Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-26
NASHVILLE UNION AND AMERICAN, WEDNESDAY, MAY g. 1875

have largely added to it by handsome leg
/ islative or individual gifts.
No other State, however, has been OF is
likely to be the recipient Of such splendid
and productive patronage from distant
sources as Tennessee.
|
While thus hastily listing the aid re-
| ceived by Tennessee from liberal souls in
other States, mainly for higher institutions,
we must not omit the splendid liberalitv
/ and wide reaching work Of that large
| hearted son Of Massachusetts,, George Pea
body, who perhaps, next TO George Wash
/ ingtOn, viii be best known and most loved
by future generations Of Americans. In
/ all more than 100000 has been distributed
| since 1851, to Tennessee schools of
/ various grades. All this has been prize
money, and, hence has stimulated a vast
| deal Of work, which otherwise would have
! remained uudOne. Indeed qualified wit
| nesses are Of opinion that but for the aid
held out, in days Of gloom and discourage
| ment, by the Peabody trustees, the effort to
/ sustain apublicschOOl system in Tennessee,
would have been, eIe now, abandoned.
| Certain it is, that the present attempt to
| create system Of normal colleges, whose
beneficent influence shall reach, without a
|
| from their liberal action.
By reason Of the statements above made.
the friends Of education IN Tennessee can
very well take the broad position that the
State, as such, may leave superior or uni
versity instruction 10 the churches second
/ airy or the academy and high school TO
counties, cities and interpretations endowed
| by individuals; concentrating, al all events
| for the present, its whole energies upon the
development the primary, or elementary
| district school. The common school and the
normal college as essential to its efficiency,
| being provided for by the State, and the
| other great divisions taking care Of BY in
| diyiduals, as / believe is iufallibly certain,
Tennessee will have a system Of education
] as complete as that Of Massachusetts, and
| very nearly akin to the one long maintained
| in that State, while it viii be an outerowth
Of our own peculiar location and circum-
stances. This view, il true, is most en-
cOuIaging, because it leaves our public
men to provide for Just that species of
school in which every voter is personally
interested, and because Of zeal in adVOcat-
ing which, never yet did any statesman
anywhere lose votes or favor with the
masses. This view is also encouraging,
because if in ten Yeas or therelOouts Ten
uessee is placed upon the same level with
MASSACHUSETTS,, a grand work will have
been accomplished. Massachusetts, the
world over, is acknowledged as taking the
lead in education On the Western Cont |
nent, just as Prussia does On the Eastern. |
SO that to rank alongside with Massachu- |
sets as an educational centre, is to take !
the very highest position. This splendid !
result is perfectly in our reach. Nothing /
is wanting but broad and liberal views in /
harmonizing and ecOnOmiZing our immense /
educational resources to make it a speedy |
certainty.
We can now see the position of the nor
nal college in the Tennessee system Of /
education. Secondary and superior schools |
being left to individual or associated effort, |
but an efficient system OF district schools /
being Ia operation throughout the State, /
Institutions viii be needed % train teachers |
for these schools. These are an essential l
part Of the district school system, and 4
hence with that should be provided for by
the State. And rs upon this view these
are the only institutions above the district |
schools which our State need assist, and as
through the district a.hOOls these come in |
contact with all the citizens Of the State,
is it asking too much that they should be
projected upon a scale commensurate with
their object? The public school system Of
Tennessee being well established, the pres
ent population Of one million and a quarter
wOaid require four normal colleges, each
Of an annual cost at least equal to those Of
New York. As in many States, these
may be placed where the best offers Of lots
and buildings are made TO the State, thus
making the outfit to fall upon the lOcali-
ties desiring the normal college. One Of
these four should be for American citizens
Of African descent, who constitute about
one-fOuTth Of the population Of the State,
and whose labOrs fully prOuUce one-fourth
Of the annual wealth Of the State.
As the public school system is not vet
fully developed, perhaps two normal col
leEes would answer all the present necesSi-
ties of the State. Doubtless among the
university cities and towns Of Tennessee |
there are some which may make liberal
offers Of grounds aud buildings for this
purpose. Individually / have always be-
heved aud argued that the teachers school
has every claim, if not some peculiar. for
being an integral part Of a fully-rounded /
university, as has the law, medical, or any
other school. Ceutraiity and convenience !
Of access are also points Of great i'm
pOrtance, especially in the establishment /
Of The first colleges, upon the usefulness Of !
which so much depends. With these views
and with the impressions made uDOn me |
by visitors from all parts Of the United /
States, with whom, dur nc the past eighteen |
months, / have So often made the educa-
tiOnal tour Of Nashville, have no hesitation
in saying that the first two normal schools !
Of Tennessee should be opened in Nashville
al TO distant dly. 1.-THE citizens Of Nash
vile and the managers Of her universities
are wise in their generation, such offers will |
speedily be made 10 the proper authorities {
as would, by the unanimous voice Of the ]
people, secure this result.
Why should not The Governors of that l
noble ediiice which So conspICUOUsly arrests
the eye Of the gaZeg from the pOrtiCOes Of
this splendid Greciau monument, and I
which carries the COuJemplatiOns of the
deyOut Christian fIJm the late peculiar
American inStitutioltO its connection with
the regeneration Cf tie vast african CONT
nen-, offer a portion Of its spacious halls
and the advantages Of all its Unfit 20 the
State Of Tennessee for this great work Of
training teachers. Fisk University can ac- =
a first class normal school, and
not miss the room.
The glory Of Nashville IN old times was
its university. HJt, Is fully shown above, ii
one marked result Of its very usefulness z
has been the continued and repeated cut {
ing down its field until now lis work Of =
education, The very work for c.
which it was founded, and in which it
achieved national reputation, has become Il
! work Of supererOgatiOu. Ii
What mO-e fitting than that a corpora
ion. which took the lead in classical and
medical education when these were felt
wants in the entire State, should now take
he lead in normal education, when so r
many thousands Of parents and hundreds Of !
-Oung teachers in Tennessee and the sur v
'oUuding States earnestly wish for them Al
elyes tho privileges enjoyed in the North n
vest and the Northeast The University OF
# Nashville was created for the benefit Of Ia
he people Of the entire Stale. It has done / 7,
great and good work for the people Of the in
.utire State. 1t has now the opportunity ! liz
# doing still q great work. But these | -
Jews l may, perhaps, enforce better in the tC
language Of a distinguished educator from | D
kentucky, who thus writes after a recent | a.
oiOurn in our beautiful capital: 81 was
.eeply interested in the educational
Institutions Of Nashville while l was n
With you. But reflection upon the ~