The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1885-09-03

prejudice that old established ideas
of loyalty require you to respect.
l have heard its answer attempted
by new men who were not yet
thoroughly initiated in Pulaski life
and ways, but they were promptly
sat down upon. 1t is like rubbing
a cats hair backward, il is resented
as an impertinence. OF course when
Ones Pulaskian is talking to another
who is 40 the manner born and
the question is sprung, there is
usually some kind of answer given,
otherwise conversation would cease,
but it is nothing that will provoke
an argument. 1t is only sort of
helpless assent to the idea implied
in the question and Is not intend
ed to mean anything more than an
answering sigh, a sort of I'm with
you on that question, neighbor, but
there is nothing TO be done-abso
lutely nothing" If you are standing
by'yOu will hear such expression as,
'It seems like they never did have
any public spirit in Pulaski" cal
ways divided up into clicks and
factions. So on, always using the
third person "they."
If you should ask of the com
planning citizen why he thinks good
schools ought naturally to be in
Pulaski, his reply is about this:
well, we have good little town,
favorably located in a rich coun.
try" "Our people are intelligent
and refined" I'VE have good
school buildings and healthy sur
roundings." Il can't see why we
can't have at least two good schools,
one male and the other female, as
good as they have anywhere"
Look at Columbia, Winchester,an and
numbers of other towns with less
advantages than we have" If you
mildly suggest that we have not
the right sort of men at the head of
the schools, he will reply, 90, yes,
we have had good men. We
have had some of the finest teach
ers in the country" "There was
McRobert." 1t is an old familiar
story OF a succession of failures.
Some, not a few, failed because
they drank too much whiskey.
Several were doing we'll for while
bat they quit-got better places.
One faction or another broke them
up. Whether they quit while their
schools were apparently prosperous
or completely run down, it all
amounted to the same thing. Pu-
laski has never had a permanently
prosperous school for either sex.
1t seems to me that it is about
time to quit asking the old ques.
ton about "Why can't we have
good schools in Pulaski and be-
gan asking How can we have good
schools in Pulaskii' This has a
suggestion Of business about it.
Such question, unlike the first,
may admit of solution. Other
towns have solved the question
practically and if we do not it Is
either because we have not as much
intelligence to apply to the task, or
do not want schools as badly as
they.
If there is anything to be gained
in discussing the past-why this,
that and the other teacher failed?-
how this, that and the other faction
broke down the schoolsY-and how
this, that and the other church
tried to get control of every thing2
it seems to me that it is to avoid
the mistakes we have fallen into
and get out of the old rutS.
The lessons that appear to be
clearly taught by tile past are
these: We may expect to have
failures in our schools as long as
we wait for 'Just the right kind of
qualifications TO come along and
build up school for US. The effort
must be from ourselves. We need
not even wait for some particular
church or faction to succeed in get
ting the bulge on every thing else
so that it will harmonic the town
and give us permanent schools. We
| have tried that. The only school
that will harmonic all factions and
give permanent satisfaction Is one
in which the teachers are selected
by the people themselves and not
selected by faction, or just found
ready to hand, but teachers who are
selected for their fitness and re-
tanned for their faithfulness. The
school must not be run in the inter
est of any individual, corporation,
church or faction; but it must be
run for tue sole purpose Of afordirg
the very best education and advan
tages to our youth.
Such a school will harmonic the
town. 1t will educate our children.
1t will build np the town, If we
are TO have such a school we must
have organization to get it and
keep 1t going. We must have Off
GERS to see to it, and they must
have the support of the people. We
have such an organization now.
We are promised such a school
next January. Let all the friends
of the enterprise give it their untir-
ing support. If everything don't
go to suit you, give it chance any
how. Maybe you are wrong. II
you are opposed to free school be-
cause it don't seem to benefit you
personally and directly, hold off
awhile and give it chance. 1t
may do you good in way that
you don't expect; and ] am sure
your neighbors who want the
school viii be very much obliged TO
you. 1t won't cost you much to
give it a trial. If it does not prove
to be a good thing it will fall
through anyhoE. Let US have
the free school in January.
| Monday was the last day of sum: