The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-01-09
TO Patrons and School Directors

we are QlSpOSoQ 10 creulG tue SChSi0' as
Version of it.
TO Patrons and School Directors:
The last report of the State Superlh-
tendent of Education, which IS Delof'
me, shows no material progress In pup
lie educational matters over the report
published in 1888. The report for 1883
shows that our public schools were III Is
ieplorabIe conditions; that the patrons
and School Directors were not DONG
.hei uuLS; that the educatlOnaI lnIeI
SITS of the children were being neglect
d. This should have been warning;
and, being not needed, see no aiterna
I'VE but to say that we are morally, II
Iot legally guilty OF crLinlhsl heSh-
Sence in this matter.
This is the more surprising when We
10 TX at the report OF the COMMISSIONS
If Agriculture. Maury county ranks
,IonS the top there, but at the bottom
lern According to that report our
lands, our roads, our crops ana eEeno I
mules anu hogs get more OF our atCeh
ion than the minds OF the chllufell'
Vt present Hal Pointer IS the mos
noted citizen OF MRnry county. II
looks to me like Maury county ought 10
uit raising children and go entirely
into the live stock business. ceie
grated teacher was once approached oN
farmer, who wanted to send his boy
| % school to the teacher. On ASKING Ms
.ates the farmer was annoyed TO nnd ina
mr. tie entire session he would have u
DaV forty dollars. "What, FORTY dol
| ars!" he exclaimed, why, sir, IorLH
InIIars would nearly buY me mule!
! eyes," replied the teacher, ut VIII ant
| If You'll last put into IA mule ana neg
| ect your sons mental training, III II
CIV years you'll find you have got tWC
mules" -,
Non, gentlemen, 1 wish to call You;
.ttentiOn 10 a few facts:
Ist No people can prosper, however
ertile their soil may be, or however
great their natural, material ana com
nercial resources may De, uhless Ine
minds that direct the management OF
| these resources, are trained and skilled
Cor Lnis very reason, coupled WIFI
mercy and the spirit that never says
die, the caucasian race has risen ABOVE
tII others; has built more cities, tun-
neIled more mountains, crossed more
seas fought more battles for humanity
lone more good than all others com
bined. Thrown upon the sea IN a IL IL
| BOAT, 1t has turned that huge anu un-
.nuth craft into the beautiful ships Oh
| to-day-the white-winged and smoke
Dlumed birds of commerce throw
upon the chalk-cliff shores of England
us race, has converted them into pas
ures of waving grain, or dotted them
| With the smoke of thousand furnaces
| )ne drop of the blood of this trained,
| lonest, brave and enlightened race, Is
worth more for mankind than all Ihai
lows in the brestS of the sluggard ana
ne coward; one muskeG that DiaZeu al
Bunker Hill has done more for unlYer-
dI liberty, than the torch procession
hat blazed the way for the prouueSi
tOman Emperor.
| Tot forget that now, more than at any
,ther time in our history, do our emil
Iren need trained minds. Trained thai
they may rise above interior races
Grained, mat they may rise aboVe pow
nd vic
hat they may carry OH the work oul
'athers have so nobly begun; that they
lav he a blessing to themselves and
| their cou TRY.
Ind. Ihis training can only come to
| Ill the people, through the meulun ol
| rec education. / do not decry private
| schools. Let those who can, ENJOY
| hem; but let education by free for the Sc
| Who need it. There is lditferenc9 be-
ween enjoy and need. One lmpAes
| luxury; the other necessity; any edu-
;ation with us is now necessity we
| 10 not wish to be behind the noIth and
The west. But if yol study fhe free
| .chools of those sections as hSVe done.
zee their high gradeyjhe money raised
| ,ducated men ar womeV they ar,
prning out year fer yeaiF Sy6%, will f 5
behind them in his matter matte Let 'iiI,
n
| fs,lI behind th4A in ability, in man
| rood, in enligf Rnment. 1t is said thai
me of our grY bGes can barely enter
some OF the ~ ,Iie schools in Bos-
| Intended; - u kIfear we would find
Iur system mfrz below theirs.
The puTiic school idea is taking the
whole wZrld. 1T goes ~ ~ with free
. SfsEG' n %nd drs RELIGION I growint
| very year and is "A true gauge to a peo-
| lle's prosperity. Talk about cotton be-
| ng King; it is king no longer. The
| .pirit of Free Schools Is king, for it will
| make stalks of cotton growi where one
| rev before; it will turn lgullies into.
| wheat fields, swamps intb meadows;
| md wherever it goes it calls for more
| ,rogress, more advancement, more re-
igion, more peace, more plenty, more
| funerals of hatred, malice, ignorance
| md superstitionS, and more reSurrec-
ions OF coed swill, charity, enlighten-
nent and learning.
Shall Maury counties children have
| his, as the constitution requires, aS
the age demands and as the dictates
| If humanity urge? Or shall the SchooI
| Directors and parents sit quietly down
md content themselves with two
months schooling in a year? Did you
,Ver think oft? Six school sessions OF
en- months each is as long as the aver
tge educated man or woman goes To
'chool. L say average educated person.
| Now your child, ip six years Will gel
)nly twelve months, or only one-hith
u the education gotten by the average
| ID. In the thir d place let us see the
/ e..ledY, for this state OF affairs. l have
alked this remedy for five years. !
awe talked and written it so often,
/ hat i am at a loss for language TO eX-
| lress il differently. Perhaps this anec-
lOte will better illustrate it. During
he late war, after battle in Virginia
| 4 worn out, tired out, badly demoral'
zsd and hungry Johnny Reb was
| ,traggling alonain the road. when cen
Iardee rode up and pertmptorliy or
Tered him to hurry up ana iah lnIo
.anks.
"What have you got to do with IL,
aid the Struggling soldier.
ooh, nothing, except L am ecu
Iardee, youIN commanding officer
said the generai sarcasticaIy.
80 yes, / know you now" said
Johnny; ''you wrote a book on military
| sactics; you taught us in that "a
louble COLUMN at half distance; anc
low I'll Just let you teach me how to
double distance on half ratihn."
] am like that soldier, j want the
lountv Court to teach US how to double
educational progress on half ration
Sut as the County Court will not DC
his let us. the friends, parents and di
rectors of the school interests, cut dowI
,ur column to meet the ration issued
This is all the remedy. As have time
md again said, cut dow the schools tc
me or two good ones to the district
= take more interest in them, center oil
: two or three good teachers I'd run those
, schools, see that they ard run ter
months in the year, and WEI will sooI
? have no strsgRl rs and no disgracefu
1 report of a low ebb or educational inter
4sts In our county, starinkglus In the
1 face. JOHN UoRH. IN.