Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-19
The superintendent SaIary-AOw 1t
was Raised, and Wky-Bs
Duties Ineessant and
Lab0rious.
A Religious COrrespOr Seat 10 the Res
eue-A Sert Of HGOd in the
Consultation Sort
Of Genius.
& Bitter Opponent Of the COIOred Rsee
Does Not Want the Negroes
Educated ct Public
Expense.

tons OF correspondents in regard TO tn
school controversy. The first of th
three below has reference TO the super
intendents salary, and we think Is
complete answer to a Tax Payer j.
yesterdays APPEAL. Ii is reasonable
logical and conclusive. The second
which breaches the religious side Of tn
question, we think mischievous ant
smacking of the intolerance which Tyn
dial and all his compeers, and every sen
sible man, protests against as an impu
dent, meddlesome sttempt to limit tn,
growth OF human learning, investiga
ton and intelligence. When ~ NJ
writes again on this subject we wan
him to remember that In the Genesis
which he parsphrsses with much lesl
reverence than the scientists he bur.
lesques, he will find in the first chapter
that God gave man dominion over the
earth and all that it contained, and that
it is not for any men to set up dominion,
spiritual or temporal, over their fellows,
save as they do so Of the free
win and consent Of the governed. The
modern idea in church and State is one
Of personal freedom and accountability.
Any restriction Of that freedom is a des-
potism to be resisted. No church can
answer for man or woman at the last
4they must answer for themselves.
But society, formed for the good and
benefit Of the majority, has a right to
protect itself against the weakness OF
humanity, and as education makes men
aud women better and enables
them to perform their duties
to each other most fully and fairly, each
one voluntarily surrenders of his inherent
right and liberty for the good of the
whole, and preferring honest citizens to
and desiring to avoid the
the bloodshed and the crimes
growing out Of the assertion and at
tempted maintenance Of religious dog.
ma, makes provision for q secular edu.
cation that all are free to accept or re-
iect. We must therefore follow the law
Of the Divine teacher and render to
Cesar the things that be Cesar's, and
to God the things that be Gods. The
State must educate her children and
each church or religious body must see
to it that its children are instructed in
Its tenets, in the church and the Sunday
school. The State cannot recognise re-
ligiOn in any guise, and cannot and
ought not to divide its funds for the MAIN
-enanee or perpetustion of religious doc
-rines. She performs her whole duty
when she opens the doors Of the COM
non schools. And they must be kept
open st any cost Of time or money. Ed
leation expands the mind, and lifts the
man above the brute. For that reason
We have to say to Justice who is the
most impudent and cheeky Of all our
correspondents, that the APPEAL desires
md urges that the negro shall be edu-
,ated. Justice" can move, and
he may fulfill his threat against the AP-
PEAL, but we will not be deferred from
he espoussl Of the cause Of the poor
10Th black and white-nOr will we
ease, though there were fifty thousand
Justices to urge the support Of the
Common schools Of Memphis as the
ure refuge Of all who would flee from
ignorance, vice, and crime, and find q
afe harbor in intelligence. Justice" is !
me of few stupid ignoramuses who live
'nly for themselves, who, IL they had |
heir way, would erect themselves bar
Ter to all progress, and to all profit save
hat which brought money to their own |
pockets. Justice is more narrow
minded and bigotedl than ~. NJ" and
re suspect must be hand in glove with
hat erudite scholar who parsphTases
ienesis with the glibness OF one whose
sin was q hatred of Tyndall,
hose glorious assertion Of per-
1Dal freedom at Belfast marks
mother era in the history of the world.
Justice " is one OF the few whose stu
id malignity outruns his Judgment
ne of the few whose utter
noes, when they are allowed to pass
are taken by the people of
he world to represent those OF our
,ction. We repudlste them utterly,
nd assert again, as good, sound Demo-
,atie doctrine, that the APPEAL is in
.vor of the education Of the negroes, be-
ewing that the more and the better he
educated the more and the better he
i'll labor and the less likely he will be
remain the prey of Radical villains.
ye want Justice" to know thst il edu-
ltion makes the priest, the judge, the
wyer, the scientist and the statesman,
is absolutely essential to the proper
axe up of the lsborer and the meehan-
We have no caste here, and we want :
me. The road to advancement must
sither be clogged by political
II religious prejudices. The party or
e church that will not bear the inves- l
cation and challenge Of men and that
mot be defended successfully before
telligent and enlightened men must !
ay out and make room for those that
M. The free exercise of the reasoning
culties elevates man above the brutei {
let us in Memphis prove that We are :
orthy our high estate.
,e school QuesIisn-The Buperinten- [
dents Salary. II
EDITORS APPEAL-The objections 1
ged By "Tax-Payer" IN the APPEAL !
Wednesday, to the city superinten- S
nt,s salary are so wide Of the mark as Y
). almost amusing. So far from the 8
esent superintendent's salary having {
en- raised BY his personal friends or t
berwIse, the fact is that it has not been &
i-ed at all. Before he was elected the e
Iary was fixed al its present amount. o
vas a member Of the board of edues- &
ID al the time, and / know that the q
ard very properly determined to fix q
e salary before q superintendent was y
,cted, Several sums were named, and 3
3 majority OF the board fixed the q
arv At three thousand dollars. The a
'nler superintendent, who had served q
a salary OF twenty-one hundred dol o
q, became q candidate for the posi- e
n at the new salary, but was not re- o
cited. Nor was the present superin- e.
ldent chosen from friendship or favor Il
sun. l believe he had then but one or q
o personal friends In the board. All O
events, he was a comparative n
anger TO nearly all the members, and y
g selected by the majority of the g
ard, principally on hishigh reputation B
road as q successful and experienced is
leator, and the Testimonials Of his pro- Ct
sional co-iabOrers. This may have y
20 an experiment at the time, but it il
3 evidently resulted to the credit of our 70
y and the great advantage Of our al
ture to pay the superintendent full IL