Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-27
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


years, with great satisfaction, the
growing interest our State and coun-
ty have taken in public schools and
the progress they have made. The
system has been so well received and
its progress such that at present it
almost supercedes all other methods
of common school education. Hence
the Importance of emending its most
obnoxious imperfections as soon as
they are developed.
The first and most important de-
feet is the want of means sufficient to
carry them during the school season
of the year. Our county is much
more able now to support its schools
ten months in the year than it was
fifteen or twenty years ago, two
months, and the people are far more
willing to bear tax for that purpose,
having no other schools to which
they can send their children. The
country being deprived Of other
schools by the introduction of the
free school system, it beehooves our
County court to levy a tax sufficient
to support them during the school
term of ten months in the year.
The next greatest defect is the en-
ployment of cheap, incompetent SUI
perintendents. An incompetent man
in any business is dear at any price
The superintendent of our common
schools should be chosen with an eye
single to usefulness and adaptability
to the high duties they assume from
among our best men. Then they
should be amply paid for their ser
vices, and required to supervise the
schools of the county during the
school period, and no one can exer-
else supervision of our schools and
teach during the school period. The
amount paid by our County court to
Superintendent Tyler for his services
as superintendent Is an expenditure
for no profit, for he has for the last
nine or ten months certainly devo-
ted his time closely to teaching,
thereforefore could not have visited
the schools of the county.
The amount the county pays him
as superintendent, amounting to
seven or eight hundred dollars,
would be sufficient to employ a COM
petent and efficient superintendent.
For heavens sake protect us from an
old fOssilized bachelor, who seems to
labor under a chronic antipathy for
the female teachers of the county.
The Office of superintendent should
not be made a sinecure, but one of
active supervision OF our schools.
We sympathize with our sister dis
trict, No. q, in the unpleasant con-
ditiOn of affairs at Central chapel.
The harmony of the district seems
to be materially impaired, and Grim
nations and determinations are
growing therefrom. Who is to
blame? Is our superintendent to
blame? Let the public judge.
The Office of school commissioner
is one of much more responsibility
than is generally supposed. 1t is
within their power to be of great SER
vice to their district in keeping down
divisions in their schools. Again 1T
is in their power, by an arbitrary,
indiscreet course, to do great injury
to the cause of public schools.
If commissioners, by their indis-
erection, either through personal favor
or anarbitrary spirit, employ teach
ers whose habits and disposition are
not likely to produce harmony in
their schools, they will find in the
end that such a course too often
proves to be the harbinger of discOrd
and factions which finally lead to
irrecOncllable divisions in their
neighborhOod. In the employment
of teachers commissioners should lay
aside all personal favor, prejudice
and nepotism and exercise the func-
ton of their Office from a dlsinter-
ested standpoint for the general good
of their schools. They should always
endeavor to please their fellow citi-
zens who are as deeply interested in
the prosperity of the schools as
themselves. Differences arising be-
tween the commissioners should be
settled by concessions and not by an
arbitrary rule of the majority. BY
so doing harmony will in all cases
prevail. s. Pc.
District No. 8.
The GAINESVILLE Cornet Band is
ready for business and proposes to
furnish music cheaper than any other