Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-11-23
FIatwOods

| have been reading with.interest for
some time peices written by different
ones on the above subject. and it is
subject In which am deeply interested.
While am not a teacher, yet | would
like to say few words on Compulsory
Education.
First | will say that am in favor of
Compulsory School Law, and not for
the life of me can | see why Rambler
and Common John look at it ps they do
The latter brags much on our grand
Southland not needing such law, and
really from the way he talked | Judge
that he thinks the South is perfect in
every particular, but think not. While
| love this our dear old Southland as
well as he, and think that about all
it needs to make it perfect is Compul
sorry School Law AT any rate Flat
Woods needs it. Why do we need it?
In TIE first place it will not only be
benefit to the children but to the
teacher also, for | certainly do synIpa
thise with the poor teacher who has to
teach from day to day, the empty
benches, and a few little tots who are
not large enough to work, and the
mother sends them to school to get
them out Of her way. There are two
classes of patrons that the teacher has
to contend with, the first is he who
sends his children to school one or two
days in week and keeps them at home
the remainder to work. In this way
the teacher gets no showing nor does
the children. The second is he who
goes to the teacher on the first day of
school and says, II expect you'll have
trouble with my son Johu, but don't
spare the rod, just whip him and send
me word and ] will give him another"
and o myl may the Lord have mercy
on that teacher now, for son John sure
will need whipping and he won't bt
long about it, and he will either take il
like man or run home and that is the
last of son John, and likely all his
brothers and sisters viii stay at home
after that, and you just step into tina
home few days later and hear tina
funeral, will you? In answer to you
question a. to why the kids are not il
school they will at once tell you tina
the teacher is no good, why they hav,
not learned thing, and she whipped
} John there and know he didn't neeC
it, for he always was good boy il
school Now who can say that parents
like those don't need law to fore
them to do their duty toward thei
, children, and also do justice to th
teacher. Yes indeed, we need such
law. For example, in this community
we have two splendid school building
namely, Flatwoods and Park Grove
each fixed up neatly for school work
good water handy, plenty of wood hau
ed to the door to keep the houses col
Portable, and two as fine teachers as ca
be found in he County, yet to m.
knowledge there are twelve or fiftee
chileren out of school that ought to b
going every day, and most Of them al
made to stay at home to work and the
T parents are all able to loose their wOr
: or hire it dOhe. Now, Common Johr
! these are facts, and is this the way t,
bring up the children in this grand oil
, South yOu-so proudly speak of? An,
| who is to blame for this? the children
/ Oh no, the children don't realize tn
need of an education and therefore ha
D az leave stay at home as not. And yo
y said that we Southern people had a.
}. ways educated our children, l say tina
in former years the attendance in Il
school was better than now / RENE
n ber we'll from the time Prof. John Wi
hanson, that grand man who taught Il
first scOOol at FlatwOOds, and up to Il