The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-02-05
| remain,
Yours faithfully,
JEFFERSON DAVIS
LETTER FROM DIR. Walden.

HON. E. EARKSDALE:
DEAR SIR: One who sympathises and is
solicitous for the education of the INDECENT
youths of the State, can but rejoice, that
am devising plan by which so beneficial a
result can be obtained. | have now at Ok
ford twenty-five young men boarding on
the ''Mess PIan,a that is two or three in a
room with rations furnished, prin9i pally
doing their own cooking. 1t is true have
warm bread furnished every morning at
their rooms before break fast, the residue
being served by themselves, as their appe-
tite requires. The best articles | can buy
in St. Louis and New Orleans are supplied
with a commissary in charge to issue to
each without limit or restriction. l am as
suEed by these young men, they could not
be better fed or better satisfied at any
boarding house, especially as they count on
indemnifying me in my expenditures when
able. The articles furnished are sugar cured
hams, sweet bread warm from the bakers
oven, flesh butter, rice, syrup, sugar and
coffee. In evidence of my success quite a
number of regular boarders have adopted
this mode of living and when the fathers
and mothers of others will divest themselves
of false pride and encourage their sons
likewise to divest them selves Oft and adopt
this plan and be educated, rather than grow
up in ignorance, and be able only to com .
pete with the common laborer of the coun-
try. who can only boast OF his muscular
powers. There is an ineAhaustibe mine of
brains in Mississippi, which like the mar
BILE of rough exterior can with the sculp-
tors chisel be developed in great beauty,
usefulness and good. | have twenty-five
of that class ofyoung men, and seven board
ing out, making "a at my own expense, and
whether get help or not from others, it shall
If live, be largely increased another year.
If our next Legislature will appropriate
$4,000, | Will guarantee it shall carry from
that source 100 young men, independent of
the number | send. Can tho Legislature
show evidences Of craftsmanship greater
than educating its youths, male and female /?
Wea GENEROUSLY taxed every year for ed
Vocational purposes, and half of it is wasted
from lack OF competent teachers. To
obviate this, let there be an annual appro-
priation to educate 100 young men who are
too poor to Educate them seles, and in few
years our race will be supplied with teach
ers from the "manner born" Ia full sufficien-
cy.
My plan of educating the class of young
men am striving to do was laughed at and
ridiculed and failure predicted. 1t was
suggested that they would be summed
by the regular students and but little respect
shown them by Professors. Let me say
there are no better behaved your m en- IN
college, none striving harder to be educated
and none command more respect from Pro-
fessors and students than they do
If this system of "messing'' was generally
known to cost 50 little, it would cause
many young man to save his hard earn
ings and 60 to Oxford and be educated.
Young men can do this without appealing
to charity. A young labOring man, TWEEN
ty-two years old, in boots and fine cloth.
owning horse and watch, recently called
on me for help. | urged him to dress pIain,
go sell his horse and watch, fer money, Join
my mess at Qxford, pay his way the first
year, ana would the second, aud would
guarantee the horse and watch would suffice.
My Commissary keeps regular ct of books.
charging each with what he gets and at the
enc of every month makes his report 10 me
| have the reports of January and Deem
Der before me making an average of LD-rdIv
four dollars each. 1t is true | pa, for tbe
goods at wholesale price aud furnish At the
same. This exclusively for board. Every
young man furciishes his bed clothing and
with thar twenty-five dollars paws for his
.del and incidental expenses, he being ex-
empt from certain taxes others are subject
ed to.
would gladly see a tax of $4,000 Der
year levied, and pay my quota cheerfuny.
to have from one to two hundred Young
men educated, who could not otherwise he
educated. You have Professors and teach
ers at Oxford enough to teacn double their
present number, and why not let it be so
The University belongs to the people of
Mississippi aud let both rich and poor en-
JOY alike its benefits, and as we know the
poor cannot we should help them Amongst
my mess students, are several worthy sons
OF the Confederate dead, and for Mississip-
pl 10 90 her duty she should with pride and
pleasure refuse to divide the honor with
any in their education. Had the health.
would canvass this subject through the
state know her people are philanthronic
charitable aud liberal, and would be stow. If
properly approached on so worthy a canse
The press has always been kind to me in
puoilshlng my suggestions and as general
pooilcation of this may lead many Young
ulen 20 seek TO be educated, l Kindly ask il
at their hands. - -
Your friend.
q. NJ. Walden.