The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-02-20
Communicated.
SVanton, Nd. Feb. IS, 1891.

To the Editor of The Republican.
| have receiyed, in the past two
years, something oyer one hundred
letters of inquiry about the advanta.
ges of Garrett as a place TO settle.
These possible settlers have hailed
from all sections of the Union and
even from Canada, but in no one
thing have their queries been so uni
form and stereOtyped as show about
the Schools ~ In answering these
earnest inquiries, the school question
finally became so sore point with
me that / skipped it entirely, for,
patch it up as | would, the glaring
fact still remained of only "fnur
months school," which suggested, no
doubt to cultured and intelligent peO-
pie. that Garrett was either howl
ing wilderness or intent on raising
day laborprs for more favored sec.
tons. 1t meant to the prOspectOr
from the New South" that Garrett
had not yet caught the spirit Of the
times. 1t meant to the wary ques-
toner to the north of us that we had
not yet CutgroWn the days when II
was fashionable for the aristocratic
few to have their private schools
while the masses were doled out just
enough education so they could eat,
! work and propagate their kind to ad.
vantage.
Perhaps you think this is all con-
lecture. Many were on the eve Of
coming. [ could answer all other
points favorably. Now what will
you do with the cold fact that only
four families did come and that two
of them have left claiming the gen.
eral iliteracy of the peope and its
likelihood of remaining so as the
greatest drawback to our county?
Cry "sOur grapes" l presume. The
man without "bOOk learning" as he
calls it. who will generally he found
working for 80 cents to S1.25 day
and who argues that what he secured
of it Tor rather failed to secure of it)
will answer his children as well,
sadly miscaIculates in many ways.
LIST. Education is not so much
arithmetic, geography, Latin, etc.,
except in a casual sense: it is an en-
larging, clearing, quickening of the
mind, enabling the scholar to see
deeply, quickly and accurately into
any question that arises. l know a
college graduate who clears S1400 a
year on 35-acre farm at farming
alone. Do you think l or any other
uneducated farmer could 60 that?
%. Twenty years hence with the
same education the day lahorer now
has his sons will be more likely to be
ting their dollar day. for other sec.
tions are advancing even If we are
not.
81. There is more room at the top
than bottom, so much so in fact that
men who can c0mpetentIy fill a rail.
read presidency get all the way from
So 1000 to $4,000 year, while the
man who can not read and write can
hardly get chance to expose him.
self to the cold and storms of winter
or heat and dirt of summer for Sl.0j
per day. and education m axes the
difference.
4th. To be Ignorant is SIN. 1.-THE
wages of sin is death" in every
sense: morally. mentally, physically
Not the least sin a man or woman
can commit is to entail upon his chi.
dren and descendants weak, unde-
yeloped, insipid intellect. Some one
has said the time to commence the
education of Il child is with its grand.
parents. AS that is not practicable
let Us do what is-commence the ed
ucatl0n of our childrens' granuchll.
dren at once and 20 earnestly that
they shall he fit for any of the Offices
of the county or State, even that ol
Presidency.
CHAs. 7. SWEET.
iSranton. Nd, FEB. II, 1891.