Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-07-04
The Graded School.


pleased me, as | consider a
school of this kind, upon a prop
er basis, cheaper and i'll every
way more permanent. With
out any preliminaries / wish in
a brief way to state some of
the advantages of graded
schools, and in figures TO show
that such a school can we'll be
established here.
All graded schools have not
been a success, and the reason
Of the failure of some is found,
in part in the fact that they are
started without a due consider
alton of the cost and a proper
weighing of all the difficulties
attending such organizations.
Let us begin then with this fact
before us, that whatever is done
for the whites will have to be
done for the Understanding
"of the same quality" if not the
"same quantity" Of it. This /
would obviate by making the
principal of the white school
also superintendent of the col
ored school; let the teachers
of the colored school be paid
from the public as now, simply
holding themselves subject TO
The supervision of the superin-
tendent. This is done in a
number of graded schools known
to the writer. This must be at
tended to some way; if this plan
will not work, then some other
ought to be definitely laid out
before the school is established.
or it will come in as an "after
clap" and give trouble.
Next is the cost. / make the
necessary expenses Of a school,
such as would be permanent, at
least $500. This to some will
appear too large; let's see. We
wish this school to be entirely
sustained by the public in or
der that it may be independent, IA
bove all factions. We wish more
over to make it such a school, as
far as instruction is concerned,
as will insure athorough drilling
of our children and command
the resrect Of the surrounding
neighborhood; to do this we
must offer such salaries as will
insure frst-cluSs Instructors.
We expect in this school about
$50 or 200 students; no less
than 5 teachers will be required
to teach them. To have it prop
erly graded no less than 3 de-
partments will be required:
Primary, Grammar and High
School; i'll the primary depart
ment there should be at least
3 grades, in the Grammar 4; in
the High School 4; then again
We see the necessity of at least
5 teachers. Now the principal
should have at least $500. /
put it this high in order that
he school may command the
best talent. lst male assistant
should receive $500; the End
male assistant, $500; the two
lady assistants, $500 each, max
ing IN all $4,000. We throw in
the $500 making tie $500 for
expenses, wood, coal, repairs,
DC. Now how Isl to be raised?
From county and State tax al
ready levied we will receive at
least 81, 900; the remaining ST.
500 can be raised by direct tax
alton. The wealth Of this dis
trict is one million and quar-
Ter, suppose it to be only one
million upon which if tax of
p mills on the dollar be voted
the remaining $1,000 can be
raised. But one will object
that this is a heavy tax; l grant
that, but propose to show it will
in the long run be a saving of
money. The yearly average for
the course which is proposed to
be taught in the graded school
at the rates now adopted by the
Female Academy of this place
would be $50. Now suppose a
man to have one child and to
own IS, 900 worth of property; at
p mills he would pay $3.50 a
saving OF S22.5O each year. We
therefore conclude it would be
cheaper to vote upon himself
the tax.
A school thus established
would be more permanent also.
Good teachers at the salaries
proposedcou besecured and the
institution would of course be
better. AS the number of teach
ers would be greater, the divis-
ion of labor could be more COM
plete, hence better results could
be, with justice, looked for.
1t will be noticed that | have
not taken into account the Pea
body Fund, nor the probable
outside patronage; these we,
no doubt, can get, but since the
Fund is growing less and less
each year and the foreign pat
ronage is very uncertain, in
deed, we had better not permit
either to enter into our calcula-
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