The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-10-31
LETTER FROM WILLIAM.
CENTRAL Teas - 1s77

obdIe nave really Oeen " spell pound" as
many times and in as many places "a the
correspondents reeite, they are certain TO
lose their health. An unhealthy people
cannot hold up the great interests OF State
! like Mississippi. Ny opinion is, thar the
people are not spell bound' so often as cor
respondents reeite, and that. therefore, the
correspondents are at fault. There is a con-
slant tendency To exaggerate everything.
Not only is this trueSSof correspondents, but
it is also true in society generally Ny old
| friend Arano, whom you will remember as
having lived from the worlds grey fathers
d Dwn, says that exaggeratioR, such as spell
bound, 'hear pin fall" etc, are simply
social germs of fasehood. A man begins
TO exaggerate and winds up by telling lies.
Such men mean no harm. l know a man
IN Texas whom | knew once in Jackson.
This man has a habit of knowing every per-
son you may mention. " We were boys to-
gether." L have known him for twenty
years." are his expressions. 1t is said there
is citizen of your State who never tells a
malicious falsehood, but who delights to
speak of his early life. his great wealth, in
other times, his adventures and exploits.
his escapes and victories, and many other
| matters, such as private misfortunes and
family affections, etc. Mr. Jones says that
although these stories hurt no one else,
they sink their hero to the plane of a COM
mon liar. Arano says that such has always
been true of some men. l trust, in view of
the facts in the case, and in view of the
moral aspect of the case, CORES pondents
will not report audiences "spell bound,''
but will draw the matter as mildly as pos
sibIe. Of course, some allowance mast he
made for old habits.
received letter yesterday from MIR.
Jones, which l ask on to print for the ben
eft of whom it may concern:
OVER THE CREEK, Sept. %, 1877.
DEAR WILLIAM: If YOU do not hereafter
give nv views on subjects about which |
write to you, please say nothing about me.
In letter OF yours about month ago. yOu
spoke Of the action of the Board of Trustees
of our State University, and expressed my
sentiments in relation thereto. Subsequently,
an article, signed OCTAvIUs, appeared in
the CLARION, and you have atte.l pied no
reply but stated that you wished every boy
| to look to Oxford and to Oxford alone for
higher culture" Qualify higher culture"
by making it strictly University culture,
and you are right; but, when a school is
supported at the public expense, and is
| CalIcU Il UNIVERSITY IL StOuIu US IHdJ ANA
| not large central, free preparatory
school. So certain as the University
at Oxford is made free, and receives
| scholars of all degrees of advancement so
! certain must it come in contact with every
PREDATORY school in the State, and starve
| out every professional teacher No private
enterprise can live, when the State I nj
versity has preparatory department that
| receives all grades and is free to all. | have
always opposed an OvershadOwing central,
Fran frryy N
| best work ever done in Mississippi in the
cause of education was done in private
| schools and colleges. Summerville Insti-
| tute, Mississippi College and other schools,
| have made record in usefulness that will
| tell on the history of this State. All schools
and colleges conducted by individuals or
| societies must linger and die, if the present
| policy obtain. Ii the University must be
| free, let it be free University, and IN COM
petition with no high school or college.
| Let it be strictly for that "higher culture"
| for which the State alone is able to provide.
| The best teachers that Mississippi has pro-
| duced have closed their schools and gone.
Those who remain must yield to the SmOth-
| ering policy of gentlemen who are man
| ging the University. Mississippi College
/ may stand by reason offs hold upon the
affections and pride OF great people, yet
| this same people are contributing to sustain
| a grand central establishment, which de-
| stroys all private schools and strikes at the
| Viuals of their own cherished institution.
| WO to the State that destroys all her pri-
| vate schools and drives all teachers from
| her borders, and relies for the education of
| her people upon trail system of free, COM
| mon schools and one central school, where
| all grades and all subjects are taught sub
| ircts from the lowest to the altitude of an
| ordinary college, aud stops, where your
| "h CHER culture" should begin. Now Will
| liam, you must know that teaching is pro-
| fession, a laborious, learned profession.
Law is also profession. II the State
! should establish a big law firm that trans
| acted all business, without charge to liti-
| giants it might increase litigation. but it
| would hardly improve the legal profession.
/ As matters now stand, when an accused
| party answers, in court, a charge made bv
| the State. if he be unable to employ coun-
| sci. the State authorizes the court to en-
| ploy counsel, that the ends of justice may
not be defeated. The State too. provides
physicians for paupers and in prisons but
no doctors are centrally located to practice,
free for every body. Why then should
teachers be placed centrally in the State, to
| attempt to educate the entire people, free of
cost, and to destroy professional teachers
The attempt will be a failure as the princi-
| pie Is wrong.
Octavius is no doubt good man, as was
| McCalum, in law. Parson Hand told
Judge Hamm once, that Nc. was mighty
good on some pints." Octavius has zeal for
the University. and zeal is a good thing,
but the zeal of Octavius is not in accordance
!
schools much, | imagine. He may be a
Trustee, for it is notorious that Trustees
| of schools and colleges are rarely
school men, but gentlemen who have
succeeded in pursuits, which take
them from a position, when they might
learn something of school management
| Now, if l guess right, and Octavius is a
| Trustee, you can say no living man told me
| He writes like Trustee, and is no doubt a
member of the University Board. He is,
/ m mt
Your friend,
/ JOHN JONES'"
Now, gentlemen, am not going to lei
Mr.. Jones get me into trouble with Mr.. Oc-
tavius about a matter of great interest to
your people, but which is not my business
Let Mr.. Jones and Mr.. Octavius fight it out
l had intended to write about insects and
dedicate my effort to my friend, Col. Power
who is fond of excursions in entomology
but am not in the humor now-will attenC
to it Afterwards.
Gov. Hubbard is raising several regiment
looking to trouble with Mexico. Should &
war come, am not going, but Texas will
take the job of soothing Mr.. Diaz.
1 had the pleasure of meeting in ny
cabin, two days ago, Rev. DIR. William
Howard, of the first Baptist Church of Gal
weston. The Doctor came upon me una
wares, and said William, / am glad to see
you in this great country" Years ha,
passed since / had met the Doctor, and
} lifted up my voice and wept. We talked o
times in West Alabama aud East Mississip
pi, and of hopes long since buried, how on
after another of our most beautiful vision
had fed. The Doctor is perhaps the frs
preacher in Texas, in breadth of SCHOLARSHIP
and finished pulpit eloquence. He is yet Wig
orous and has promise of many useful years
Letters received recently ask me the ques
ton: care you satisfied in Texas ~ Yes