The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1874-07-16

East MISSISSIPPI, July s. 1874.

Won a letter last mouth. for two reasons.
First. because had little OF interest to
communicate, and second, because L knew
that the various ''commencements and
examinations, and celebrations would
call out host of scribes, and that the
papers of the State would be, surfeited
with letters. If one-haIf what letter
writer's report of the brilliancy ofindivid-
ual performances on these interesting occa-
sions be true, Mississippi will soon be in
state Of mental illumination, which shall
destroy every retreat of ignorance by dis
polling all darkness. For two weeks L
have been reading glowing accounts of
matters connected with our schools,
and so far not one student has
failed on examination, and not one
teacher has fallen below perfec-
ton. Happy Mississippi The oc-
cupation of the Fool-killer has been
taken away. In one paper | read the
other day, of an examination in Latin,
Greek, Rhetoric, Mathematics and
French, and the lowest mark was 80.
Most of the students obtained SO and
80 go; not few 100 (perfect). This is
certainly wonderful if true, and true it
must be for the announcement is in the
newspaper.
Mr.. Jones has been reading AL these
things, and regret to say he will be find
inc fault He is too incredulous, and
| is evidently behind the times. lester
day, when l showed him the report of
the examination referred to, he INDUCED
in the following expressions. William,
| the great Napoleon once said, the world
is ruled by baubles; and he spoke the
truth. | have been reading the various
accounts of examinations, etc, for several
days, and am impressed with the idea,
that, in 10 one thing is truth and the
absence of sham more necessary than IN
matters of education, and In no one thing
| is there less of the one or more OF the
other. Teachers know that outsiders, the
people generally, know less of school and
the honest, proper management OF
schools, than OF almost any other subject,
and newspaper correspondents are no
exception to the rule. If one-half the
pains taken to create an impression at pub
! lie exhibitions were honestly bestowed i'll
thoroughly drilling students in methods of
| thought, in harmony with the principles
of mental growth, and in harmony with
the first principles of common honesty,
and students were quietly discharged
with the adnonition that ''before
honor is humility" great good would re-
| suit.
Instead of this, boys are marked per
| feet" after learning to repeat perfectly
routine instruction, and parents are en-
Unused because they are easily persuaded
that they are rearing giants. Every
crow believes that his little crow is the
blacklist little crow living" and almost
every parent is easily persuaded that his
or her offspring is all that foreshadows
the greatness Of the great. Sprightly girls
are presented with diplomas at seventeen
years of age, and read essays that sound
like the deliverances of middle life, yet
parents fail to discover that the diploma
is cheat, and that the essays make
horrible discord with the fitness of things
The popularity of parental feeling and
the shrewdness of educational gamblers
cover up the rottenness of the whole
transaction. A living stream of gifted
graduates poufs from our schools and
colleges every year and yet that stream
is lost to sight, amid the commonplace
duties of life. Those gifted students
who are marked 80 $40 and who
are so brilliant IN essays and Grafton,
and allude so gratefully to their distin-
guished preceptors, as to extOrt croco-
die tears, are like young wasps, larger
st graduation than at any subsequent peri
cd.
There Is school, William, or was onein
an adjoining state, conducted by a man
now well stricken in years-perhaps his
work is done-from which | never read
one of these glowing accounts. In that
school failures On examination were more
frequent than brilliant success. 1t was
in the country, and closed each year with
quiet ''God bless YOU" and sent It's
students home, impressed with their many
imperfections and the necessity of labor.
The memory of that old man will be fra
grant, when these great educators" are
forgotten, even by those whom they have
deceived. | know that these are progress
sive times, but Truth, Honesty Humili-
ty belong to all times and are not discarded
without danger"
K x x X K j. X
The comet has appeared, and may run
into the earth. If it should do so, the
whole Chancellor business will be settled,
and appointer and appontees will be cited
to a tribunal where
''--sits judge,
No king can corrupt"
There was once little boy, standing
among strangers, in an humble cottage
by the bedside of his dying father. He
looked out of the window into the west
ern sky and saw, streaming there, the
comet of 1913. The refraction of his
boyish tears surrounded the heavenly
stranger, with halo, as the spirit of his
father bid him adieu; and every evening
now he sits down and imagines that
spirit which would bless his life, and
which, perhaps, directed his orphaned
pilgrimage, is born up and along on that
chariot of light. The little boy is now
gray-headed man.
Our crops are suffering for rain in this
portion Of the State. Some communities
have had good seasons. The rains have
not been general. Corn is now at point,
where one good rain would secure to us
enough to serve the people next year.
Cotton is very small, and must be work |
ed over once more before "Iaying by."
The health of the country continues |
good and money scarce. 1t is predicted |
by Bro. Smith, that this will be a good /
summer for protracted MEETINGS We |