American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-08-17
Address TO the Public by the Board
of School Directors.

reopening the Public Schools Of
Madison county; we deem it proper
that the public should be informed
as to the present, as we'll as fhe fu
ture intentions of the Board OF
School Directors. This will be OF
benefit both to the public and the
School Board.
Therefore the people, who are SO
deeply concerned in the welfare of
/ the schools, have shown so little in
terest in the efforts of the Board
; ana have failed to facilitate them in
! their work, that it has rendered
much of their work Intellectual, and
abortive, but we attribute this lack
Of cooperation more to the fact that
public schools, being, i'll Il measure,
new to the people, were not proper
ly appreciated by them but we be-
licve now, that since they have
seen the good that has been done
by them, can see what vast deal
for good could be accomplished if
the schools were in every respect
properly managed, that they will
afford us every facility and give us
all the aid in their power. With
this belief we confidently appeal to
them.
First, we need good Teachers,
those who are ready and willing to
do their whole duty-whO will take
an interest in the progress of the
scholars. and the success of the
Public School System. We have
found great difficulty in procuring
Teachers of this description for all
the Schools; many of them who
have been employed have proved
themselves all that could be desired,
bnt still Il large class seemed only
anxious to secure the salary, and it
mattercd little to them whether the
scholars improved or not, or what
might be the consequences of their
neglect on the success of the Pub-
lie School System. The employment
of many of these teachers was on
the recommendation of parents OF
chilren in the heiShborhOOd of the
schools were employed. Now it is
hoped that no citizen will lend his
name to assist any person to pro-
cure employment in the public
schools, unless they know them per-
sOnally to be competent, worthy
and public spirited persons. We
further ask that the people of each
neighborhood will take an interest
in the matter, and if they have no
such person in their neighborhood,
that they will make an effort to Sc
cure one. Let every person who
has a child to send, think of this
matter seriously, and take that in
terest which he owes to the welfare
of his child.
AS to the school houses-we have
heretofore paid high rents for build
ings; this was made necessary from
the fact that every one who had
building seem to think that because
it was for the public, and that pub
lie money paid for them, they were
free to ask exorbitauts rents. This
is all wrong, and hereafter it Is the
intention of the Board to pay no
rents, or very little, and we shall
give preference in regard to the To-
cation of schools to the neighbor-
hood which offers us the best flcili-
ties in school buildings.
We now appeal to the people, and
ask them to come forward and give
us the use of good, comforta BILE
buildings. We have required but
SO, 900 to be levied for school tax
in the county, and it is our inten-
ton to carry on forty schools for
eight months with this money, and
in order to do this it will require
great economy. Therefore every
one will see it is to their interest in
every way to assist US in this great
work. Let every one lend a helping
hand, and we pledge ourselves to
use every effort to give every child
IN the county the great benefit of a
good school, at the same time econ
the public money.
BY order of the Board,
JOHN WILLIAMS, Pres.
DAVID PINGREE, Sec'y.
Il, S. JEFFREY, Asst Sec'y.
NoTE.-Maj. Williams wishes US
to say that although he may en-
dorse the substance of the above