Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-01-02
Some Thoughts for Our Teachers.

AS IneTc ~ HOW HluCH ulSCuSSlOH III
the papers concerning the coinage of
silver, our teachers should explain
some things about gold and silver to
their pupils.
Pupils cannot learn from text
books all that is practical, and teach
ers must devise some plans by which
they may enable their pupils to un-
derstand what they read in the pa
pers. Let teachers preserve this arti-
Gle, and also collect all that they can
from other papers, and then see if
they cannot have an interesting sub
ject to bring before their classes.
As gold and silver have been used
as money Tor thousands of years, as
we have an approximate knowledge
of the amount of gold and silver in
existence, and as we have some idea
of the probable amount of both met
ais that will be produced in the flu
ture, people can form some idea of
the relative value of the two metals.
1t has generally been supposed that
one grain of gold is equal in value to
fifteen grains Of silver. The gold dol
lar ought to weigh IS $40 grains; if
the silver dollar is fifteen times as
heavy, its weight is 3S7 grains. The
silver dollar in circulation weighs
less than this amount, In fact, the
silver dollar does not weigh quite so
much as two half-dollars. Some
writers in our papers state that the
silver dollar is worth about
50 cents others state that it is worth
about so cents. These differences of
opinion probably arise from the fact,
that some people count the cost of re-
moving silver and of taking care of it
greater than others count it. Also
some people think that the silver dol
lar ought to be sixteen timesas heavy
as the gold dollar. AS gold rings and
silver rings, gold watch-cases and sill
yer Weaknesses are sold, gold isworth
about sixteen times as much, grain
for grain, as silver.
Not long since, an article was pub
lished in the Nashville papers, that a
million dollars in gold would weigh
Il tons. The same papers state, that
a million dollars in silver will weigh
% tons. If these statements are cor
rect, it will be seen that a silver dol
lar is as heavy as fifteen gold dollars,
as % is exactly ID times Il.
Let teachers get their classes to ex.
anime and see ifa million dollars in
gold will weigh Il tons. Did the per.
son who made the calculation use the
'long ton," or the common ton?
Our government owes the Wander.
bilt estate 40 million dollars. Sup,
pose the government concludes tC
pay this debt with the silver now in
the Treasury? One man has said
that it would take 500 wagons, carry
ing $500 pounds each, to move the
silver, in order to pay it to the per-
sons who are authorized to receive
it. Suppose a car to carry 25,0O(
pounds, it would take two trains O
40 cars each, to carry the silver tC
pay the Vanderbilt debt.
All the laws providing for the re-
demption of the Governments out
standing obligations, of every kind
use the word "coin" without specifi
cation as to to its value or material
1t would be no violation of the lettel
of the law, to redeem greenbacks, anC
pay bondholders in silver dollars. /
it not advisable to take the silver il
the treasury, and pay this debt, tn
interest of which is nearly $4,000
day? This would be a dishones
trick, which, if committed by MAJ
of business, would cause him to b,
Stunned thereafter by all who believ
in honorable dealing.
There are several interesting ques
tons for exercising the ingenuity c
pupils.
We have, in the United States, al
immense number of so-called silve
dollars coined and remaining in tn
. treasury vaults, it being impossible t
d keep them in circulation, for the res
> son that they are intrinsieally wort
only about SO cents, and all are look
ing for the time to come, which
not in the far distant future, whe
the merchant will say to those VIII
wish to buy his goods, "The price
81 if paid in silver, or 80 cents if pal
in gold" Such a state of affairs woul
produce great confusion in business
and nuph trOuhlp in all cOrnTOprpic