The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-07-14


be tolerated; but when the terms OF tn'
schools and the employment OF teachers =
such rates are limited to four or i've months
! in the year il IL nof perceived how teacher;
can live or feel much pride or interest IN their
! profession; and he Is a poor teaeher Whe does
not feel both pride snd enthusiasm IN his pre-
fesson 1t is true that IN the locality "a when
| live, where the free schools IN the town are
kept open nine months In the year, and with
out oppressive t>xatiOa on properly, ANA are
equal TO any schools | have ever know In the
State, t4e intelligent school authorities and
+ patrons Of the schools have found some rene
dy for the small pay OF teachers IN the county,
by having schools in different neighborhoods
/ opened AZ different seasons Of the year, 50 inst
the same teacher is often employed IN TWO
schools in the county in the same year; but
OF course this - only partial remedy me
report Of the United States Commissioner OF
Education for 1873. shows that the average
monthly paw Of teachers n common schools in
some OF the American States, Is more than one
hundred dailars-in many, over seventy
i've dollars; and that there was At that time,
but two States in the U aIon, II which The
average monthly pay OF male teachers was 80
small as in Miss issippi.-l Report OF U. s.
Comr of Ed. 1873 XIV, XIV
a PRESSING DEMAND IN OUR SCHOOL sYs-
TEN, AND HOW SUPPLIED.
In the last published report Of our State SUI
perintendent OF Education, it Is declared that
| the pressing demand Of the educational sys-
| TEN Of the State, is wei educated and trained
! DR.. Sears said III the early part of last year,
that the great wantof the South in this con nee
ton. well educated and well trained
/ teachers; that the agencies 10 supply this
| want are Teachers Institutes and Normal
| schools; and tina it was the purpose OF the
| Trustees of the Peabody fund devote the
| greater part OF that fund in aid of Norman
| Schools and other agencies for the education
/ and ira ming of teachers in the South. And
this policy has been adopted by the Trus ees
of the Peabody fuad.-tProeeedings of Nat.
| Ed. Association 1880, No. , 81, 65.
| As we have bat two Normal Schools in the
| State at Holly Springs for colored youth,
and the Normal de partment of TugalO0 Unl-
versity, also for colored youth, not IN
condition to expect much aid from the Pea
body fund as long as it is devoted TO aid Nor
NAL Schools, to educate teachers, and to help
those who help themselves.
Normal Schools, that Is, schools deSi gned TO
prepare teachers for the profession of teaeh-
ing, regarded in Europa aud America,
as important, If not essential constituents OF
any general system Of public education. And
1t occurs to common observation, that the adj
vantages of special training in the art Of
teaching, cannot be less than they in other
arts and professions.
Teachers Institutes that is meetings of
teachers for short terms. under the auspices
of the state and experienced educators, have
been found OF incalGulable benefit to the pro-
fessiOn of teaching, and the general interests
of education. 1t appears from the last pub
lished report of our State Superintendent of
iucation, hat the etforE to hold Teachers In
5tltuteS IN this state IN 1915, DN ala received
from the Peabody fund.- was highly satlsfacto-
ny and accomplished much good for the cause
Of Report of Supt Ed. 1873, 1879,
10. Ill
In an address. prepared by Dr.. Sears, |
just before his deal h. to be delivered be- |
fore the American Institute of instruction, |
speaking OF Teachers Institutes, he said: TO |
those who have never been specially trained /
for their callings, these meetings give new |
views, and new impulses, which are carried I
away, and which act ever after as a stimulus. |
To the trained teachers, they are what the |
whetung IS to the mowersscy she. Distinguish
ed men, from the Governor of the State down.
ward, add to the attractions of the sessions,
drawing out large popular audiences and put
ting them in full sysmpathy with the teach
ers. This incidental work OF frightening and
interesting the people TO the value and in
dispensabIe necessity OF universal education,
is imports ant the direct work OF progress
in The of teaching. | have many instances
in which the people of a place have, for week,
been com pietely saturated with ideas of edu
cation, every other topic of conversation being
banlshed for the time. Tine public addresses,
the daily intercourse OF the teachers with the |
families whose Inequalities they shared and
the beneticent influence of the Teachers In
stitute. held in Il particular town CIR village, |
could be seen in the schools for yeSrs after
wards. II Proceeding of Trustees of Peabody
Fund-1SS0 11S-lI9.
l submit however that teaching in the pub
lie schools can never be attractive or gener-
ally efficient in Mississippi, until teachers are
paid more than at present. But there Is rea-
in the law, authorizing local school authorities
to increase the compensate of teachers be-
yond the rate fixed by the statute or to employ
competent teachers at less rate, will greatly
i'm prove this branch of the system.
venture to suggest, n the last place, that
our present school laws defective in re
q airing the State Superintendent of Education
to make reports to the State Board of Educa-
ton, Of which he is President, in not prescrlb-
ing more definitely what his report shall con-
tain, what disposition shall be made of them
So 7s.s aatr1a Mt 1
requiring the proper officers under pans and
penalties, to make annusl reports to him, show
ing among other things, distinctly and sepa-
rateiy, what amount Of poll and property tax
is assessed and collected and what amount of
school fund is received from other, and what
other sources, in each year. The records OF the
Office, and the reports Of our present Superlnten-
dent OF EDUCATION contain more information
and intelligence than are required or could be
expected under the present laws; but 1t
strikes me that the Superintendent OF EducA-
ton should make report TO the Legislature,
that it should be prescribed with more GER
tainiy what his report should contaln-that 1t
should not embrace less but more, than sec
ton 1898 of the Code of 1871, prescribed for
the annual report of the State Board of
Education, that il should show in addition to
what required in that report, and among
other things, distinctly and separately, what
amount of school tax is levied and collected
on persons aud property, and what amount OF
school fund is derived from other and what
sources in each district, in each year, that the
be required to furnish him the necessary
information for these purposes. and that his
ports should be published und preserved as
that of other State officers. This or some
thing like this would make the otlce OF State
Superintendent of Education, common CEN
ire to which all information the subject of
education would dow and from which 1t would
be dis ributed and its records would show
definitely the resources for school purposes OF
the State, and every part Of the State, and
what the STATE and every school district IN
he Sfof NJ in hal Qf al /
FRENCH IDEA COMMENDED.
And in this connection, suggest expert
ment worthy of being made in our free schools
1t is the French idea of School Savings Banks.
The purpose is not only to save, but TO teach
economy and saving in small things, as a viz
tue. There are now, as appears from doeu-
meuts recently issued by the United States
Commissioner of Education, than ten
thousand 100000 school savings banks in
France, and the amount deposited in them by
school children, is more than four millions a.
600 000) of francs. The system has been adopt
ed by Belgium, and other nations 1t appears |
10 me that there is no country in which econo-
my and saving, particularly IN small things,
could be taught and practiced with more bene-
fetal results than in our own.
Remedies Suggested for Supposed Defects
Let the present school system be enlarged
and improved so to remove these obvious
defects, and then, let it be supported, not as
evil, but as blessing-let a few Normal
schools FOR both races, in connection with ex-
isting Institutions or otherwise, be established
let an annual appropriation be made by the
Leg stature TO dsfray the necessary expenses
of Teachers Institutes TO be held in the sum
mers, when other schools closed-leta few
of the High Grade" schools whose creation is
enjoined by the Constitution be opened. and
then let female college be established by the
State for the education of our daughters at
home, aud then, and not till then, Mississlp-
pi will stand on something like equal plane,
in this connection with her sister States
PLEA FOR WOMEN.
There are about as many poor girls In the
State who are unable 10 educate themselves as
there are boys; and their condition without
education, with only limited education, is
far more 1eplorable than that of boys Access
TO the free schools, where oaly the rudiments
of education taught for four or FIVE months