Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-03
rhnsn.,nn In Florida.

the school law is entlrely unpfONlueu, "
compel persons to educate their children.
The late State Superintendent Mr.. Fors-
ter was opposed to this, but had he made
a tour of inspection throughout the State
the probability is that he would have be-
come convert to their necessity. lgno-
rance has ever been, and still is, the great
enemy to learning, and illiteracy prevails
TO a great extent in the State, and, as pa
rental authority is very lax in imposing
wholesome discipline in the family, chill
dren are too frequently INDUCED in their
wishes even when opposed to their best
interests. consequently they may improve
their minds at school or waste their time
in idleness at home, as choice or fancy may
dictate. This is lamentable state of at-
fairs. but not the worst. Some parents are
strongly and strangely impressed with
ideas of the s'Free School," so that if the
county only awarded $l0per month to the
teacher, they would not subscribe one cent
towards making his salary remunerative.
''lt is free SCHOOL, they say, "and we are
determined to have the full benefit of the
institution How can it be ''free'' and
we have to contribute to the support Of
the teacher? Unfortunately that adjec-
tive has done much to defeat the object Of
the institution, for being free its value is
not appreciated and in many instances
causes the parents to be Indifferent wheth-
or their children attend school or not; but
if there were no free schools and parents
had to pay for their tuition, not day would
be lost, because to their obtuse minds it is
a serious matter to invest dollar and not
receive full value for the investment. They
seem to ignore the fact that they pay for
the free school, being taxed for its sup
port; but this is done so indirectly that
they fail to perceive the inroad it makes
in their pockets, therefore they are per-
fectly happy in their ignorance and indif-
ferent to the advantages they so heed
lessly disregard, thus authenticating the
words of the poet when he says:
where ignorance is bliss it's folly to be wise"
There are other persons, unfortunately
for the age in which they live, Who seem
TO be possessed of so little of that useful
commodity, brain, that they cannot con-
ceiye the possibility Of mental labor, but
they possess plenty of bone and sinew-
the capabilities of which they appear to
comprehend, whether properly applied or
not, and with them physical or brute force
is more appreciated than mental require
ments. OF the use OF the arts and sci
ences they seem to have no more knOwl-
edge than the animal they pillow with;
therefore a man of education, unless his
occupation is strictly physical, is consid-
cred little better than drone In the
hiYa and if drawn into their society from
choice or necessity, and he submits him.
self to their tender consideration, he IS
treated as such. The soul with them is
at a discount; they have no more knOwl-
edge respecting it than monkey has of
banjo. They have been taught that they
possess one, but the relation it bears to
the body or the body to it they cannot
conceive, nor can Holy Writ or the eX-
haustive elOquence of the preacher con-
vince them it is the mind, the nOblest gift
of God, and which makes them accOunta-
BILE beings before their Creator. They
cannot conceive that He has implanted
the seeds of knowledge within them for
the purpose Of cultivation, and that He
expects their full development, and re-
quires it at the hands of the parents,
whom He holds responsible for this great
and solemn obligation; for, like the flower,
the mind is susceptible of cultivation and
improvement, and how much more pre-
ciOus is that fiOwer-the soul-than the
flower of the field? Yet much time,
much study, much labor and great eX-
pense are constantly incurred for the i'm
prOvement of the latter; but when it
comes to the juvenile mind these parents
care not how much time or how much la
Dor is expended upon it, but don't touch
their pockets; they pray with all the fer
vency OF the saints,
Prom this good Lord deliver u.s."
AS a confederation of the previous facts
1, with the deepest regret, quote the fol-
lowing from the LeCy Enterprise, which
states that tout of 5S7 names subscribed
to petition 4S5 were marked with an X"
These are tree and Independent voters of
the nineteenth century. This is not only
a disgrace to the school law but a con-
demnatiOn of our Legislature, which has
so grossly neglected It's duty in allowing
such a state of ignorance to exist, and
not deVising measures to counterfeit so
great an evil. The writer has always
considered that the cultivation of the ju-
Yenile mind should be the first and most
important duty of the parent, and that
every encouragement should be given by
the Legislature and the public to this mo-
mentous subject, by making the school
room attractive to educated minds and
remunerating them in accordance with
the responsibility assumed; that it should
be constantly borne in mind that the youth
of the present are the men of the future,
and that upon their intellectual improve
ment depends the future Of our country
and the prosperity of the State.
1t is truly Illuminating to parents desir-
Gus to educate their'children, and to the
teacher in particular, that such mass of
our schools, and that the Legislature,
either from a lack of moral courage or in
difference to the performance of its duties,
suffers such a state of things to exist with
out making an attempt to remove this
dread incubus, which tends to lower us
not only in our own estimation but to
make us by-word and a reproach where
higher intelligence or culture exists.
1t may be asked, Chow does the ignO-
rant mass control the free schools?' 1t
is in this wise: They patrOniZe or dis
pense with them at their pleasure, and
this causes the Boards of Public Instruc-
ton to scales the teacher with as little
ceremony as a kitchen maid does a fish
when preparing it for the cuisine. The
following is the operation: At the COM
mencement of the school term the school
is favored with a fair number Of pupils,
most of whom are prompted to attend by
a morbid curiosity to see the teacher and
the novelty of change than for the purpose
of education. This insures the first grade
teacher $50 per month for his services; but
as soon as the duties become tedious or
the curiosity OF the tvrO is gratified, it
gradually dWindles down under parental
Indifference until it comes within the cir
cumscribed limit of 70 scholars, when his
salary is Immediately reduced to $50 per
month; but when the average attendance
is reduced to 10, he must close the school
and resign his position. Thus those SQlOns
to whom the cause of education in the va
riOus counties is committed, plainly show
by this act that they expect the teacher
to display as much energy and perform as
much labor for $35 per month as he would
for $50 per month; also as much for $40
as he would tor $35 per month; but when
the average of attendance reaches the
minimum 10, they have a sufficiency Of
human nature left not to scale him fur
ther. but politely inform him that he must
close the school against the 10 young as
pirants for mental culture, who must seek
their education elsewhere or patiently
await the commencement of another term,
which is only repetition Of that they
have lust experienced. Ten righteous
persons in the days of the patriarchs would
have saved SOdom from destruction, but
ten appreciative youths, DESTROYS Of edu-
cation, cannot save a school from being
closed in the nineteenth century. Action
and not comment is necessary here.
In conclusion, am convinced that it is
n very common error, not only with the
majority of parents but many trustees
and some Boards of Public Instruction,
that. as the generality of children are not
advanced in education, cheap or Ordl-
nary teacher as we'll as school house will
answer their purpose. 1t he can teach
the A. B. G. or alphabet, the photography
of the spelling book without regard to
correct pronunciation land the elementary
rules of arithmetic, he will pass for a
teacher, the higher branches being left
out of the catalogue of necessary acquire
ments. With such mentors at the start
we need not be surprised at the lack of
erudition in our youth, who have no other
resource for intellectual development and
Improvement than the free schools, and
we need not be surprised that their intel