The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-11-27
[Commanicatsd.
We Must Educate.

We must educate, we must edu-
cate, or we shall perish in our own
prosperity" Truly has it been said
that knowledge is power" In all
times and in all nations intellectual
endowments have received great
honors; but never before in the his
tory of the world has the fact that
knowledge is power" been so fully
realized as in the present age.
Education has become the palla-
dunn upon which the glory and honor
of nation rest. There was a time
when the glory of a nation depended
upon her prowess of arms; but we
are proud to say that that age has
! passed into the dim and misty out
lines of dream, and now, in the
progressive age of the nineteenth
century, the glory, honor and liberty
of nation depends upon the educa-
ton and refinement of her people
earns have yielded to the toga" and
the laurels which was once conferred
upon "Hoasme Gepee" is now conced-
ed to "Homme de Iettres." Enlight-
ened nations no longer fight their
battles with fire and sword" but the
contest is wholly between mind and
mind.
IT'S true, few nations still wave
their bloody swords and hurl their
poisonous darts; but this barbarous
custom is fast fading away before the
march of knowledge, whose benign
influence is dispensing the clouds of
ignorance and superstition which
have hung for countless ages over
their benighted minds.
Yes, I repeat it, ''Knowledge is
power" If a nation is oppressed,
educate her people, and see how soon
she will throw off the yoke of tyranny. |
II existing institutions are opposed |
to the well being of the masses and
unjust laws are grinding the face of
the poor, educate them and you place
within their hand a weapon, mightier
than the sword of a Caesar, by which
they may claim their rights and de-
fend their cause IF the clouds of
Ignorance and superstition are lower
ing over the heads of a people, blind
ing the public minds and yelling their
souls in darkness, education will dis
perse these clouds and permeate
their minds with the glorious light
of truth.
Then, let us examine the condition
OF the South and see if she is free
from all these rllinous evils. By no
means. Almost in her very infancy
she was oppressed by an ungenerous
and jealous neighbor; and for twenty
four long years she has groaned un-
dersthe heavy burdens of fraud and
unjust taxation. Ground down by
these unjust impositions, she has
been unable to sustain her institu-
tons of learning, and to respond to
the sad walls of her sons and daugh- :
ters who have cried with stentorian
voice for eight, more light" Igno-
rance has closed her dark folds around !
the masses of the people, palsying
their energies and dwarfng their
powers till we are ready to fall upon
our knees and call upon the mercy of
an avenging God. Sad, indeed, is
5he condition of the South, and sader 4
still aeiU it be unless we devote more
attention to the cause of education c
lis the Herculean power that viii s
burst the bonds of slavery and OPP
tbs the Archimedean lever
hat will raise us among the greatest y
people of the earth.
Then, let us educate our people
ct us rebuild our colleges, build new
academies, employ competent instruc-
;ors and make the educational adj :
rantages SO accessible that all may
'eceiye at least, a common school ed