The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-05-17

future one.
One of the most alarming facts of ou1
American life is its ignorant, stunted child
hood; no one not blind, can fail to see the
amount of vicious ignorance growing up
around us. The scanty time during which
children attend school, providing they evel
go, all is entirely insufficient to neutralize
the evil habits of the home life ANY OBJ
servant teacher can tell in week what
sort of a father any boy may have, let that
father profess what he may. l am per.
fectly aware that no teacher can truly dc
the work of the parents, but where parents
fail altogether it is time to supply some
other agency. Tue work of the school
cannot take the place of the home, but it
Is better than none at all. The security of
the State must rest, not on the physical
strength, but the intelligence of it's citi-
zens, and this intelligence cannot be gained
by system that allows half of the child
rem to out of school without teaching
them anything at home. Were parents
justly awake to their duty there would be
no need of compulsion; but as matters
stand it becomes not simply duty of the
State, but an absolute necessity for self
protection that it see to it that the child
rem are educated, at least the common
things of every day life.
According to the last census the amount
expended in the United States for instruc-
tion in year was $94, 1914, 900. Is the coun-
try really receiving the worth of its money ?
If not the reason is to be found in the
non-attendance of scholars and the incom-
potency of teachers. There are according
to Comm. Eaton 2, 073, $40 practically illit-
crate male adults in the United States, and
if his estimates are worth anything, should
they merely acquire the ability to read and
write, they would add $116,6 900 to the
productive industry of the country, year
| ly, more than the whole annual cost of
schools. In several States over 80 per
cent Of the voters can neither read or write
1t is true that much of this is due to adj
hitting the late slave population to the
ballot l was always disposed to object to
the 18th Amendment, not because it en-
franchised color, but ignorance; but l am
not certain that colored ignorance is any
more dangerous than white. Charleston
ruled by colored ignorance is just as near
a model government as New York ruled by
Irish ignorance. Even Massachusetts, has
! uuite q larpe nor capta ro IF ;11;tar,to ,,o+
ers. The South where few years ago it
was crime to teach a slave, and almost as
much to teach a poor white to read has
| some excuse, Massachusetts has none. In
Rhode Island the constitution makers have
been about as sensible as they have any
where, DISTINGUISHING all who are unable to
read and write. 1t is about time that the
same idea was applied elsewhere.
Massachusetts, leads the Union in the
amount expended annually per capita of
school population with Se0.66. Nevada
is second on the list with $19.1S. Yet
| Boston the Athens of America, despite its
boosted culture, has 10 per cent of its
children who never enter the school house.
New York State had in 1870, 1000 be-
tween and 81 who did not attend school.
Philadelphia has 10 per cent who never
attend school, achize 46 per cent Of those en-
rolled are absent from the daily sessions
Just here it may be worthy of note that
the late Gov. Geary stated in his last mes
sage, as an argument for compulsory at
tendance that 16 per cent of the inmates of
| the State prisons cannot read. What the
State may save to-day from education it
may have to spend tomorrow to restrain
criminality. In seven coal mining coun-
ties: Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Lehigh,
Luzerne, Northumberland, and Schuykill
there are 100000 over ten years of age,
totally illiterate, and, in three of these
| counties Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill
there are $4,000 children totally without
means of instruction. A sad showing for
the old Keystone, and proof that she has
need to take the advice of her dead Cover
nor; see that the beams are picked out of
her own eyes before saying anything about
the blindness of other people.
In Missouri last year, AZ per cent of the
children never entered the school house.
In Virginia over so per cent. Florida has
$4,000 of school age, $4,000 last year at
tended school. Texas the Commissioner
calls the darkest field educationally in the
Union, having 10000 whites over ten years
Of age, who can neither read nor write.
These are a few facts taken from all sec
tons of our common country. They clear
ly show an existing want. When will our
Legislators become bold enough to supply
the only possible remedy; school houses,
teachers and compulsory attendance .
Schools will cost less in the end than
courts, ,jails, penitentiaries, houses,
and gallows; but the public policy usually
is to save a penny to-day at the almost
certain cost of pound tomorrow.
We have noticed already the restitution
of school privileges in the coal mining
counties of Pennsylvania. Periodically
the country learns the result; only two
years ago the strike of the coal miners
paralyzed the coal and iron industry of the
State and entailed loss of millions upon
both employers and laborers. 1t required
the whole force of the State at least to
secure even reasonable safety of life to non
striking miners. 1t is true that public
sympathies were divided until at last the
violence of the strikers cost them the
sympathies of all intelligent people. The
whole difficulty originated in the causes
which produced the ignorance of which
we have already spoken. A foreign popu.
lation with little idea of education uror
the part of the seniors, can see little reason
for it among the children. Almost as soon
as the child can walk his initiation into the
mysteries of the mines begins. The en-
ployers are only interested in securing the
largest amount of work for the smalles
possible compensation. AS general thing
capital has no soul and very little foresight
and of course cannot see the necessity O
ligence.-Groping in the mines from
early boyhood, the children grow up will
little idea of the great world around them