The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-02-10
PUBLIC ysPRIyATE SCHOOLS.
Editor Exchange:

1t has hong heeD az undecided
question in the minds of many, wheth.
er Public, % Private schools are of
The most practical utility, and many
men of intelligence have decided 10
favor of the latter. But men ut good
business judgement generally, are of
ten mised in their opinions Of mat
ters foreign to their i3dividual voca-
lion, simply from want of accurate
knowledge concerning the thing they
condemn or approve. Of all KIN WI
edge, experimentai il undoubtedly
the most valuable Il accurate, and
many brilliant theories prove hut frag>
lie fabrics when put To actual test.
Matrimonial associations and other
similar enterprises have had splendid
theories, hut II practical application
shattered all their grandeur Ana
we have about as much faith in the
success of that teacher who desires
select school of Just half d"zeh
pupils" as we have IN n matrimonial
assOciBtion. Well, says one, Il pres
fer to send my child where he can get
some attention, and | shall put him
in private school where the teachers
are not crowded" Exactly. We
would believe your theory plausible
if we had not demonstrated its falla-
cy bv four years experimental work
in the school room. Why are Puts
lie Schools more successful?
Let US tell you first why Private
schools are generally failures.
In the first place the teachers are
not crowded. Oh no. He never has
more than ten or fifteen pupils, and if
there is any thing that is more debili-
tating, deenergizing, and dyspepsia
breeding, than to set in little room
with dozen listless pupils on hot
summer day, dragging out the weary
hours, we don't know what it is.
Private schools are generally hteless.
They are unattractive to pupils and
teachers, and we would no more ex-
pect success in such school, than
you could expect to enjoy yourself Oh
going to ball room, and finding only
half.dozen visitors.
In the large public schools, the
stimulus of competition ten times
compensates for the private .atten'
tention." The emulation Uf severa
hundred students, all contending fOl
supremacy, awakens sympathetic
enthusiasm in the teachers, which re
acts and becomes powerful stimu
liant to the school. just rs the sym
pathy of large audience buoys
speaker above his individuality, ant
, tosses him to a higher range of senti
, ment, just SO the flash Of two hun
dred pairs of youthful eyes stimula
tes teacher to greater efforts, an
the children catch inspiration fror
each other.
. But we would like to talk ii littl
about our own school. One hundre
and ninety-two names are now Ell
y rolled, and the attendance is yer
regular. Every morning We ope
school by roll call, after which tn
pupils sing song from "New Life.
: and then march to their rooms in o.
der, by music on the organ. Th
children are confined in the scho,
j rooms about five and half hour
during the day, and such is their gel
eral interest in their work, that the
are always eager to attend, and sorr
Il to be compelled to stay away. Her
. in lies one great secret of the art {
u teaching. The te cher must max
: the school room attractive. and awake
q an interest, or infuse an enthusiast
into the pupils themselves.
Are they hard to control? Not I
all. All they require, is to he tol