seems to be
/ about as philosophical q question for con-
alteration as the one which some Of our
| clergy have recently been discussing. II
not 50 spiritual, it is altogether as neces-
sary to the physical weu-belng OF teach
ers, male and female. Why pot settle the
vexed question by doing as 1 am told our
New Orleans neighbors do, pay the same
monthly stipend whether school Keeps
| or no" strange what a difference there
should be 'twixt tweedledum and twee-
dledee."