Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-02-28
CIarksvfiIe and its Female Acad
NASHVILLE Advocate.

The city of GAINESVILLE is a study,
but not a difficult study. We think
mostly from association, and the
analOgies are so clearly marked here
that the suggestions are perfectly
natural. In the first place, there is
no common center of business or
commercial and social interest. If
q citizen from the rural districts of
the good county of Montgomery, or
a visitor from abroad, should in
uuire where he would probably
meet any considerable number of
the population Of GAINESVILLE, at any
time, no one could inform him, I'M
less he should specify the holy Sab
bath as the time when he wishes to
see them. This fact suggests an
idea of the character and habits of
the people. They are a broad peo-
pie, and in their thoughts, and aims,
and purposes, have their center no.
where, and their circumference ev-
erywhere.
The surface of earth upon which
the city stands is a cluster Of hills
interspersed with ravines, grass
covered basins, and bright, silvery
ponds filled with finnied tribes.
There are therefore no continuous
cross-streets, and if you set out for
any given point you cannot fore
cast the general route by which
YOUR destination will be reached,
unless il lies somewhere on one OF
the streets running from Cumber-
land river eastward. These facts
suggest that these people do not run
in grooves, or upon uniform dead
level. They are a progressive peO-
ple, and are abreast of the age in
their spirit of enterprise.
There is another suggestive fact
in the conformation and history o.
GAINESVILLE. On the river bank is &
narrow opening in the center o.
which is the general market-hOuse
This opening was originally the
public square of the village of Clarks
vile, no one ever dreaming theT
that this would ever be more thar
a respectable little boat-landing. Al
that early day the locality of the
magnificent new Court House, now
in process of erection, was doubtless
a good place for a 'possum hunt
and if the reckless swain had strayeC
as far as the locality of the Acade
my in quest of this Old Virgins
delicacy, they would have regarded
it q journey back to town, especial
Iy if their hunt had been successful
Who then dreamed of the expan
sion and increased numerical
strength possible to the little rive
village, which have since been ac
complished, and now present to the
view a prosperous city, with nu
merOus churches, hOurishing schools
and lucrative manufacturing anC
commercial enterprises How like
human lifel Who ever brought VI
where he aimed in the beginning
Some fall below their original aim
others go far above and beyond it
This is particularly true of distin
guished preachers and statesmen o
American history. Most of then
began real life teaching school in ;
log cabin, and did not expect to q,
higher than a district Squire, or /
State legislator.
'There is a Divinity that shapes our ends,
ROugh-hew them as we may"
GAINESVILLE Female Academy il
no mean enterprise of the city o
GAINESVILLE. 1t is a monument t
the Christian liberality of the com
munity, and is an honor to the PEG
pie whose enterprise it represents
Under the successive administra
tiOns of various distinguished Pres
idents, it has done great work il
Christian education, and multitudeS
of accomplished ladies in the South
west are its epistleS, known anC
read of all men. 1t is now presided
over by Rev. James r. Plummer
of the Tennessee Conference, who
has a prosperous school. He com
bines many valuable qualifications
for the position which he occupies
and displays the executive power,
of one born to command in the gov
eminent of his scholastic household
and the financial skill of a mer-
chant in the management of the
business department of the inStitu-
ton over which he presideS. Oh
course he is therefore successful.
Mrs. Plummer, the matrOn of the
school, is eminently qualified fOI
her position, and all young ladies
committed to her care will find in
her a wise, and just, and sympathiZ-
ing mother, and will have eXempli-
fed before their eyes, in the daily
life of this excellent lady, a high
type of true womanhoOd. The
teachers are true ladies as well as
competent teachers and this is
highly important in a female school.
Let women teach girls, and let
these women be the true type of la
dies; for what we want is not that
our daughters should master the
curriculum of a college merely, but
that they should be developed and
trained upon the most elevated
plane of a true wOmanhood and
this cannot be done by what is pop
ularly understood as instruction it
is the effect-the impressed char
acter, spirit, and department, III
their silent exhibition before the
eyes in daily life. l therefore COM
mend GAINESVILLE Female Academy
to the favorable notice of the patrO-
nizing public. j. ID. BARBEE.
GAINESVILLE, Jan. 20, 1880.