The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-09-18
We Must Educate.

our people all over the State, it is not
meet that the good people of our par
ish, who are generally the foremostin
the van of progress, should remain
reticent on this all-important ques
ton. Hence, we write, not that our
name may appear in print, but that
We may call the attention of our peo-
pie to this important subject.
Never before In the history of our
State have our people manifested so
great an interest in the cause of edu
cation as they are manifesting to-day;
and never before have the necessities
of the times demanded such an
awakening.
When we contemplate the rapid
progress our State is making in her
every other department, we can but
be impressed with the solemn neces-
sity of better educational advantages
The tidal wave of education has turn
ed its course, and is to-day having the
shores of our beautiful Southland
Let it come, and may God speed it on
its way; for we think we read in its
silver crest of sparkling foam, grand
achievements for Louisiana. Let us
pull down every barrier and let in the
tide, for our sons and daughters, like
the plants that grow upon the Afric
Nile, must receive its nutricious
waters or perish even in the Spring
time of their growth.
Once, the importance of nation or
State was measured by the extent Of
its territory or the wealth of its peo-
pie; but not so now. Civilization and
christianity, the Queens Regent of
the Nineteenth Century, have adopt
ed higher and nobler standard of
worth, and to day State is judged,
not by it's wide domain or its over
flowing Golfers, but by the mental and
moral culture of its people. 1t mat
ters not how broad may be our fields,
nor how rich may be our people, if
we lack mutual and moral culture we
lack the chief requisites of great
and prosperous people.
. The question, then, is, how do we
stand on these points We find by
!. the examination of our educational
!! statistics, that while we are improving
! slowly, we have not yet reached that
degree of intelligence that would by
, any means satisfy civilized people.
There is very large per cent of our
people who can neither read mol
write. This should not be, and until
we have recti6ed this we need moi
hope to occupy a prominent place il
the eyes of an intelligent world.
AS to our morals, if we take oul
. statistics from the bulletin board O
I the last Legislature, we are disgrace
to civilization. But we shall not bt
SO unjust to our adopted State as tt
. measure its standard of morality b,
Z the acts of those men who expressed
\ a willingness to turn over their coun
y try, her good name and her peoples
u liberties into the hands of an insatia
- BILE monopoly for the paltry price o
= dollars and cents; but we shall meas
3 = ure it by higher standard, for W,
!. believe that great majority of on
= people would rather preserve thei
!. country, her good name and her pee
- pies liberties, than to possess all tn
p golden shekels of a tPinchback-Mor
= y ris" monopoly. Yet there are som
= who argue that We should accep
= Morris money and educate our chill
I dren; but we think differently. w
:, = would have to sell our liberties, sac
: rifce our manhood and our honor t.
: do it; and a people robbed of he
- liberties, devoid of all ideas of nobl
y manhood and destitute of every prin
= ciple of honor, however well educate,
3 they may be, would be like shi
without rudder, tossed here an,
there at the mercy of every tide.
To educate the mental at the sacri
- fee of the moral man, is but addinj
!; :, additional power to vice. No, m
= dear reader, we want education, bu
= we don't want it at the hands of tn
- Louisiana Lottery. 1t were bette
o that our sons and daughters grew u
II, III 4SuOIdHC0 GDbu O6 taught Ny O4oCl
= pies who believe that vice is virtu
IS IS and that political corruption is tn
. fundamental principle of true states
manshlp.
l. But our people need not grow U
or in ignorance. We are not SO povert
X stricken, but that by ''straining
Is point" We could give our children
u good practical, if not classical educ;
ton, which will better prepare ther
for the many duties and grave respor
ma sibilities that will necessarily confror
lie them in the affairs of church an
L. State. And this we mast do, and th
a. sooner we realize the fact the bette
ns it will be. We want to act and az
at once. Let US not wait for Hig
School and Colleges to be built, bl
oy let every little community that b,
OF even a log school house begin
be once to improve the educational &C
vaufa0ae nf thoi,. child1oya h, o~aEtin