Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-01-24
More About Our Public Schools.

| IFIDuteu an article TO the column
of your worthy paper concerning
the condition and progress of ou
public schools in Tennessee, and
beg leave to enter a few more line.
which, | hope, will interest al
friends of education, but more espe
cially the citizens of Tennessee, who
are striving to educate their chill
dren in the public schools thereof.
In my article Of Dec. 9Th, which
was published in the Knoxville WING
AND CHRONICLE, of Dec. 18th, in
which | alluded to the cause Of SO
little progress and so little interest
manifested in some localities as re
CARDS public schools, by elccting
| inefficient school Directors, the true,
legitimate meaning was manifestly
misinterprette1 by some. In the
clause referring to ''illiterate, indis-
Greet and injudicious voters" I did
not intend to impose any dishonor
whatever upon those who are unedu>
Gated and were deprived of the
privileges and advantages in their
day and time, that their children
now enjoy, but on the contrary,
trying to exhibit the danger of per-
mltting the Uneducated to direct the
education of our children, for upon
the moral culture and mental dis
cipline of our children depends the
Perpetuity Of the nation.
This is the reason, and the only
reason, why l suggested the ap-
pointment Of School Directors by
County Superintendents. l do nos
wish to dictate to our present
County Superintendent how they
should execute the functions of their
positions but, it does
seem to me, that they would do we'll |
to go about the work wildly, and |
achieve this greet aeces8ity. of
course this appointment of School |
Directors by County Superintcnd- |
ents must be effected first, in the
of the State by repeal
ng the clauses providing for the
election of School Directors by the
people; then radical change can
be effected in school supervision.
The County Superintendent can
then 60 into every district and by
actual investigation select the best
material, the best Informed, the best
educated and the best Christian
men to control the schools therein.
We have seen in ages past that it is
almost detrimental TO the welfare
Of the nation to allow the vote of
the masses to exert its influence in
4 political sense; much more then
IS 1t dangerous when permitted to
control the education of our chill
lren. When the Peabody fund so
lgitated the mind of the people, a
'ew years ago, they consolidated
NO districts in some localities and
ERECTED suitable and expensive
houses, expecting to receive and
rom that source to continue the
chOols ten months in the year, but,
when the Peabody fund was appro-
oriated only to a few schools in the
State, some were for dividing the
schools, thus making two separate
chools in two distinct neighbour
foods, which should not be done,
because it diminishes the number
f students for each school to such
n extent, and incurs double the
Expense by having to employ two
that the schools continue
My about four months at each
chool house. Whereas, if the
istricts remain consolidated, one
eacher can teach the entire school,
nd thereby curtail the unnecessary
expenses of two instructors, and
nus prolong the schools to at least
light months in the year. Thus
be propriety of the schools re-
undivided can be seen by
very intelligent and impartial
bserver in the State. And l do
ope that the County Superinten-
ents Will draw tighter reins and
ee that these things are conducted
udiciously. Some complain of the
istance, but they ought to re-
1ember that every man can
lot have his school right in
is door, and that it is better
o walk two and a-half miles to an
light months school, then walk one
nile to a four months school.
These facts are self-evident. The
yer cent. Of attendance of the
scholastic population, and the ex-
1erience of teachers show that the
poor mans money is educating the
'ich mans child; but this can not
De remedied without a compulsory
school law. If the above destruc-
i've agencies can be removed, the
public schools will cease to be con-
animated and moLopolIzed by inju-
licious and demoralizing governs
nent and our society will cease to