The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-03-04
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
BY H. F. LONG.

by majority of our citizens. If the,
are established for the purpose of ben
eftting our children, Individually, in
stead of collectively, then / am wrong
and the masses of our people ar.
right. We cannot benefit them to any
extent collectively, without doing
them some good as individuals. Be
this as it may, the prime purpose te
be accomplished, is to improve the
condition of our country, to make bet.
ter American citizens.
! AS Rapides parish is now judged
from the integrity and intelligence Of
its citizens, so will it ever be in the
future as long as time lasts. Thirty
years from to-day it will be whatever
We have prepared our girls and boys
to make it. This grand, noble work,
is to be very largely obtained by CIV
ling our children better, more COM
plete education.
The natural tendency of education
is to improve, elevate, refine and make
more intelligent men and women. 1t
has been an established principle of
our government ever since its first
struggles for existence were over, and
success was assured, that ignorance is
great enemy to civil liberty, pro-
moter of corruption and vice, which
are the legitimate parents Of tyranny
Our wisest statesmen, our most pro-
found thinkers, have steadily encour-
aged intelligence by advocating and
voting for means to educate the mass.
es OF our children, believing the safe
ty, the perpetuity of free government
depends upon the intelligence of its
citizens. If these conclusions, these
premises are correct, then our police
Jurymen acted wisely in giving the
timely aid they did to advance the i'm
portant cause of education. A few
years ago it was at very low ebb.
Never before in the history of our
Parish have patrons, pupils, teachers
and school been SO united, SO earnest,
so persevering, so determined in their
efforts to promote school interests all
along the line of educational work.
from primary to high school studies,
as they are this school session.
Ii there are any doubters in our
Parish of these facts, let them 90 and
visit their nearest school, and if no.
then visit Rapides Parish
High School, and you will be con.
vinced. / was there last week on
.bree different days; part of the time
n Miss q. Baynard's room, who has
he wonderful tact of teaching, and at
ame time quietly governing forty lit
lie boys and girls who live in Alex
'ndria Children living in villages,
earn cute, sly ways of being mischiev.
us, and are much more difficult to ,
ontrol than those raised in the coun-
~. Her pupils have advanced rap !
aly in their studies siuce | was in her ]
chool room the last eff October, 1880,
'hich is the criterion of merit by /,
'hich we may judge the successful :
,acher.
What has been said of Miss Bay
ards teaching aud management, can
9 justly applied to Mrs. A. F. Gray. :
'n's work, only in a more marked :,
egree. Her pupils are lasger, are
apable of making more rapid ad- =
ancement, are more easily controlled, ;,
fact xuite a number are yoang la :,
les who have too much self-respect. :,
70 much pride to violate rule of the
'hool, that Is made to benefit all t..
no attend. .
Prof. A. W. Pardee has charge of = =
70 mathematical department and is ::
o we'll known from the work he has :,
me in arithmetic in ouE parish during y
o past twelve years, to need any en-.
NUNS from me. %
Prof. W. j. Calvit, the principal, -
reefs and governs the school. He
aches the high school studies, and is d
orally overwhelmed with work. so Is
much so that he gives the last thir- ar
minutes Of his midday recreation NJ
ur to one of his classes. After I'M
bool he examines and corrects the Sc
1tten work OF his pupils, which takes da
ire than an hour of his time each as
ening. The scnool has been in. DO
ed and is now suffering for the want vo