Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-31
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

prise fair and honest trial, to prove
It's efficiency, or expose its defects, land
much less to correct those defects, we
notice an article on the above subject.
The writer seems never to look around
him to seewhat others have accomplish
ed, and to learn from their examples,
but to look necessarily backward and
pine over failures heretofore" He
finds great fault with our new school
law, and POUNDS his complaint on the
fact that 1T has been in operation now
for taUo or three months" and "to give
it an opportunity to succeed, the labor
and enterprise of the State have been
heavily taxed" and as a sure proof
that the present system must fail, he
cites Estate Of facts which exists in
his neighborhood, and blames the pres
ent law with all the failure. If that
neighborhood is like the most of neigh
borhoods where such state of facts
causes Of such failure. The system
has been in operation for short while;
indeed, it can scarcely be said
to be in operation at all yet: Many
difficulties were in the way, which have
not yet been surmounted. We cannot
expect complete success at once. If
the system is adhered to and perse-
vered in a decade or SO, we may expect
to see success. 1t will take time, and
patience, and effort to make such
success as is found in some of our
sister States. In this county the great
cause of falling off is the inferiority Of
the houses. There has not been so
much interest taken in this important
matter of education as should have been
taken; but that interest is incrpasma,
and is exhibited in the repairing Of the
old and the erection of new houses. In
some neighborhoods where the people
never had any houses or schools, they
now have successful free schools. /
find much less opposition to free
schools than | anticipated. Only a
few restless characters are giving
trouble. They are generally men who
have finished the education of their
children, and do not have foresight
enough to see the advantages that
would result to them, especially from a
higher standard of education among
the masses.
This is a trying crisis for Tennessee.
She stands seventh in the Union for
ignorance, according to our last census.
This stigma is humiliating to the true
friends of all interests of the State
When they see that about forty-one
per cent. of all her citizens over ten
years of age, cannot read nor write.
they are justly alarmed. Through the
efforts of our best educators we have
the present system of public schools,
system no doubt far superior to any we
have ever had. 1t has some Imperfect
tions, but yet it is nucleus around
which an excellent system may be built.
These friends of education are standing
on the watch-towers and warning the
people of the radical evil and deadly
foe of all good-ignorance. They re-
alize the situation, and are not so sure
that the natural desire" is all efficient
and sufficient; nor are they willing to
promulgate the doctrine, that the pco-
pie should got be stimulated by public
assistance. They are not satisfied with
saying IF people want knowledge, they
will have it." They believe men ought
to be, and must be, taught to
cultivate that ''desire for knowl-
edge, and that it IF let alone, will find
the means of its qualification" The
desire for knowledge is probably natu-
raj, but unless cultivated and developed
it viii lie dormant forever Men who
have given the subject most attention
are convinced of the danger of stopping
with the announcement that 1.-THE way
of knowledge is open to the shumblest, |
poorest and obscurest The writer of |
the article referred to, may have been
an humble, poor and obscure orphan,
and yet have succeeded in becoming
eminently distinguished, but if so, his |
case is one out of a thousand. True,
we have noble examples of the success
Of such characters, but they are proba-
bly, those ''few who were not born to |
die" This viii not do as q general |
rule for the masses. The history of |
public schools in all the States, every
where exposes the falsity of the po-
sition that this interference Of the
Government in matters of education,
in the form Of free schools with their
officials ard Government employees,
may be all radically wrong and the at
tempted exercise of illegitimate func-
lions of government" We are sur
prised that any thinking-man should
take such position.
The great question with us is, how
LII H., Jxf
the masses be elevated? The best in
terests of the whole State land every |
man in it, demand the education Of |
every child within her limits. Can this |
be accomplished by private enterprise? |
The past says, it cannot. Can we sue
coed by public effort? The history of |
public schools, where they have been
fairly tried. gives US the assurance that |
we can. Massachusetts heads the list |
in literary advancement. She has her
public system, which has firm hold on |
the confidence of her people. A very |
small per cent. of her people are litter |
ate. A distinguished lawyer said that |
in an extensive practice of twenty seven |
years, he only met one man IN his bu j. |
ness who could not write his name. |
New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, |
and, in short, allthe Eastern and North |
ern States, and those Western States |
that have had public schools, have a
very small per cent of illiterates. Many |
of them less than five per cent. unable |
to read and write. Ii they, bypatience,
energy and perseverance, accom-
plished 50 much Ray not we succeed? |
This is the opfy hope. II We cto ast-
eoIGe up shoulder ~ shoulder in the |
work we may expect to retrogradie. !
These examples beckon us on; let us
follow. Thequestion of compulsion is
mere hoblx goblin OF the fancy, |
AMI, tlike an other phantoms of the !
brain, eds only to be approached to |
vanish assHsist into thin air." Others
have suceecded without it; but if it
should be deened necessary, or expedi-
ent, by our legislators we do not see SO
much despotism or tyranny in such a |
step. The State is the guardian of its
subjects. It's peculiar province is to |
protect persons under disability. Every |
child is entitled to receive, during its |
minority, such education as will fit it |
for the duties and responsibilities of |
life.' Without it, it must grope it's way
4I,,.,,x.l, i l.. |