Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-02-05
Those School DirectoTs-A Question
Of Veracity.


had received a letter from the Di
rectors of the 18th school distric
of Jefferson county positively deny
ing the charges made by Mr.. Johl
n. Parker against them, We deem i
our privilege, on behalf of the peo-
pie of that district, to say that tn
charges are virtually true, and, al
evidence of the same, we respect
fully invite the attention o
the public to the following peti
ton, signed by ffty-nine voter;
of the said district. There are only
about IS voters in the district, and
ten of those who did not sign the
petition said Mr.. Parker ought to
have his money, but they were
owing one of the directors, or his
brother, and feared to sign the petit
ton lest they should be sued, or
gain their ill-will.
The petition was presented to the
Clerk of the Board, who said cit
was of no use, that they would not
resign if Iery voter had signed it. -
MIR. Parker had presented them
some weeks before with a petition
signed by thirty-one patrons,
representing ninety children, ask
ing them to pay him,
for his services, which they would
not do, as they had dismissed
him because he would not
allow three boys to chew tobacco at
school. Mr.. Parker finished the
term with entire satisfaction to the
parents of ninety children. The
peoples petition is as follows:
MeSSrs. John r. Wooten, Eassard
Vest and Wm. Wright:
GENTLEMEN: The undersigned
citizens of che 18Th District, Jeffer-
son county, Tenn, respectfully ask
you to resign your positions as Di-
rectors of our District School.
We do this in view of the fact that
you can not, as you have stated,
conscientiOusly comply with the re-
quest made by a large majority of
the patrons of our public schools,
viz, that Mr.. John n. Parker be
paid for teaching our children from
Sept. 9th to Dec. Goth, 1873. We
recognize in Mr.. Parker thorough
ly competent teacher, Christian
gentleman, who, by precept and
example, has surrounded our little
ones with an influence calculated to
make them grow into a better man
and womanhood.
We ask for your resignation, be-
cause you have opposed (conscien-
tiously, you avow, proper school
discipline, by advising boys to disre-
gard one of the prominent rules
governing the school, thereby Great
ing a spirit of characterization,
weakening the efficiency of the
teacher, and sowing seeds of dis
cord among few of the patrons of
the school.
We ask you to resign, because two
of you, Mr.. Wright and Mr.. Wooten,
having no children to send to
school, fail to realize, as do the un-
dersigned, the Importance of a
proper training of the youthful
mind, and that you fail, also,
to appreciate the manhood
of a teacher who persuades the
children to live cleaner lives, to
abandon bad habits, that they may
be better fitted for future use
fulness. No doubt some of them
will become our School Directors in
the good time coming; that they
will act with more wisdom is the
belief of, Yours respectfully,
H G Whitaker, John l. Matthews,
Jacob Sharp, Samuel Mills, |
B j Mills, Jesse Mills (per
wife), Branson Mills, ] NJ Mills,
John G Jones, Isaac Jones,
Hiram Anderson, George w Pearce,
Jesse Coggins, J G Perkinson, G
w Mckinney, Cyrus Naples, Joel
Parkinson, w r Humbord, M G
Kersling, J K Henderson, II Fl
Humbord, S W Hutchinson, David
Norton, William Bird, Charles
Johnson, Elisha Hammer, John A
Taylor, James II Moore, Joseph G
James, Isaac Gwin, David Saunders,
] A Evans, Robert W Redwine,
John T Sellers, James Traviss, E
Ii Pierce, NJ M Perkins, J A
Parker.
Colored voters-Charley Huff,
Harris Hoskins, Paul Hopkins, Geo
Broiles, William Powell, Charles
Munsey, Andrew Vance, Cannon
Meek, J A Nance, Washington
Nance, Anthony Huff, VIM Howell,
VIM Meek, Tony Fain, Sewer West,
VIM Thomas, John Neal, j r
Raper, Elijah Brazelton, BARLEY
Bradley.
Ifmany districts are manipulated
by such directors as the 38th, of
Jefferson county is, the Legislature
would confer a great blessing upon
this State by abolishing at once and
forever, the office of District School
Directors, or, as has been suggested,
niacin0 the annointment of directors |