Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-05-22

= 49,
THE HOWELL SCHOOL.


The following poem was written by the
author, at the request OF the Superintendent
of the Public school. At the time it was
written the author was pupil OF that In
stitution:
The people ofour grand old State
Good Tennesseeans all
Assemble now to celebrate
The birthday OF our Capital.
In the century that has passed,
We very wise have grown
Why, we've actually found at last
The key to the Magic Stone.
No longer do we fear Old Age,
Nor the touch of his sighting hand,
For we have turned a golden page
In the history of our land.
In this wonderful modern time,
At this progressive day,
We can go to two Centennials
Before we e'er turn gray.
And as this great exhibition
Is to bring out Tennessee,
thought I'd write composition
On our publie school at @.
Tho cannot do it justice,
IN tell you all can,
Oft imposing board of trustees,
And their educational plan.
In building we took this position:
That like royal Caesars wife,
1t must be "above suspicion -
So after debate and strife
We came to this conclusion:
That the form of its erection
Must forbid the vain delusion
Oefailure In this direction.
So we built it three stories high
Squatter sovereignty you knows played
out
Like old Babel it points to the sky,
With no dead issues lying about.
Now its portals are open wide,
Its teachers with zeal are burning
To welcome the Juvenile tide
To this great high school OF learning.
We use all modern inventions
To foster the growth of mind;
Corporal castigations,
OF course, are left behind.
In the class of the Juveniles,
Firm principles take root;
But in the grammar and high school
We teach ideas how to shoot.
Down on the first floor we instil
Studious appliance,
To train each scholar for the drill
In the school of science.
There's the school of les and ographies,
The school of classic lore,
And more various ologies
Than e'er we're heard of before.
And also the school of philosophy,
Taught by youthful sage,
Who expounds creased electricity
In spite of his Junior age.
In every question he debates,
His principle is sound,
And every boy that graduates
Knows what goes up must come down.
But the judieious government
Is the best of all we learn;
To our good superintendent
For this our thaL<s we return.
Under his systematic control
Other schools are in the lurch;
If you should come into our hall,
You'd think you were in church.
Why, so perfect is the order
In the GAINESVILLE public schools,
We almost laugh by precept,
And quite shed tears by rules
And now for a molten sunbeam,
In which TO dip my pen,
To describe our board of trustees,
Or chronicle all they ken.
But this much 1 can safely say,
Ifin your Vanderbilt t.f
There ever should come a day
When science gives you tilt;
Or your figures get in a tumble,
And your rules wont work at all,
Call on us for the solution,
For don't we "know it all ~
But let it be here repeated,
With this board we've no dread
OF being pufed up or conceited,
Tho an editors at the head.
Here's success to education,
And a health to Tennessee, &
And patriotic Nashville,
Here's a double health to thee.
Whatever Tennessee has been,
Or how great she may grow,
She had no schools like the Howell
A hundred years ago.