Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-06-29
The Avalanehs, rroloana slumbe.

The AvRlRnehe's rFOfOund Slumber.
To the Edi'or Of the Ledger;
Everybody remembers how, last De-
eember, the whole city was agitated on
school affairs, and how it was boldly
charged on the street, in the cars,
through the press, in fact everywhere,
that Picket had been imported here by
certain carpet.bsg friesds in the Board
who wanted to give him a good place and
plenty of pay. 1t was further boldly
charged that be was not a well-edacated
person, that his spelling was bad and his
pronunciation peculiarly vicious, that
be bad no executive ability and could
net, or did not, properly grade the
schools. The cir became thick with the
squibs and filings and clamors of a dis
satisfied people. Yielding to the force
Of public opinion, which demanded
something should be done, our School
Board-a ls Beecher-sppointed a COM
mittee to investigate. Aud that commit
tee-a la The Seether commitlee-took
especial pains to 90 to such persons as
would be sure to give puffs aud praises
OF Picket, etc, and took especial pains
not to 20 where it would be likely to hear
anything contrary to the ~laudatory
scheme they were determined on. That
School Board committees report was a
nice embarrassing job, got up with a
ludicrous air of gravity. Unluckily for
the wbiteWash, those meddlesome fellows.
Meriwetber and Vance, on the part OF.
the Protective Union, had done a little
investigating in dead earnest, and there
was rather a shaking of old dry bones,
when their pesky report was laid beside
the whitewasher. Now during all that
excited discussion on school manage
ment, our dearly beloved Avalanche
slept the sleep Of the righteous, aud Just
now wakes up, rubs its drowsy eyes,
catches a chance word, ana sagely utters
its dictum. which is just about as much
suited to the facts OF the case as if old
Noah himself had risen and given us bis
views Of the controversy. Says the
Avalanche: THE Board Of Education
has promptly and wisely responded to
the public demand for r%etrenchment and
economy" Promptly OF course the
Avalanche could know nothing of the
persistent and violent opposition made
by the Board to every suggestion Of
economy; it was fast asleep when Presi-
dent Kortrecht affirmed the schools we're
run with a "niggard economy" And
that at the very time a man was paid
$50 per month for teaching a class Of
nine scholars, and when a little aristo.
cratic school OF twenty-seven scholars
was taught in a little house on yelling.
ton street at a cost Of $88 per month,
and when a superintendent was paid
$4,000 per nine months, and q hundred
other extraVagances we're going on. The
Avalanche was deaf when the Board
and its claquers falsely aud loudly &C.
cused the people who advocated econ.
ony Of hating the schools. of wanting tC
destroy them. Prompllyl II that word
is a sly sarcasm on the Board, the Ava
lanche is indeed sarcastic. But il it il
used in sober earnest il shows how pro
found it slumbers. Wisely responded
Does this refer to the Boards recent &C
ton in the election Of teachers7 II so
still keener is the sarcasm, or still deeper
the Avalanchian ignorance. Where il
the wisdom in the reduction Of some anC
the addition TO the pay Of other teachers
see from the LEDGER Miss Higbee re
ceives $3.50 per month, as last year. 81
do other teachers, while some ar,
ent down to fifty or sixty dollars
Where is the wisdom 10 paying Picket
10 such times as these, $500 more thai
any other Superintendent was ever pait
paid, as q member Of tbe Board stated
| on account Of personal preference
= Where is the wisdom of the 40 calleI
normal school, which seems to be AZ ex
| peasive as the high schools, withoutt bei
;, efficiency 1t is said q normal school !
e to train young persons, not children. i
!, the art OF teaching-to fit young me
o and women to become teachers. Doe
the Board suppose there will be sue
numbers Of ladies and gentlemen in on
city purposing to become teachers as I
= Justify so expensive an establishment a
. the so-called normal SCHOOL, Has Chi
city School Board any legal authority I
s set up a normal school2 Some learne
attorney had better look into this ouel
= ton. Miss Higbee, principal of the mr.,
jected normal school, is to be paid SI5
g per month, just what she was paid .
d. ...l e II n