The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-06-21
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.
PRIZE ESSAY IN THE TEACHERS
CLASS AT OUR UNIVERSITY.

PRIZE ESSAYIN THE TEACHERS
CLASS AT OUR UNIVERSITY.
A Careful, Thoughtful Treatise on the
Public schools of North Carolina.
Everybody Ought to Read 1t.
ISoe .ial Contribution to the Ssntind]
Both the social and individu II ele-
ments in the civilization of every coun-
try are based upon the education OF
that country. The plane of a nations
greatness is reckoned by the intelll-
gence of its people The roots of all
the virtues lie in the felicity of light
ing upon a good education.
"Intelligence has reared the mag
netic columns of our national glory,
and it alone can prevent them from
crumbling into ashes" Dynasties
NAV follow dynasties in the lengthen-
ing cycles of nisrule and oppression
the rehuent wave of barbarism may
dash with unbridled force against the
shores of civilization-palaces adorn-
ed with precious stones and laden with
gold and silver may pass away like
the ephemera of summer morning,
but learning" says Plutarch, "alone,
of all things, is immortal and divine. .
The better education of the masses is
the one goal to which every truly no
BILE man ought to turn his efforts.
While glancing over the census Of
North Carolina for 1880 it is With
feelings Of regret that these facts are
noted. The landed property of Mas
sachusetts is worth S43 per acre !; that
of North Carolina s6.07. The aver
age wages of the agricultural laborer
in Massachusetts, are S372.OO per cap
ita per anuum; that of North Caroli-
ma $171.O0. In Massachusetts, and
New York only six per cent. of the
white population are deficient in an
elementary education, while in North
Carolina twenty eight per cent. of the
whites, to say nothing of the negroes,
are absolutely unable to read and
write. Turning to the reports of Maj
Finger for 1886, it is found that the
total expenditure, per capita of the
whole population of Maryland, for
educational purposes, is S1.S1, Mis-
souri, $1.7S, Florida $1.14, Virginia
81. North Carolina "A, Georgia AZ,
South Carolina SO. This column of
expenditures affords very fair COM
parative view of what we arc doing in
public school matters. The annual
school term of Virginia is 11S days,
Alabama 80, Tennessee 80, North
Carolina CO. IF all the expenditures
for these different terms were raised
from ta1 on property the rate would
be 33 cents ON 800 in North Carroll
ma, 43 cents in Virginia, and SO cents
in West Virginia. From these sta
tistics it can be seen that our State not
only leads in illiteracy among her
adults, but lags far behind nearly all
of her sister States even in the provi-
sions for education.
Annual taxation ut the South as
we'll as the North is mainly relied up.
on to support the public schools. Ac-
cording to the assessed valuation oi
our property we are not only far from
doing as much for public education as
other States, but we are not doing as
much as we are able to do. It is high
time for the "Old North State" to
wake up from her slumbers and throw
off the shackles OF "Trip Van Winkle'
that bind her hand and foot More
money for educational purposes is
needed, SO that we may have longer
and better system Of schools, to give
us broad enlightenment al
can be reached by nothing less thar
the persistent efforts OF two or more
generations of men.
IF our funds are YET insufficient Il
give us better schools, after as mucf
money has been raised in the State al
circumstances will permit, let us by
some means obtain money from thu
general treasury. As for instance, lie
us have the substitute for the Blai
Bill offered by the Sub Committee il
the House, appropriating eight million
dollars year for educational pur
poses. The money to come from tn,
proceeds of public lands, and TO b.
distributed among the states in pro
portion to the number of children il
each. Or perhaps the Simmons sub
stitute, proposing distribution of tn
surplus afheng the States by means o
a loan, for educational purposes
However, these are questions to b
settled by the legislative bodies of ou
country. All we want is the money
and that we must have.
In the education of the masses ther
are three great ends to be sought
first, that we may be taught to max
support more easily; second. tina
the ballot may be more intelligent
third that morality may be wide
spread.
Let us consult first the needs of th
aqriculturists, the food manufacturer
of the nation. Agriculture is the OF
cupation of the toiling thousands {
hewers of wood and drawers of watel
that constitute over three-fourths {
our entire population. 1t is the be
ter education of the farmer that woul
soen renovate the face of our State
cutting up into small farms the va.
and exhausted sand plains ofthe Eas
to clothe them with the fresh verdur
of vigorous truck farms, apple oI
ch ards, corn fields and cotton field
1t is the finger of better INTEL
genee alone that can touch the secre
springs that set the mountain stream
Of our Western counties to the mus
of machinery, and turn their viii
valleys into meadows of waving grail
Modern science having cheapened th
means of transportation, and shorter
ed the different ocean routes, our e,
ported farm products must come
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