The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1888-12-07
LAKE CHARLES CALCASEU PARISH LOUISIANA FRIDAY,
Educational.
Editor Lake Charles Echo.

Editor Lake Charles Echo.
AS your paper, in common with others In
southwestern Louisiana, is an advocate of
immigration, and is ever ready to point cut
the many inducements the Creole State has
to offer to home-seekers from the North. l
take the liberty to suggest that no matter
how salubrious your climate, how fertile
your prairies, how neutTltious your grasses,
or how rich your forests in timber, yet not
one, nor all of these blessings combined will
put live, energetic family on every quarter
section Of this beautiful country.
Nature has indeed been liberal In the be-
stOwai Of her blessings in this sunny land,
but she has done her share, and the people
who inhablt II must do the balance II they
would make these prairies yield up their
hidden treasures Of grain and fruit, or con-
vert your wealth of forest into material for
the abOdes of mankind In less favored dis
tricts. You are all bidding for Northern
capital TO develop your many resources, but
what are your people doing, or what have
they ever done to develop the rich intellect
of the thousands OF children who are ap-
preaching man and wOmanhoOd with no more
knowledge of an education necessary to pre-
pare them for g life Of usefulness than II
they had been reared In the Feegee Islands,
For the past six months we have been regaled
with nothing but such phrazes as "Cut down
the tariff, u "Reduce the surplus" "GiVe us
free trade" and heap other fixed amuni-
L
paign, but now that the battle Is over and
complete arrangements made for the burial
of the dead on the 4th Of March next, let us
all go to work and reduce the illiteracy of
the parish Of Calcasieu. A surplus of
ignorance here is far more 20 be dreaded
than surplus Of cash In the vaults Of the
United states treasury.
II you would reduce the tax for the prose-
cutiOn Of criminals, levy one equally high
for the education Of children, and as eduGa-
tiOn advances crime will retreat. IT'S better
to build schOOl-houses than jails, better TO
pay teachers than sheriffs, and the greatest
inducement you can offer to the average
hOme-seeker from the North, will be the as
surance that bis children will have the same
| educational advantages here that they had IN
their former home.
A large proportion of your settlers are
| from States not half so old as Louisiana, In
| fact many of them are from the territories,
yet venture the assertion that nine-tenths
| of them lived within sight of sChOOl-hOuse,
and that every child OF ten years old can
write his or her name without a saw-buck
| for a middle initial. 'Iis a shame that a
State seveDty-siX years a member of this
grand Union (and two years counting
another) should be so far behind in this par
| tiCulaT. Just think of II, 1907 white voters
| In this parish unable to write their OWD
names. What sort Of a standing advertise
ment is that to induce men with families to
leave their old homes and BchOol-hOuses and
| come South2
A blizzard of snow is bad enough, God
knows, but blizzard of ignorance is faI
worse. We cannot be held responsible fol
| the former, but upon the heads of the citt-
zeDs Of Louisiana to-day rests the resPonsi,
bility of putting educational facilities before
the rising generation.
Wake your people up to a sense of theiI
duty In this matter Labor for the cause Oi
education and give "Polly Tx" a rest. POOI
thing, she needs it. A good public school
system, endorsed by the State authorities
and supported llberally by the people, will
contribute more to the wealth and develop
ment of your country than all the cOnVen
tiOns to be held from now till dOOmsday.
am glad to see that your Parish SChOO
Board is moving in the right direction, and
would add that In the election of superin
tendent Of schools, ! think John McNeesf
the right man IN the right place.
Thoroughly COMPETENT be brings to thC
office the experience OF an old teacher, and
knowing the needs of the people, Is willing
and anxious to push on the cause of educa
ton until this parish shall be second to Bont
In point Of intelligence. He has undertaken
a heTCule an task, and IL is the duty Of eVeTl
progressive citizen to aid him In the gOo(
| work, and as all newspapers are supposed t.
be promoters Of the public good, | hope ant
| expect to see the ECHO lead of in the move
to build up the public schools of CalcasieG
parish. Yours Respectfully,
THOs. L. MACVBY.
China, La, Nov. 2sth, 1888.