Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-09
OUR PUBLTC SCHOOLS.

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
To the Union and American:
The answer of Anxious to my
first article requires only brie
reply. Like all persons con
scious of a weak cause, he manifeSts the
conviction by violating rule of cOurteOu:
debate in the first sentence. How can il
affect the argument to say that j. w. b. is
''One of those restless spirits that has no pa
thence to give any enterprise fair and
honest trial?' Whether j. w. i. be {
''restless spirit" not disposed to ''give any
enterprise a fair and honest trial." is not
the question, any more than whether Anxious
is a county superintendent with a salary OF
five hundred dollars a year, and only giving
so much attention to the duties of that
Office, as he can conveniently spTe from
his professional engagements, is the queS-
ton. The question is as to the success of
our present school law. Anxious says it
has not had time TO succeed, but if we
wait a "decade or Sc" it will be a success.
But then success is what was claimed for il
by its numerous train of officials. 1t dis a
great success says the State Superintend-
ent, and all the county superintendent
echo the statement j. w. b. mod
Colly oohClf INV ouCICco.
1t may have paid the salaries
of officers. Ofiice-holders are the protected
class i'll this government to-day. But how
many children is it educating that would
not be educated five hundred dollars cheap
er to the child, were no such law or school
system in existence? Gentlemen will find
many demanding an answer to this ques-
ton besides those who have finished the
education of their children, and they will
not be put down by being called ':restless
spirits" There may be a want of good
manners in epithets, but there are no ar
guments in them.
Anxious does not question the facts pre-
scented by J. W. B., but says there are 9TH
er facts which are the cause of the failure
of the school law. This is no doubt very
true; J. ". b., in that article, did not at
tempt to give the cause of the failure. He
only attempted TO adduce evidence to show
that the school law as such, hadso far failed.
Why it has failed is quite another question,
but a very important one. 1t may be laid
down as an invariable rule, that the sue
cess or failure of any laT, among a
free people, depends solely upon the
state of public opinion in regard to
il. He is an unwise legislator
for such a people, who does not
acuuaint himself with the state of public
opinion among them, and govern himself
accordingly. The great commOner Of Ken
lucky never made q tTueT remark than
when he said, ..He is no wise statesman
who does not take into consideration even
the prejudices Of the people for whom he
legislates." 1t ought to be well known, for
no truth is better established by all the his
tory of the past than that it is useless to
enact laws in the face Of public opinion
and expect them to succeed in free State.
Hence the appropriateness Of alleging the
success of 4 law in one state of society as 4
reason why it should succeed in another,
where a different condition of affairs pre-
vail. But suppose public opinion is wrong,
as it often is? Then it is desirable that it
should be changed. But you cannot do
this by law. Surely no one knows so little
about human nature, as illustrated in all
its history, as to suppose that the opinions
or pTeiudiCeS Of men can be changed by
acts of legislation. Law can change
nothing. 1t may Obstruct, disturb, intensi-
fy opposition, and arouse pTeiudices, when
not the expression Of pre-eXistinS public
ODinion, and thus. instead Of doing
anu
which is precisely the effect, in the opinion
of this writer, the present school law is
having in regard to the great interest Of ed
ucatiOn in Tennessee to-day. Though 4
native Tennesseean J. ". Is. has been in
Massachusetts, and while he admits that
free schools have been a success there. he
knows and is proud to say il, that taking
thewhite population Of Tennessee alone into
the comparison, there is 10 such difference
between them and the people Of that State,
in point of Intelligence as Anxious would
have us believe. For one 1 am tired Of
hearing the opinion that the white people
of nv native State are so much more ignO-
rant than even the people of Massachusetts;
fO~ l know 4 IS not true. We need I'M
provement. We need more Intelligence.
But YOU can never force improvement on
US. NOu can never increase our intelli-
gence by taunting us with our ignorance.
That system can never correct CUR errors,
or enliEhten our ignorance that burdens our
industry Ly taxation, and then eXpends
two dollars TO pay officials 10 where one
goes to tie cause Of education. This sys-
TEN may be considered a fine one 50 far rs
these officials are concerned, but it would
soon impOverish Us, and keep our children
in ignorance forever. j. W. Il.
Z. ). Since writing the aboya l have
seen the communication of Unus in an
swer to my last article, as well as the chaSte
and dignified address of the State Superin-
tendent to the County Courts. Inreply to
Unus, may say that no enc can be more
in favor OF schools Tor our children" than
am. In my humble sphere l have been
an earnest worker in the cause of educa-
ton for more than forty years. Ii he will
pardon further exhibition of egOtism in
a man now past three score years, will
say that knOlC that any one can get an ed
ucation that wants it; and | think | know
that YOU can force an education on 10 one
that don't want il, nor on any ones chill
dren who don't want them educated. | be-
lieve more children would be educated, and
better educated, if schools ana the whole
| cause of education were LEFT to the vOlun-
taTy support OF the people than by any such
system as now in force in Tennessee, or by
any system Of public schools You can put in
| operation while the present state of public
| opinion remains unchanged in regard to
schools established by law, and supported
| by taxation. Do You say that thai public
| opinion is WtOEg. lac result of prejudice
/ ana ignorance That may be true, but you
and may yOciierate these words till we
wear out our lungs without changing one
mans opinion, or removing a solitary
prejudice. That there is a steady progress
in human affairs for the better GlOst IirIu-
ly and devoutly believe, but that this pro
gress Cain be forced, Or anticipated by any
| interference Of governments, IN the form Of
sumptuaFy or protective laws, l d. no; be.
lieve. The whole history Of all such at.
tempts in the past, proves the abOrtiveness
OF any efforts of the kind. So that
would !nOdestly suggest that these County
/ Superintepdents had IS well keen cool, as
.hIs Nh1le suRject viii be investigated.
j. W. B.