Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-10


CARTERSvILLE. Ca. Jan. "a. 1902.
SUPPOSE the commonest thing in
this country now is common
schools. We have three classes
first, those who are taking advan-
tage Of the best schools available
to educate their children; second, those
who send their children to school be-
cause Il is fashionable; the third class
are those who send their children to
school because they don't know what
else to do with them, or, as they
sometimes say to keep their children
out of devilment. Our common schools
now are not only very common, but
are free schools. The average fellow
will take most anything from itch up
or smallpox down. The fact of the bus
mess Is, you can give some fellows
most anything, and If you don't give
them what they want. they feel ike
the classes have all the country and
the masses are drifting to destruction.
A neighbor of mine, some time ago.
said that he would send his boy 10 the
public schools, but that he didn't. think
he could afford to- said, why, 1t
doesn't cost anything. does IT.? NO..
he said, .but / believe my boy VIII
learn more on the streets than he will
at the school," Now, there is some
thing wrong about this whole bust
ness. might like common schools, but
/ do not like very common schools.
might like a free school, but DO not
like a very free school. Free pensions,
free schools, free silver, etc, are all
going to seed into something else some
OF these days. The fact Of the business
is. we are sowing in joy and we will
reap in tears, reversing the ScripturaI
idea. tt
The average taxpayer and citizen
have about as much voice in the man
agement and conduct of public school
as 1 exercise over that immense truck
farm in Michigan. We have got our
state and county commissioners, our
educational boards, etc, and the av-
erage public servant becomes a public
boss, and instead Of being servant
doing the bidding OF vox pOpulf he Is
vox populi himself and debating the
terms and plans, and woe be to the
fellow that lifts his voice or his hand
in opposition to the public boss. ~
I don't know much about public
schools because have never patron
ICED them, but 1 know about as much
d about them as the fellow that does
patronize them. tell you the fellow
that don't pay anything 10 the thing
he is patronizing is like the average
. IellOH with a AACC pass IA A%S RN~-@~N
he can occupy more seats and. kick
more at schedules and raise more sand
at starting point and destination than
do the passengers who have full paid
tickets in their pockets. The best thing
a fellow ever had is something he
worked for or paid for with money he
had worked for. The poorest piece OF
property any fellow ever had is some
thing he had given to him,
Common schools means everybody
comein Folks haven't got half as much
sense about children as the average old
farmer has about potatoes. If the old
farmer has two piles Of potatoes, one
rotten and the other sound potatoes.
and you slip in some night and mix
them on him he would lick you, but We
gather up the scums and offscourings
of the back alleys and dump that class
of children into the public schools
with the best children in the land, and
give the philosophical reason for 1t
that the good children exercise a good
influence over the bad ones. have
often wondered how many sound po-
tatoes Il took to pack around a rot
ten potato to save II. Does any man
suppose that a thousand real sound
potatoes packed around one rotten po-
tato will save the rotten potato? Don't
any fool know the rotten potato VIII
get them all? II any boy wants to he
can learn at the public schools the
first week how to smoke cigarettes. the
next week how to pay keeps, and the
third week how to shoot craps, and
the fourth week how to cuss, and in
six weeks he can graduate in deviltry
If he wants to from the average pub
lie school in this country, to say MOTH
ing of the girls at all.
We grind out teachers Ike
preachers and doctors these latter days
are ground out OF medical colleges ana
theological cemeteries.
They all come out like round sau-
sage, Just the same in diameter and
length and about the same substance,
lust so much beef and just so much
pork, and so much pepper and salt and
sage, and then the machine and ne
gro to turn It, and round sausage will
result The average teacher these days
when he stuffs the curriculum Of the
school into the head of the kid he
has got him educated, and had as
soon stuff my stomach full of sawdust
and brickbats and call myself fat. Ed
ucation to any man Is but his best
preparation for his life's work. so 1t is
with women. Education is the discip-
lining of the moral and mental forces.
OF course Harvard and Yale and all
the other colleges now are disciphning
the physical forces. The graduate Of
Harvard College that can't kick ball