The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-06-12

educate our children if we will. The
trouble is we have not been sufficiently
in earnest about it. Let us remember
that education is necessity and not
luxury. It's the light to dispel the gloom
of ignorance and vice. Is is the possible
that taxation for such a purpose is
robbery? Is it waste to put money
where it will develop human minds?
Is it extravaganza to spend money to
build brick houses?
The fact is the public school tax is
SO small the people do not feel it. and
if the system was made more efficient
and thereby commanded greater respect
it would have more friends and support
ers. We pay only 1925 on the $1,000
worth of property, and could double
treble this amount and not feel it, save
in the blessings that would come back
in the way of an educated, virtuous
community.
There is objection on the part of
some to being taxed fol- the support of
public schools because the negro gets a
part of it. Well, we can't get around
that. The Constitution provides that
the negro be provided for also, and it is
better to let him have slice of the
cake than it is to have no public schools
in the State. If mans child was
starving for bread he would not refuse
to give it to him simply because there
was negro child there by the side of
him that he must also give piece. He
would be an inhuman parent indeed
who should say, MY child, I know
you are suffering for bread, and al
though have it here 1 will not give it
to you because l must give that other
child piece also. 1 love you, my
child, but l would rather see you starve
than to have to divide with any other
mans child.' And that is precisely
the position of the man who is opposed
to public schools because he must di-
vide with the negro. But after all the
negroes do not get as much as is COM
monty supposed. They pay one-halt
the amount they get. Poll taxes in
North Carolina pay $4,000 more to
the public school fund than property
does.
In many of the large negro counties
in the East, negroes pay by poll tax.
fines and penalties, and liquor land the
man who drinks the liquor pays this
tax nearly all the money appropriated
to the negro schools. When the average
white man in the State pays SIS to the
public school fund, about 81 .25 goes to
the negro schools and 1915 to the edu-
cation ofwhite children. Furthermore, a
white child in any county, where there is
a large number of negroes, latter dividing
with the negro, gets more from proper
ty tax, to say nothing of the poll tax
than white child does in county
where there are few OF no negroes. All
these things show that the negro is not
SO great a burden as many suppose.
The public school fund of NORTH
Carolina is 100000, of which the
whites get 100000, and the negroes
100000.
But after all, the situation is simply
this: The whites and blacks must boil
be educated OF both be left in ignorance
Now what will you do? Will you
starve the seventeen white children il
order to starve about ten blacks? Can
a patriotic North Carolinian refuse to
give 1915 to the children of his owl
race because at the same time he mus
pay 1925 to the negro?
Better schools and longer terms il
what we want. Give us the none,
and we will have these. Is it a wonder
| that our schools are inefficient or tina
our teachers are frequently incompe
tent? If the tax was doubled, it woult
add to our prosperity. No people eve
got poor by paying money for schools
public or private.
Prof. McIver closed his remarks will
a strong appeal in behalf of the public
schools Of the State. He earnestly ad
vocated that they be made more efficien
and useful, and said the proper way tt
do this was to appropriate more none,
and build better school houses and EN-.
ploy better teachers. He urged tina
the teachers be shown greater consid
Grafton and receive more encourage
ment. No man has right to shirl
his duty along this line. The education
of the rising generation is one that al
fects us all and we should manifest
proper interest in the subject.
Tobacco flues! Tobacco f1ues! Now
the time to get your tobacco llues, and +
! L. Green's, next to COOper'S warehouse,
the place to get them. He uses the yer
best iron, does good work and sells a
cheap as anybody. june y.
Returned to His First Love.
1t is difficult for one who has distin
guished himself and won honors in an
| MO faco;op 70 braol- OF op1 follow, otbo