Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-18

acre IN force; the attendance exceeding
that of the majority of cities and towns in
New England or New York; and the enthu- |
siasm of the youngsters over their work
was something beautiful to behold The
teachers were working. with great energy
aud harmony, meeting every week for in
struction in methods by their .superintend-
ent, and doing their level best in the school
room. The difficulties of grading in
crowd of such diverse material had been
overcome in remarkable degree, and the
instruction, In all grades, with the text
books, was of the best type. At the upper
end of the school was class of superior
students, under the special training of the
master, which in time will be developed into
a training school for teachers or a high
school section. But the superintendent
spent the greater portion of his time in ac-
tual supervision; under this arrangement,
very hopeful state of Affairs was already
attained in scholarships for these Southern
boys and girls are wonderfully bright, and
repay good teaching ten fold.
But the most remarkable achievement was
at the point where Southern school keeping
has been weak, viz. the decipline BY
most happy adoption of monitorial and
semi-mihlery organization, every room was
handled with complete success; the chill
! dren, at recess and dismissal, kept in e1-
/ cellent order and the problem otdecipline,
( the combination of freedom for work and
! drill for government, most remarkably
/ solved. There had been but one case of
! corporal punishment and that of no sig
nihcanee, III either school. Of course the
moving power was the enthusiasm of the
/ children and the high public spirit in the
1 school-room but the ingenuity of the
superintendent IN utilizing the Southern
love of military organization clenched the
nail and gave an almost ideal order In the
! school room.
The most interesting sight of all was the
community in its relations to the new gra-
ded school 1t had become the passion of
the places the sight to which the best peo-
pie took their friends friends from abroad !;
the town talk; the pride of all classes.
Every day visitors from other parts of the
State were looking on with intense interest,
and a dozen towns in North Carolina are
preparing to try the experiment. 1t is DEM
onsrrated that for $4,000 year, a South
ern town of 2,e00 people can support a
tirst-class graded school for both races,
provided all hands will take hold a few of
the best people will serve as trustees, and an
expert master-superintenden can be placed
at the head, with power. 1t Is best
this man should be from the South, and
there are plenty of superior young men and
women who will answer the call for this
work. There are already many excellent
public schools in the South. both for white
and colored children. But nowhere have
we seen all the difficulties of the situation sc
happily overcome as here. We advise oul
Northern friends, travelling South by the
Railroad Coast Line, to stop off and look
ct the Wilson and Goldsboro schools anG
every Southern town that is moving in its
| educational work will do well to send del
egation of its best men and women to bring
home report of the way to built up t
model system for the instruction of all it.
children in a free graded school.