Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-04-24

young men of Clarksviile am educa-
tion Of as high standard as that
given in any institution in the State.
The obstacle to our doing so has
been, not the lack of teaching abil-
ity i'm our corps of instructors, but
the plain fact that the scholars do
not attend school long enough to
follow out the course. The great
body of the parents who send chill
dren to the public schools want
their children at fourteen or fifteen
either to help at home or to go out
and help to make their own living.
Let US give some facts bearing Ola
this topic. The eighth grade con-
sists now Of six boys and two girls
of higher average OF intelligence
than has ever come under our OH
servation, and we have had consid-
cradle experience in the matter.
Last year it of course was the sew
enth. We were DESTROYS of having
more. time devoted to history than
had hitherto been given to it. With
the consent of the board we selected
a history of England, and hoped
that that would be the commence
ment of Il thorough historical course.
We told the booksellers here that
about twenty copies of the new his
tory would be wanted, that being
then the number of the class. Owen
& Moore have twelve Ofthose histO-
ries on hand now, only eight of
them having been wanted, and next
session, if it returns at all, our hope
full class will probably be less than
half-a-dozen.
The high grade of education
which was projected by the board
has been found impossible from the
plain fact that the great body Of the
scholars cannot attend long enough
to complete il, and those who can
would increase the expenses Of the
school thirty or forty per cent for
the purpose of carrying on the edu-
cation of half-a-dozen scholars for
tive years longer. We do not feel
that the school board can. with a
good face, call upon the citizens to
raise the already onerous school tax
for such a purpose.
But it will be said, is it not hard
to turn loose half-a-dnzen highly
intelligent boys who desire to conn
pIete an education well begun and
tell them tive can take you no fur
ther?" Itwould be hard indeed and
a bitter disappointment To this
writer especially, but happily it
would not be necessary. The city
has the right of appointing To a
certain number of scholarships in
the S.-W. p. University, with the
express proviso that they be APP
pointed from the upper classes of
the public schools upon an examina-
ton into the qualifications of the
candidates. The number of schol-
airs who are in a situation to carry
their studies beyond the schedule
for the eighth grade is not likely for
several years to be greater than
what can be SO drafted on scholar
ships to the university. We have
already preached the subject to
Chancellor Waddel, and he is so
well pleased with the scholars we
sent up there last year, that he
thinks there will be no reluctance
on the part of the faculty to receive
all that we may send.
We offer this proposal for the seri-
GUS consideration of the city coun-
Gil, the school board, the parents
and the payers of the city. Such
a measure ought not in any case to
be adopted precipitately without all
parties having the opportunity OF
considering it thoroughly, and. il
they desire it, expressing their
views ON it.