Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-06-09
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


hard working session in these ex
cellent schools was celebrated by
festival of singing and elocution oil
Thursday. The exercises of thu
schools in the Howell building wen
on simultaneously and were carried
on much to the satisfaction of larg'
number of parents and relatives
who assembled for the purpose o
witnessing the accomplishments OF
the youthful exhibitors. While the
performance was i'm every instance
creditable, the public will better
appreciate ii on being informed that
the whole preparation for it was
carried on out of school hours the
board and the superintendent being
unanimous in disappearing the
practice of wasting large amount
of time in the preparation of mere
show which ought to be devoted tn
more solid requirements.
We refrain from specifying the
respective merits of the different
exhibitors both because our limits
of space and time forbid it and
because the real merits of the work
done in the schools are very made
quately tested by exhibitions of this
sort. The examinations which have
been going on for the last two
weeks are the only true evidence of
these and, as some of the results of
these will be published next week,
we defer further reference to them
at present.
All that we have said of the How
ell school applies with equal justice
to the colored schools which under
the splendid administration of Prof.
Merry have attained a degree of
efficiency surprising even to those
who have known their history.
We cannot refrain from a few
words as to the high qualification
of Merry for the very responsible
position he has as principal of the
colored schools in GAINESVILLE. We
believe that very few of his race
and not great many of any race
are his equal in the faculty of con-
Quoting education in large masses of
pupils.
Still more must we commend the
skill and energy of Prof. Weber,
the general superintendent. The
peculiar talents of this very able
young teacher were last year tested
in the capacity Of superintendent
only through part of a session, and
he had worked on foundation laid
by others; undertaking the work
suddenly and without special prep
aratiOn for it. Even under those
disadvantages he obtained the very
highest approval of the Board and
of the parents of the public school
pupils. This year he has had entire
control throughout the session and
the result has been to bring the
institution to a stage of efficiency
far beyond any previous achiev-
ments.
We cannot leave this subject
without congratulating the public
on the fact that the schools have
now partially commenced process
which will eventually render them
self sustaining and obviate the
necessity of seeking talent abroad
for our supply of teachers. In pre-
senting the testimonials to the
scholars in the colOred schools who
had completed their course of study,
DIR. Wright, on the part of the
Board of Education, congratulated
the young people and the school in
general that two of the girls who
received these testimonials have
already been elected as teachers for
next session. We believe that one
year more will bring about the same
result in regard to the white schools. !
Several of the young ladies in the |
higher classes are, we understand,
pursuing their studies with the |
express purpose of qualifying them
selves as teachers, and we entertain
the sanguine hope that that they
will e'er long be doing good service
in that capacity in the schools where
they are now laying in the necessary
store of knowledge and experience,
and they Will doubtless be followed
by more, and the Howell school
will furnish teachers, not only for
its own ranks, but for wide area
OF surrounding country.