Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-10-17
Our Free Schools.
To the Standard.

AS our schools are now closing, it
proper for teachers to reflect, and to
consider whether they have done as
much good in school as they could
have done if they had been attentive
to their duties. Many people are
speaking lightly of our free schools,
saying that the school law in Tennes-
see is a failure, and that it is best to
repeal it, and leave the education of
children to private enterprises.
Though all the fault is not on the
part Of the teachers, yet / freely adj
nit that teachers have not done their
duty.
AS many teachers will not be en-
ployed for the next eight months, I
wish to suggest few things to them,
by which they may improve them
selves, and be better prepared for
their business when they next en-
gage in teaching.
AS their salaries are meagre, they
cannot afford to spend much in buy
ing books, or in subscribing for peri
Odicals but few books are neces-
sary in order that teachers "may be
up with the times" and in order that
they may be able to interest ther pu-
pills. A good Gazetteer ought to be
in the hands of every teacher. This
is costly book, but if all the teachers
in Warren county would take copy
the book could be procured at a large
discount. Every teacher should also
have some cheap Universal history.
l would recommend John Ppm Car
ter's General history as being the
most suitable book of that kind.
Many of our school books are very
defective, and the teacher must use
his skill in remedying them. Many
of thegeOgraphies now in use are very
defective on the subject of latitude
and longitude. Many children study
geography for two years, and when
they look at paper and find that two
ships met in latitude 800 south and
e longitude 1902 west, if they are asked
to point out on the map the place
where those two ships met, they are
just as apt to point to the Atlantic
ocean, to the Mediterranean sea, or to
the Indian ocean, as they are to point
to the right place.
In Warren's Geography, (Which is
, the best geography 1 ever saw there
are many examples similar to the
, following:
J "a bottle was picked up in latitude
r 800 south, Longitude so west. 1t con-
q tanned a paper showing that it was
thrown overheard in latitude 30'
D south, longitude 6O0 east. Where
\ was it picked up, where was it thrown
e overheard, through what waters, and
s through how many degrees of longi.
n tude had it floated? ?"
t If this example should be given tt
the geography classes in nearly al
It the schools in Warren county, in fact
in nearly all the schools in Tennessee
: the members of the class would have
no more idea of it than they would
J have if it was given to them in tn,
d Greek language.
;. How shall this defect be remedied
y answer, let every teacher have
q Gazetteer, and let him write on tn
y board the latitude and longitude c
1t three or more large cities, like 81
IS Petersburg, Rio Janeiro, or Calcutta
rs and let the pupils find those cities
s. DO this for several days. Do tn
same thing with islands, capeS
l. mouths of rivers, etc. After this
+. done, copy on the board from paper
the place Of the meeting of two ships
also the places from which the
sailed and the places to which the
- are bound. Require the pupils t
I'd find these places, also the place {
c; meeting.
In my boyhood days we were re
quired in our Sabbath-schools, to te
the latitude and longitude of places
also the latitude and longitude {
islands and countries where mission
aries have begun to work, so that W
might know something that is bein
done to improve the moral conditio
~ of the world.
Young America now calls sue
teaching "Old Fogyism." Let it b
old fOoUicDo or onxy ntbnr GIio,,o -