Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-24
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

10 the Union anu American:
There can be no doubt but that any num-
Der of gentlemen that choose can meet, and
form any number of mutual admiration
societies, and call them Estate Teachers
Associations" or ''County SuperintendentS
Conventions" but whether they have a
right TO do so upon means arising from the
toll Of the people by taxation, is quite
another question. / have read carefully the
reports of the doSngs and sayings of the two
assemblages Just mentioned, in session in
Nashville last week, as reported in the daily
UNION AND AMERICAN, and have looked
in vain for any information showing. g.that
the school law and its machinery, which
they praise 50 much and make the occasion
Of so cUihplementing one another, are ediI
eating 4 single child in the State that would
not be better educated without them. 1t
is true, one single Superintendent stated
in his county, there were 3,299 pupils Gen
rolled in the Schools" but he did not say
how many Of these attended school. The
Secretary of the Board of Directors of the
district in which | live told me yesterday
illal the FOUR sCli0OiS III the district had not
averaged more than ten regular attendants
to the school, while there were more than
two hundred enrolled. My information is,
that the same is true of nearly every district
in the county. And | have inquired in re-
gard 70 adjoining and the intorna-
tion is not different in respect to them.
These facts are stirring the minds of the
people. They are inquiring, why raise large
sums by taxing the industry and enterprise
Of the working masses TO he expended IN
supporting an army of ofiiee-holders, and
paying teachers to, sltir empty school
houses. This is the question uuat Is now
up, and it will not down, nor can it be put
aside by any parliamentary trick, or other
wise. 1t will have to be answered. 1t may
be answered that it is the peoples fault, if
they do not obtain the benefits OF the
schools, when they are established for them
and teachers employed. That may be all
true, but who Hre YOU, to bs debating to
the people? When did You learn they
were not capable of attending to their own
affairs? Besides, whose money are you
operating on? If your own, then you may
90 on operating it as you choose, under
whatever preteuce ven chtose, whether
You accomplish the UrofeSsed object Or not.
The fact that the people don't patronize
the public schools is an evidence that they
don't want them. The law establishing
them is not the expression Of public Cpin-
ion, and hence is imperative for good. Be=
sides all this, can any one show any reason
why a government should tax a people to
build school-hOuses, and pay Teachers to
teach, that would not be equally q good
reason why it should Tax the same people
to build churches, and pay preachers to
preach in them? Both notions go on the
presumption that the people do not know
what is best for them-are not capable of
taking care of themselves, and hence nearly
all governments have done both, especially
the latter, and are still doing so. What
crimes and sufferiDgs, such interference of
governments has caused, the veriest tyro
in history knows. Can any one show me
the difference between taxing me to support
a system of theology don't believe iii, and
taxing me to support system of schools
don't believe in? To compel me to do
either, is the meanest of tyranny. J.W.B.