Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-05-09

aud sll classes will rst.oniLs your schools
llc IIcni because they get the best means o
I acquiring an education st less cost
% them than they would have "a
ny 10 private schools; while al
| me same time they have the gratifying con.
tclQusness that they are. without extra costs
/ 10 themse!Y5s contributing 70 the education
| Of those otherwise unable to procure It; and
the poor VIII as eagerly avail themselves Of
/ ,he opportunity; and while acquiring an ed u
cation, they a. the same time enjoy the en-
nobing iuhuence Of association With thCse
| whose moral and social ad -sntsges are OF the
I best Such has been the history and such Is
the inevitable result of free public education,
I wherever this policy Is pursued. Then you
| hear no complaint at the burden OF school
/ tsNaiion-s tax which all pay cheeriully and
than sbundsntly repaid for the exc
pendlture. We are not unmindful of the fact
mat our city is greatly oppressed with taxa
tlon, but surely not 10 extent that would
| warrant the total destruction OF our schools,
l nor the serious impairment Of their useful
| uess. Indeed, the highest and surest economy
/ Is 20 relieve orr Taxpayers OF the greater
/ burden OF maintaining private schools by
giving them public school equel - al their
necessities Let :: f:ee Oorne ia mind that We
are B.J esJs bli5hing nor maintaining an ex-
pensive high-schoOl, We have the rooms
| Ia building belonging TO the school
board that could not be Otherwise utal-
| ianitcT, superintendent, heating apparatus,
! anu sll otner appliaD ceS, as neCeGSary Ior the
| other schools and the only additional or ex-
ira expense Incurred in su ,ta mir your high
Scnool is the 50 iaTy OF fur tea cbeTs For such
a pbltIy consider alton als we to make so
hsz iTdonS an experiment as It's abolition?
"e1uOuld say not! 1t IS unnecessary The
funds at our disposal, under the la = as passed
! by the last legislature, seem adequate tO our
present wants, under our system, as now con-
Quoted. Tue, II we had more money, we
could 1nGugurate many valuable improve
nents in the conduct OF our schools, and in
crease their usefulC ess. But while the bur-
dens OF local taXsuOn Tor other purposes
hangs so heavily upon nur shoulders, IL would
be uuWlss TO decrease our expenditures. II
would be still more unwise TO progress back
ward in the cause of public education. Even
were II necessary to make any change in the
present organization and workings of our
schools, we think 1t mucn the wiser course to
begin al the other end Of the line, and elim-
in2le from Our system the provision relative
10 tue admission of pupils SIX years Of age,
and alter this figure 10 eight. The cost of ed
ucatug the children in our schools between |
the ages OF six 6nd eight years, is about double
the cost OF our high school, while the cOrre-
spending benefits are Incompatible. We do |
not say That change should be made |
this question is not referred TO us, but |
we do say that If any change Is 10 be made, |
let the ak be laid AZ the root ct the tree-the |
nearer The Ground you cut the better. IN this |
connection IL may not be improper TO remark |
that some of the most active and worthy |
members of this board, among the few who |
oppose our bign schools, seem led to that |
c urse bj a miscOnceptiOn OF public opinion. |
We frequently hear it said that pr bic opinion |
CehaDNs lL6 rulllQg OF OF tnlS expense. |
Since our schools are maintained by the pub |
lie, The optEion of this self same public |
shouid, OF course, govern and direct our &C. |
Ton IN the management OF their schools; and |
your committee would not Willingly run |
counter 10 its wishes. But, for ourselves, |
We do not so understand public opinion |
1t is our Judgment that very large majority |
of our people cherish with just and gener- |
Gus pride, our high-schOol as the keystone of |
the arch-ths crowniug glory of our public |
scbocl system, and We shall continue SO TO
think until the contrary is so expressed at the |
ballot-box. 1t must be borne mind that |
while two or three may Greats riot, by the
noise they make, yet two or three do not con-
slltute public opinion, however riotous their |
that minorities are always noi.y, and usually,
the smaller the minority the greater the noise.
And in this particular instance it is but an
at is with narrow-minded people |
as with narrOw-necked bottles, the |
less there is IN them, the more
Another thing that we deem il our duty to
call you attention to, is this, there is a GER |
tain set of people I've VIII not say clsss, for
we believe there is no class aTrayed against |
our schOOlsj in this community who wsge
cea eiesS war on our schools; some because |
because they are opposed to the education OF
other peoples children at their expense |
These people are always ready and eager to
Join in any crusade that can be started against |
our schools without regard to the truth or
Justice of the complaints. And these are the |
men who claim II be the eIponelts Of public |
opinion which Is said to bs opposed |
10 the continuance of our high |
5en0o IN IN neSe people we % can am, atoTd di 10
ourselves accountable only to our conscience |
and our constituents. Or course we do not |
mean to that all who oppose our hi h. |
school belong to the Eet above referred to. We |
know that there are tho who feel as deep |
and abiding int rest in he permanent success |
of our public schools as the mC5t ardent of us, |
whose honest conviction is that the high |
school should be aboiishC as matter of ne |
cessity for the present. With these we have |
no cause of quarrel, and we cheer1ully accord |
to them the same honesty of purpose that we |
humbly crave for opr- slvcs, In conclusion, |
we do most he Htily unite In king that /
such action be t-ken by your board |
may etfectualy and forever settle |
the existence or non-eXlstence of our high |
school. Tue state of unc erilinty in the public |
mind as 10 the future OF this high school has |
had, is having, and VIII continue to have, |
every school under your Outrol, and more 50 |
in the primary and gramm 2r ore 1l3 than in /
the high LchOol itself. We have been ap- |
preached by pupils in er- IN, and by parents |
or pupils in The lower gre les anXiOusly and |
sa Ny iDquiriug If the goIl ID which the chill |
dren have been % ZealOusly 81 rugCIing for the |
pest few ye3Is is - be rudely torn from them |
when almC t at their fngers' ends. In |
stoition to this, many parents are in /
vate schools ipTte ID of TO your |
hign school, for fe?r OF its abolition before |
their cource can be completed, before their |
graduation; and to save their children from |
disappo ;ntment, and themselves from The |
expense OF having ID cend them hack to |
private school, under d fferent system of |
instruction, before they can receive a dip
Iona, they go at once 70 the private school. |
This state OF uncertainty as to the contin- |
nance OF the hi2h school, is almost as per-
niciouS as would be it total abolition, Let |
your action toni9ht finally settle this Que--
ton, 20 as - pGt al end - all further agtta- |
tion anu anxiety on This subject. II a major. |
ity of the people of this community disap- |
prove your action on q matter OF such |
vital interest. they will not be slow
If known
We hope to be excused for SO lengthy a report, |
hastily thrown together, crude and undi igested |
as is its form. But we feel so deep an interest |
in the matter under consideration, that,
while de~Iring TO say more, we could not say |
less. All of which Is RESPECTFULLY submitted.
W. &. FOLKES,
<. b. ROBBINS,
JOHN y. RANDLE,
II, TOWNSEND.