South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-07-28
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Con, I'm unication.
NORTH RIVER Mills. w. Va. JuIv

I MR.. HARPER.-Dear Sir: As nv
frisnd ONCE In WHILE has shown
such bold resistance. to my article.
and has again entered the field OF crit
lcism. IL you will allow me space, I shall
briefly reply to him. lie says that l
have seated myself on an Atheniap
wateh-tower and have hidden defiance
TO toe pedagogy. And have leveled
my artillery at ONCE IN WHILE aud
lie mas fallen among the martyrs l am
! glad however :bat lie has survived tue
lightning shock, and that life has risen
from .hc ashes of at leas. one p,uyf,v.
! am truly glad that he has been able
to avenge his blood upon his persecutor
oy firing .popgun' at him. lie saws
the teachers arc made to stand in awe
OF this gentleman OF letters But I
think my fellow teachers can hardly he
surprised at tie best effort that | could
make, after seeing such brilliant dis
play OF logic, and dazzling rhetor ic on
the part of my opponent which reminds
one of the days OF John Quincy Adams
and Henry Clay. Scarcely hss there
appeared within the last decade such a
demonstration of intellectual greatness
as this exhibited by my learned antag-
onist.
lie informs us that he has vet on
h'nd lew more random thonghts' e.
these are no. to be without PROOF. nei-
ther are they intended for reckless as.
settions, The gentleman makes one
OF ny clauses contradict itself. by say
ing; will not favorably compare, and
Will iavorably compare. / acknowledge
this as an Intellectual b,under on my
part, doubtless If 1 had the experience
OF my learned friend In writing for The
press. could have avoided it. But we
all make mistakes which by correcting
we profit. And Will assure the ren-
tlemal that will think none the less
oil him Tor correcting me whenever 90
wrong. lie OF conrse understood my
meaning.
But what the gentleman wants is
hard TO tell. viii answer him here ms
the boy answered his mother when he
set the old hen on ono hundred eggs.
w ny are you going TO pu, all those eogs
under The ben?' asked his mother. oh
mamma want 10 sec her spread herself
Ny mish has hecn realized The gem
tleman has truly spread HIMSELF He
represents me as saying he made an a.
sertion without proof when he said
boy III our county would not complete
the primary branches in fifteen wears.
l dId not say this was an assertion
without proof How readest thou?
The fact that this deficiency Of the ru.
p'l was wholly chsrgeab,e TO the teach
er, as you claimed. was wha: sale was
an assertion without proof. You did
not
prove it. You then stated that at this
age IN other counties they completed
these branches. and offered this IS proof
that our teachers we're not "a we'll pre-.
pared TO teach IA the teachers OF other
counties.
To which | replied by showing that
SOME Of the teachers from tn .se coun-
ties holding No | certificates tell below
this in cur own county. Now there is
no better way to compare the ability Of
tho teachers in the primary branches
IMAM by these examinations, and this
proves, IT 1t proves nothing moro, that
your position is not true So nv ar.
gument on this Is IN TACT however much
TIE gentleman may think it WRECKED.
And If ny own observations and tn
testimony OF some of our best teachers
is worth anything, my statement in re-
gard to the Institutes is correct.
AS regards one OF my Arguments. I
have the best proof in :hc world that il
is true. And this proof is no less than
the gentleman himself. He almi's that
some have managed To graduate in Nor
NAL Schools Who arc not thoroughly
prepared TO teach. An unfortunate ad
mission This, an suicidal 10 him tha,
male il. Now who IL to blame FOR these
teachers not being able to teach the
common branches?
For be can sec 10 reason why q boy
cannot graduate in the common branch. !
cs even at tue age Of Gltcep, il he have
n competent teacher. Now have no
doubt the teachers inthe Normal Schools !
are prepared Tor their work, and my 20. !
sition Is that they are not responsible |
for those who will waste their time and !
fail 10 accept Improvements. Neither |
are any OF Cur teachers chargeable with |
the defects Of children who will no. trv |
to learn. ] admit now, as have be-
fore admitted, that we arc not, rs well !
prepared TO teach as We should be. Ma |
NY OF us arc but mere tyros in tho pro-
fession. But there ar, evidently oshor |
causes that tend TO impede the progress
Of education rs well as the incompeten.
cy Of thc teacher, Incidence careless
ness and neglect Of dGty on tho part Of |
teachers well qualified sre other barri
ers standing in the way.
But the gentleman has certainly got
two horned dilemma on his hands. HeI
must either retreat from bis former po-
sitiou and como over on my side. and
admit shat the teacher is not wholly re-
spoosblo for tho illitoracy of the pupil
or else load mp his popgun and bang n
way 90 The teachers in his dear alma
mater, because they have sent out some
whom ne says did not DO good work
But il he should choose tho latter, |
think ho would better be 'prorogucd'
uufii tio rarfno Ioat ,,c,st,,.oJ -. IL