Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-03-18
Public Schools.
For the Fayetteville Observer.

1ud VI ctiilufCIl. y uSJ 80 lUilS5 as
it remains a country, just SO long
there viii be children in the. lands
for,
sOn league of peopled ground ID
Little children may be found"
These children, the young folks,
the youth, constitute the hope bfs
the country. Shall they be ed
ucated or should they be permit
ted to grow up in ignorance !?
Among the opponents of pnblic
schools the position is boldly ta-
ken that an education rs worth
nothing; and by way Of clinch-
ing the idea, it is argued that ed
ucation raises people above them
selves, that boys soon leafn1to
detest the plow, soon learn to feel
49, h
that they are too good
'.TO pIOw and SOW and reap and NOW,
And in the garden 'taters hoe;"
and that education creates with
the girls an abhorrence for house
hold pursuits, SO much SO, that
they positively refuse
"To wash the dishes, darn the socks,
To patsh the britches and the frecks.sI
The idea that education is
nothing | pass, simply remark
ing, that in every country, inlev-
cry CLINE Where. education is APP
preciated and encouraged, there
we find more energy, industry,
enterprise and prosperity; while
in every country where the youth
is allowed to grow up in igno-
rance, untutored and uninstruct-
ed, there we find more laziness,
Incidence, vice and crime. /
present then, as a proposition,
self evident in its oNnlnature,
demanding no proof, that educa-
ton is worth something. The
subject of education is of pelana-
nent Importance, and I believe
that if there is any duty greater
than all other duties which the.
country owes to the youth of the
land, it is that the means be fur.
nished for their education. Can
the means be furnished upon the.
private plan Of -edncation? Let.
candid, rejecting men pause and
consider. Some families may ,l5ut.
it is utterly impossible for be
parents of the great mass of
children to educate. them upon
this plan. Can theybe educated
upon the public plan2 / think
they can. BY way Of comparing
these two plans let us examine a
few figures. Tn the absence of
statistics we will suppose the yal-
uation of taxable property nfL Lin
coin county is So, 900, GOO; we
will suppose too that in order to
run the public schools of the
county FIVE months, a twenty
cents tax is levied on che hum
dred dollars worth of property.
This foots up the school fund for
the county of $4,000. In, the.
eyes of a loac tar man Sc, 900 is
a very huge pile of money! But
then we should remember that
the county invests more money
than this in one bridge and pui'-
chases the right of 9Yaylnnd
builds a level to it. Ought not
the chasms Of ignorance to- be
bridged? Would not a, thorough
system ofpublic schools be a bet
ter system of internal improve
ments than that which builds,
bridges, turnpikes and railroads,
based upon bonds for future gen
erations to pay? Upon the sub
iect of public schools, / believe
everybody ought to be high tao
in sentiment, for in this,wayy and
in thisiway alone, can honor, s,a-
.teqntg,- dignity and gtory be
maintained and pefPet6ated. Bht
/ have wandered far from figures.
A rough estimate gives to- each
pupil for tuition 50 for five
months; If. 50 Will pay the tlli-l
ton OF one pupil, Sc, 900 willSpsy
the tuition for three thousand pu-
pills; if$2wilI pay for iiR'enontbs,
40 cents viii pay forsone month.
This is what it costs upon the
public plan. Upon the private
plan, taken upon the average,
per student per month, it is S1.50
instead Of 40 cents; insteaEloof
50 for five months it is so; in
stead of $4,000 for three thou
sand pupils it is $22500.o.ts dos
These figures present the two
plans clearly and fairly,ls Upon
the private plan it is evident that
the great majority of, these three
thousand children can never go
to school at all, while upon the
public plan all may. The pub
lie is the cheapest andathat it is
the best is apparent from. 1.-The fact
that it presents the canoes of ed-.
tlcafion to all, while tue private
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