The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1890-09-05


Mr.. Editor:
Your issue Of the eth inst. contains
some structures on the action of the
committee on education In placing the
school age at five and twenty-onC
years. This matter was discussed AT
length In the committee by nearly ey-
cry member in 1t, aud the only propo-
sitions TO change the present status,
with one exception (Judge Mayes)
came from few .fi,rmer delegates,
where the patriotic % professions be-
lievc the eggs Of demagogism are laid
and hatchcd. think, however, you
arc somewhat hasty in reaching con-
clusiOn that demagogisn had aught to
do with arranging the school age.
When such men as Gcn'l Lee, Sullivan,
Richards, Love, Miller, and Others, urge
and vote for such measure IN coml-
mittee. its action l. as far removed
from sentiment aud selfish notions a.
tho heavens from earth.
There arc twcnty-0nc states that
have adopted these ages for educablc
children, aud surely Mississippi will
not 60 far wrong II she has done the
same. Ii Is not disputed that children
five years old are too young TO attend
school. and | assent TO that, but when
we reflect that rural districts are sit
uated quite differently from the town
no fault Of the TOWN. with regard 10
proximity ni the population. aud con-
si,lering that 1t will take a certain
number of educablc children in dis
tric 10 insure n school. in a certain
locality, ! think You will agree with
me that cutting down 20 n minimum
ON one hand, and raising 10 maximum
ON the other. will work badly. For
instance: \ lorality has. under the
present system forty-fivc children; and
by rutting oh the ages, as YOU indicate,
you will decrease the educablc child
rem in that district to less than thirty
live. Then we must either enlarge our
districts considerably, thereby ,lecreas-
ing the schools and increasing the DIFF
ficulty of attendance for the children:
or build more houses for the small
districts If we establish smaller pop
ulation for district. You are aware
the negroes have a much dcnser pop
ulation than the whAcs.and your efforts
in the direction of changing the school
age, would operate solely 10 the injury
OF the white children, and would not
affect the negro, except to give him a
decided advantage over the white
race in the matter of school privileges.
One other fact Is also lost sight OF in
this desire TO change the school age,
In the towns change would be of
local advantage, since through COM
bination of fortuitous circumstances
your town schools run nine aud ten
months per term, while In The country
the opportunities of the school child
are limited to four and five months.
In The first case, child will have at
tanned complete common school ed-
ucation in ten terms for between eight
aud eighteen ycarse while in the last.
with our struggling school term, and
The frequent demands upon the child
rcn for home duties, a strong necessity
arises for granting the boy and girl
every available chance 10 add TO their
limited store of knowledge, even 10
extension of the age to twenty-one
years.
In trying to eliminate The negro ms
much as possible from the benefits of
the school fund, the cndcavor reacts
with double force upon our own race.
IT IL indeed difficult In avoiding the
whirlpool ScyIIa not 10 wreck our
barque ON the rock Charybdis. These
difficulties besct us and we have tried
to run with even keel through them
all. Respectfully,