The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-06-19

Among other duties to be attended to
during the present year and amid the
excitement Of stirring political cam.
paign, which of course viii divert the
public mind in some degree from lis
customary channels, the people Of our
town and county ought not to be forget>
ful of their material interests in regard
to improvement of houses and farms,
the building up of schools and the put
ting into practice of those principles of
frugality which the hard times demand.
4 little care on the part of the husband.
man, together with favorable seasons
which we now seem likely to have, will
overcome by autumn the disadvantages
attendant upon the late spring and the
dry weather in May and June. Among
other things 10 be attended to, none viii
be of more interest and Importance to
the people Of the country than the putt
ting into operation, SO soon as the state
Of the crops Will allow it, the public
schools Of the various districts. The
Directors of the districts ought TO be
casting about for suitable teachers now,
so that when the time arrives for them
TO be examined by the county SuperIn~
tenden5 the schools can be put into
immediate operation. There IS little to
be gained, especially in the absence of
other schools, by complaining of the Ill
working of the present public school
system, for almost any system is better
than to be deprived of the poorest facili
ties for educating your children. While
there may be defects in the system, the
main difficulty, as we see it, is the want
Of sufficient means to employ a better
class Of teachers aad to keep the schools
up for a longer period in each year
This can be in amcasure remodied by the
people of each district, il a majority are
disposed to levy a sufficient tax for
school purposes. We have little faith
in any public school system which does
not provide the means to operate it.
As for the people of Bolivar the great
majority Of them who pay the most taxes
are deprived Of their share of the public
school fund by the ruling of the State
Superintendent in regard to oonsolida-
ton, We have ever commended that this
Is unjust, even if in accordance with
law, which we are disposed to doubt.
1t IS no argument that because a man is
able to educate his own children he
should be deprived Of his part of the
public funds, even admitting that the
rich should contribute to the education
Of the poor which we believe IS Just.
Many ofo tax payers have contributed
literally to the erection Of q handsome
school building in our midst and they
did this before the adoption of the pres
sent school system. The schools in full
tide Of success and offers better facilities
for education than any school conducted
under the public school law at it's pre-
sent status can possibly offer. Is it to
be expected that those who have aided
in building it up, when there was little
hope of having public school system
in Tennessee, should abandon an enter
prise which is a credit to the town and
send their children to public schools
with inferior facilities? What we have
here said Is true Of other schools in town
and county and We have taken this one
as 4 fair Illustration of our position in
regard to the public school law.