The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-04-06
Design of the Public School.
L. S. GODDARD,
Secretary.

Design of the Public School.
The design of the public school is
tC enlighten and cultivate the
minds and intellect of the young,
and thus inspire them to strive for
the higher attainment of that know
led4e and usefulness which expels
darkness, barbarity and heathenism,
and opens the way for christianity,
civilization and happiness. l mean
by this, that, education is the fore
runner of civilization and prosperi-
ty. And if you will show me g ma
ton that has manifested no inter-
est in the advancement of educa-
ton, l will show you a nation which
is behind in civilization, christiani-
ty, commerce, manufacturing, agri-
culture and everything that tends
to make a nation great, among ma
tons.
The word led ucation" does not
mean merely knowledge of text
books, science and language that
will enable us to make successful
business career in this life, that will
enable us to accumulate wealth and
become distinguished among men,
but it means cultivation of the
heart and soul that will actuate us
to the discharge of the duties and
responsibilities which God, the Gre
ator of the universe has placed upon
us that the world may be made bet
ter by our having lived in it; and,
that we may have home of peace
and happiness in that sunny cline
above, at the right hand of Him
who gave His life that we might
live.
o but hold on, says some one who
has entered college and graduated
in the college-course, who has but a
faint conception of the fundament-
al principles of a thorough educa-
ton, or in other words, who has
but limited knowledge of the pub
lie school branches which most Ger.
tainly is, and which must forever
be, the foundation of an education.
Hold on says e!your public schools
will never send any one to tighten
the dark places of this earth, civil
ize the savage or christianize the
heather. No sir, our high schools
and colleges must equip them for
the mission, or they will never be
sent. But in answer to such an ar
gument, l call your attention to the
fact, that, where you find ten COM
petent and successful educators,
teachers or missionaries who have
graduated from college halls amid
garlands of flowers and compli-
mentary laurels from friends, nine
of that ten have had the seeds OF
those flowers that bloomed around
them on the day of their gradua.
ting exercises implanted in their
hearts while they were under the
instruction of some humble teacher
in a public school, probably in {
district far back under the tower
ing peaks of the mountains, isolat
ed from the circles of society an(
remote from college advantages.
We learn from history that, du
ring the early settlement of tn,
United States of America, which il
to-day, the most prosperous and en-
lightened nation upon which tn,
sun shines, that great interest wa
manifested in education. "Even il
the wilderness, while the vol
prOwled about the Lighthouse, an,
the cry Of the wildcat was still
heard" the public schools were es
tablished, fostered and encouraged
by the good people who sough
homes in the wilderness of Ameri
ca where they might educate thei
children and serve the true and liv
ing God according to the dictates o
their own conscience.
And, as early as 1875, Georg,
Clinton laid the foundation of tn,