Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-13
Our Public school system.

To the Union and Americans
So much has been said. and so much has
been written on the subject Of general edu-
cation at the public expense, that it would
seem as ifnothing now could be brought
forward; nevertheless, some years inyesti-
CATION of the matter i'm the position of
Chairman Of the Municipal Committee on
Public Schools, inclines me to believe that
| may lie able to offer some views on the
question which mas be worthy of consider
alton.
Passing by the abstract question, whether
children have a moral right to education at
the public expense, or whether such edit
cation is merely a great charity which
should be extended to all, in the interest of
society at large, l proceed to discuss rs
briefly as possible what think public edu-
dation should be, in view Of the fact that
the people have decided that schools shall
be maintained by the public expense.
In every branch of manufactures there
are various gals # ability required. The
man who can manage a machine which
stamps out disks Of metal subsequently to
! be formed into TIE wheels Of watch, need
not be of the same grade OF skill and abili-
ty with him who shapes and teHHpers che
delicate stripOf steel which forms the spring,
or who fabricates the minute chain used in
the same useful instrument. Should a
manufacturer Of watches insist that each
apprentice in his works shall become
skilled maker Of springs and chains, he
would plan no more absurdly than does the
educator, who urges that every child in the
community shall become learned in all OBJ
struse and difficult branches Of knowledge.
As the wise man will limit the labor Of his
employees 70 their capacity, and as q be-
neyOlent man will give everyone in his en-
plOy fair opportunity to rise to the high
est degree of excellence. according to his
natural ability, so should the furnishers of
this great charity (meaning the tax-payers)
give to each and every child the Opportuui-
ty Of acquiring knowledge to his fullest Ca
pacity, and there TO stop. Let us look at
the matter practically.
We will take loo children and begin
their education. In the process of time we
will discover that when 500 OF them Il as
sumo, Of course, an arbitrary and an entire
ly presumptive proportion in my illUstra-
ton, as it may in reality be much larger or
much smaller,) have obtained fair knowl-
edge Of reading, writing, spelling, geogTa-
ply, and the Iudimental branches of math-
ematics, they have mastered about as much
as they are capable of. 1t is true that hard
labor and perseverance might carry them
vet further, but with questionable ad-
vantage. The state of the case would be
discovered, with, Of course, possibility of
error, by teachers and examiners. We will
presume, then, that the 500 alluded to have
received all the education that will really
be useful to them in after life, aud further
drumming into them Of book knowledge
would be sheer waste of time, money and
patience. Il wOuld be wise, of course, to
give such as may possibly he capable of
Improvement further the fun benefit Of the
doubt and to continue to instruct them
until the fact Of their having reached the
limit of the useful is established beyond
question.
We would then continue the education
OF the remaining 500, carrying them into
the more advanced regions of learning. In
the course of time, 500 of these again an
arbitrary prOpOrtion) will have reached
point where the further prosecution Of study
would be a waste of time both for them
selves and for their teachers. By this time
these 500 BOYS will have arrived at that age
when they may become useful workers. and
will have the advantage Of a sound, useful
common school EDUCATION, or at least will
have learned all that is in their capacity TO
master with advantage. The remaining
200 are boys Of more than o binary ability.
God has given them larger brains; why, we
know not, but We are compelled to recOg-
nize the fact. We VIII go on with these
200 boys, teaching them the higher branches
Of knowledge, including chemistry, botany,
trieOnOmetTy, astronomy, etc, preparing
them to become in time educators and
scientific men.
1t may be charged that this system ex-
hibits partiality, but l say, no, nothing of
the kind. All start fairly; the prospect and
promise of the highest education is offered
to each and every scholar entered, without
distinction of color CT condition, and the
effort is relaxed only when it ceases to be
beneficial. It is eminently wise and
parental in its character. A judicious
father gives his children equal advantages
he places them at the same school and
watches over them with equal care. One
of his children in The course of time, ex-
hibits great natural ability and 4 remark
able turn for acquiring knowledge; that
bows ambition is stirred up, and the father
looks forward to his becoming a professional
OF scientific man, and an honor in that way
to Ills family; another, although equal care
is bestowed upon him, develops no literary
taste, cares nothing for books, and is salts
fed with the mere UIdiments Of education.
When the wise father is convinced that this
boy will never succeed as literary man,
he consents that he shall quit his studies
and turn his attention to some occupation
which does not necessarily require classic
or advanced education, and the boy, by
pursuing his natural bent, also becomes an
honor to his family in his own way.
Any other system than the one l have
briefly sketched, while it may be 10 a GER
tain extent parental, savors rather of the
method of the step-father. The cold, me-
chanical forcing system Of education, in
which children are regarded as mere recep-
tacles to be stuffed with complex and mis-
cellaneous knowledge is well q was about
to say hsppily,) illustrated by Charles
Dickens. in his story called Hard Times.
have no idea of being able to work a
revolution in scholastic matters, but this IS
a subject of so vast and so general an in
terest, that the ideas of every individual
thinker deserve at least to be considered
and properly weighed; and if a rational
system can be Instituted for the mechan-
ical process now in vogue, its benefits will
redound to the community, and the money
expended will be used to the best advan-
taae. JAS. b. CRAIGHEAD.