The Russellville Democrat., 1884-09-11
The Peabody Fund.

fallen into error in their ideas con
cerning the Peabody Fund.
1t is generally believed that this
money is passed to the credit of the
State Superintendent of the several
southern states to be used by him
for the direct education of the chill
dren of that state.
The facts are these: The bequest
,of the late Mr.. Peabody vas in gen.
eral terms to the children of the
southern states, with the condition
however, that the Trustees of the
fund nave absolute discretion as
TO the best means of reaching this
end This Board Of Trustees has
limited the disbursement of the
money to agencies which have the
special advancement of teachers in
view. They have prescribed Normal
schools, Teachers Institutes, and
Training Departments as the imme-
diate recipients of the fund, believ-
ing that the interests of the remote
beneficiaries are best subserved in
this way.
Whether the Trustees are right or
not is not material to the point IN
review This Board prescribes q
course and selects an Agent to carry
it out. This Agent is not the State
Superintendent of any southern
state. The present Agent of the
Board is DR.. Curry of Richmond,
Va. Under the instructions of the
Board, DR.. Curry in dicates the gen.
eral beneficiaries of the fund and re-
lies on the Superlntendents or State
Boards of the different states to carry
out the detail These Superintend-
ents become the Agents OF Dr. Curry
and can do nothing outside the gen.
eral line of instructions transmitted
by that gentleman. If DR.. Curry
says, "Institutes," the State Super
intendens holds Institutes, selects
instructors and is the medium
through which these instructors re-
celve their pay. If he refuses to
hold Institutes, DR.. Curry simply
withdraws the money and the state
is passed for the year. The State
Superintendent may be consulted by
DR.. Curry as to the best medium of
distribution, but this consultation
gives the state official no power Of
dictation, nor Is 1t binding upon DR..
Curry. Whatever he dictates Is
binding upon the state officials so
far that action in the chosen line
only will control the funds for that
state. In view Of these facts how
idle, if not silly, are some of the crit
icisms that are made as to Prof.
Thompson. Such criticism oaly in
jures Mr.. Thompson among the ig
norant, but it becomes almost wick
ed when it is disseminated by news
papers whose profession is the broad
est intelligence and the clearest
right.
If the criticism should be trans
ferred from Thompson to Curry 1t
would only illustrate how the five
cent ideas Of a remote neighborhood
are lost in the ocean of sublime
thought in which great body OF
Trustees live and move. Men who
can't manage a one fourteenth inter
est in dcformed peanut are just the
kind of men now needed by the Pea
body Board of Trustees to instruct
them as to their business, and the
supply is infinitely greater than the
demand.
AS matter of fact DR.. Curry has
made no mistake this year in Arkan-
sas. There being no Normal School
in successful operation he wisely
chose Institutes. He has held more
than, thirty Of these. II teachers
neglect their opportunity, they be-
come responsible and not DIR. Curry
If about three thirds of the Institute
criticism were transferred from the
State Agents to the great mass OF
teachers who neg lect their plain duty
it would be more consistent anc
might result in good.
Dr. Curry has reached in direc
instruction and better methods o
teaching about one third OF tht
teachers of the state this year. III
has also reached about one tenth o
the trustees and several Thousand
patrons. Who can estimate the ad
vantage aceruing to the children o
Arkansas by reason Of this action