Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-19

| Without reference 70 the period OF Lnel
service. But the board could not q,
this, because 1t did not have the money
The superintendent, however, is Away
on duty. he is by the rules Of the cit,
schools made "the executive officer 0
the board Of education, under its con
troll, subject 10 its rules and regula
tiOns," aud is required to "attend 81
its meetings, unless specially excused
TO devote himself exclusively 10 thu
duties Of his office; 10 devote himsel
10 the study Of the public school system
and 70 Keep himself acquainted will
the progress of instruction in othe
places, in order TO suggest appropriate
means for the advancement Of publii
schools in this city" He is also d
"see that the regulations IN regard q
these schools are carried into full effect. ,
This was tue practise before the presen
superintendent was elected. For al
this full years work, the salary was
and Is, designed as the complete com
pensatiOn, no allowance being made FOL
travelling or other expenses. The super
intendent has always been paid his full
years salary. because he has been KEEP
employed for the year. The items
above named do not by any means in.
4
of the superintendent. They may be
found set out at full length in the rules
iof the city schools. Yet it Is
that a superiuiendentis attainments
are no higher than teach
er's, and his work is not half as hard.
To ne this appears like the smallest sort
Of "earping. l agree that there should
be no show OF favoritism INDUCED by
the school board 10 this or any other re-
spect. But do not believe there has
been 8 particle OF it In this instance.
As taxpayer myself, am decidedly in
favor Of continuing our present admira-
bic system; and if there are no stronger
or more valid objections to it than
those urged by Taxpayer" in his COM
municatioD, which have go much the
air OF personal opposition to the present
uperintendent, / think we may well
continue the schools. The real question
he presents is one Of economy only,
Did the board fix the superintendent's
salary too high2 1t is, Of course, pOssi-
bic that the board In this made mis-
take, but it has not yet been made ap-
parent. l am glad 10 see that a promi-
nent bank-president thinks the mini
mum salary should not be less than
three thousand dollars.
ANOTHER TAXPAYER.
Religious Teaching the Necessity of the
ssour.
EDITORS APPEAL-Let US reason 8
little, and leave wild statements and
baseless theories out OF discussion. The
school question is very live topic, and
the more it is nationally discussed the
greater the good that will come. It is
question upon which the citizens Of
Memphis may argue together as breth-
rem with the ealmness and dignity that
BELTS SO grave a subject. Education
csnnot 60 backward. The spirit of
progress which marks the course Of
things forbids retrograde movement.
1t is not possible that any one can be
found to advocate 8 halt. There may,
however, be large differences of opinion
IS to the means of education and as to
what constitutes proper matter for study
IN public schools. Edward Everett said
that those things which are embraced
in the range OF what you call the three
IRIS" form the elements Of q good,
sound education. / think. they are as
much as ought to be taught at the pub
lie expense, the curriculum that en-
braces comic sections, Greek, music,
psychology and logic belong rather to a
college course, and it is too much to
ask tTadesmen and draymen, who have
succeeded, after years Of toll and rigid
economy in making a home, to con-
tribute toward the support of such col
leges where the children of the rich
only can be the beneficiaries. A poor
man, mind you, cannot afford to let his
remain so long. He must take
them away TO earn a living st hard la
Dor, or to learn trade at the bench, so
that he cannot in any way benefit by
this highfalutin education. He can
only enjoy the questionable happiness
Of paying his hATd-earDed money for
the higher education OF the Doctors son
next door. There is another large class
Of people in this city who refuse to send
their children to the common schools
because religion is not taught in them.
These are honest people and good eiti- !
zens, who are worthy OF respectful |
hearing at least. The objection they
have to the common schools is solemn
one, and becomes more important in |
view of the widespread infidelity and !
skeptieism that prevails among the |
learned people of our day. There are
two thousand children in Memphis re-
eeiving q religious and secular educa-
lion outside the common schools for this |
'eason. Their parents pay the taxes,
put receive none of the benefits. |
They are persuaded that it is not |
Iafe to divorce religion from secular
knowledge; that the things of God and |
he next world, and all moral principle,
must come first and come always; that
he human soul, being the center Of in
diligence and consciousness, must be
Ilwsys in the presence of the beautiful |
3od who made all things out of love.
Any system Of teaching different from
his must be failure. They hold that
10 possible good Of earth can cOmpen-
ate even in part for the loss Of God;
md any system of teaching is deficient
where He is set aside,
Many OF your correspondents seem to
hink that the common school provides
panaces for all human ills. l notice
hat those correspondents show more
empeF than reason IN their commune
ations. Wild assertion is dOve-tailed
q with al cdptGndlnl appeals in an
rtful sort or way. With them every
7Ord uttered about schools is tortured
alto manifestation OF conspiracy and
srk-lanternism against education per
e. They seem to think that there can
e no education nor even virtue outside /
common school building. In their
urry and heat they divide the whole
opulatiOn into two elssses-eriminals |
nd common school pupils. You ap-
ear yourself to indorse this nonsensicsl ,
Justification. There is no reason in
MS. The scholastic census shows
nat there are ten thousand chill
rem Of school age in Mem 1
his. Let US admit that the /
verage attendance at the common {
,hools is three thousand. According /
the arguments of the Ledger and I
)me OF your correspondents, the country !
lust be saved, and republican institu- [
ons perpetuated, by the thTee-tenths I
lat go to the cOmmOn-sehools, while {
Re seven-tenths that do not go are enc G
lies of every thing good and sacred on I
le earth. The alternative Of common. 7
'bOOls or jails is obtrusively and offens- I
ely showed under our noses all the Y
me by the heated and unthinking adj {
Dcates of the "system." Those cham \
ons of Hang the Expense +" advance 5
'guments that have no force, in view Of I
le fact that schools and jails have I
punished side by side for half century i,
. north, and it appears that crime, in q
cad Of diminishing, Is actually increas- o
& up there, so that the philaOthropists b
e making the jails as large and ele- il
INT and costly as the schools. The q
ct is, the penitentisries are full, sind .
e common expression is that the worst Il
imInals are outside In spite of the glo- a
ous eommon-schOols. The common N
hooi is a radical idea. Already they r,
I'VE achieved whatever of perfection 4
e system is capable OF attaining to Ia I,
ose places and States where radical h
n of all sorts finds q proper radius. h
he APPEAL of Sunday morning Z
Id, editoriaI,y, that rsdicalism, of n
nich this common school sYstam is a .,