The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-12-07
Win IS 70 Rlama in Giles2

There sc states and territorie:
ahead of Tennessee in education
There are 27.7 per cent Of her PEG
pie who cannot Iead and write. Ii
Is not uncommon to see a cookbook
ING. stalwart man step into the Crit
ZEN office either upon business or out
of curiosity, and when we solicit
his subscription hear him say:
oWeU. can't read and none er my
folks can't, and amt got any use
fur er paper" They are otherwise
sensible men but they have never
been impressed with the uses and
advantages of an education and are
perfectly callous. The fault lies
primarily in our lack of efficient and
thorough school laws, and next in
the apathy of those who can read.
They are not surrounded by schools
and under no influence In that direc
ton. There is no public school at
mosphere about them and they do
not hear it talked and advocated
and see no one engaged in 1T and no
one getting advantages from it, and
they are absolutely dead TO it. These
are unpleasant facts but true, and
the blame lies more heavily upon
those who can read and know the
advantages to themselves and the
country of an education. The last
states on the list are the southern
states, and this fact is used as a po-
tential argument against the south
in the business and political world,
Snd the north jeers and sneers at US.
The man who is not appalled, at
these statements is dead himself to
the welfare of his country and his
own interests. How are we to mend
this matter and redeem our section
and people from the "disgraceful il
literacy" fastened upon us by the
census revelations?
First, every citizen should raise
his voice and cast his vote for a
fuller, freer, better school system. |
Ours is a tampering system-not |
enough to do much good within |
itself and just enough to cripple |
pay schools. 1t is infinitely better |
than none at all, but infinitely below
what it ought to be. Our largest /
tax ought to be laid for this. If
our men, women and children were
all readers and would keep up with |
the modern thought and abreast of
the progress in all manner of pur-
suits, there would soon dFwn upon
our country a prosperity and a
higher order of contentment that |
as yet we have no conception of nor
acquaintance with.
Next to schools we believe that a
good home paper is the most potent
agent for the dissemination of
knowledge such as will be grasped
and utilized by those we wish to
reach, because it deals in matters in
which they are interested, and they
will learn'to love it and absorb it and
gradually drift higher. We believe,
therefore, that every reading man in
Giles will be doing a duty to his
neighbor and a service to his coun
try and generation if he will insist
upon his neighbOr putting the CITI
ZEN in his family where his children
may read it and thus bring him
under the influence. 1t is only a
mite and the results if properly |
sought would be enormous. We do
not base this request upon any
claim the CITIZEN has upon you, be
cause it is home paper and has
done service in your behalf and for
the good of the county, but because
it will do these people good and the
good will reflect upon all of us.
Help us to get 5000 names on our
list in Giles.