Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-08-21
Letter from Monroe County
HePEKEhLn SPRINas. Az

by s. :; upon the. snbjeetoof Nor
NAL training, at Maryville, Blopnt
-eeuntys Tenps With which + was
very forcibig impressed Maryyille,
no doubt, has among the best
schools in East Tennessee and a
corps of the best teachers 3 In
reading this article / was brought
to reflect upon the standing of edu-
cation in my own county, Monroe,
and the contrast is very great be-
tween it and that of Blount, there
not being a Normal School in our
county. There is not, I believe,
any institution in the county
making much, pretensions to Normal
training; hence. the : want Of good
teachers in our common schools. I
attended the appointment of our
County Superintendent for the ap-
pointment Of teachers a few Saturs
days ago, and was very much int Dr.
ested in : the examination of about
twenty-five teachers. formed into q
class. They were, SO far as I know,
an good men, having honest faces,
and of aEgoodEmoral character, but
most Of them fell far below that of
an efficient teacher.- s - AZ
r. There are several causes for this :
'frstAthere is but comparatively
little interest taken=in the cause OF
education by sthe=masses of the
people; secondly we have no Nor
NAL School for the training oil
] teaehers,and, lastly, wesusually pay
| our Common School teachers about
$50 or $25 per month in this coun>
ty,aand that, Of ncourse, drives men
and women of fine education out Of
/ the school house to seek some more
lucrative employment elsewhere.
gentleman or lady of fine talent
and education is not going to sit
down in . school-house and andsrgo
the toll aud hardship of practical
Bleaching for such prices, and it is q
deplorable mistake in directors to
try to establish such aEcustom. T I
Ela man bays a fne horse he ex-
poets to pay aAgood price for him,
and if he buys ~awsuit . Of fine
clothes. he expects to do the same
thing; and it seems strange that di-
.reetors Will expecktO employ fine
teacher for, eartriae. Articles are
priced according to value, and so it
Ought ITO be with teachers. It is
better to pay o first class teacher
1$405or SD. per month than to give
9 poor one $10acI know this is
contrary to the feelings and
opinions of.mosts of our directors
but our directors are usually good
sebeE honest, hardworking farmers,
and think that a man should teach
for nearly the same price that they,
can hire%a hand to work on the
farm, and perhaps they ought, but
they are not going to do it. And
further, they generally think that if
a teacher can spell, read, write and
cipher little that is all that is ne
cessary for our children. They say
''our children don't know much, and
the teacher is not much scholar, but
then he is able to teach our chill
dren." This is the way they talk
about the matter. The common
schools are generally taken up in
this country. The school of this
sub-dlstrict began yesterday under
the charge Of Prof. John Ghormley.
He is very nice man and has con-
siderable practice in teaching, and
is among the best common school
teachers in the country. The, di>.
rectofsIhage ebuilt q new house
three-quarters of a mile from this
place. I : This now gives US Six
churches and schoolhouses in this
sub district. We surely ought to
be a very righteous and intelligent
people. The Caledonia high school
at this place opened up the present
session yesterday under the care
of Prof. FL. W. Spray, of Friends
vile. Prof. Spray is a graduate
of Earlham College, Indiana, one of
the-b institutions of learning in
the United States. He is a fine
scholar, and bids fair to have one of
the finest schools in the county.
His school has opened out with fifty
two scholars, and maIy more look
ing after situations for their chill
dren. This school is under the con-
troll Of Friends, and. will continue
ten months. The first session of
FIVE months will, be free to sall per-
sons living in this, the twelfth dis
trieey Thosevh living out of the dis,
trict will be charged tuition. Pers
sons not able to pay will be allowed
to come to school free of charge.
The Friends are doing great deal
for the people of this place in the
way of education. There is no
common school fund in this school.
Prof. Sprays lady, a most excel-
lent musician, proposes to 6 i've les
sons on the organ to those who may
desire to learn music. Those wish