Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-04-13
AN ENLIGHTENED PEOPLE.
South Dakota's Moral, Social AND
Educational Standing.

Educational Standing.
We publish in this issue an edi-
torlal from the Sioux City Journal
of March %, concerning the pros
poets OF South Dakota for 1898.
We do not appropriate the whole
article, but it is all so good that we
can't decide between which lines to
run the scissors. 1t is the unsoli
cited and dlsinterested testimony
Of an influential paper outside Of
the state, and ought to have weight
abroad as words spoken from the
convictions Of truth.
Ne take this occasion to say a
ew words IN reference to the stat s
i the people 81 the state outside Of
paterlal attainments or prospects.
Ne DO this the more readily, be-
-ause, IN nearly all the representa-
tions Of south Dakota's advantages
her grogth il material develop
ment has been paraded before tile
eyes Of tie outside world. and the
equally lmpofta { matter Of social
lty, morality, and education left to
be guessed out or coniecturel
The strides that South Dakota
has made in material development
are Of that phenomenal character to
surprise and excite admiration, yet,
the more important matters of an
admirable aud progressive ciyillza-
ton has kept even pace with the
accumulation Of wealth and the
building up of future advantages.
1t seems as if the eastern immigrant
when he packed his goods for the
journey To the western praries, also
garnered the seeds Of social refine.
ment AID planted them around his
new home, where they have taken
root and flourished, TIL re can
boast OF i social and moral condi-
.ion equal to the deserved reputation
Of the e8st. The Characteristic of
lawlessness aud defiance Of the ar
bitrary rules Of a christianizcd
society which wefe carried to east
ern ears not maIy years ago, have
given away before the onward
march ofa higher civilization, SO
that nc may point With pride TO
i the growth of the better elements
of human character. Institutions
to promote The growth Of these
elements are everywhere established
al fast yea, faster, than the N
GREASE Of population. Every town
has It's literary societies, reading
circles, Epworth leagues, various
christian bands, and every new
method Of social and moral inn
provement. The Lake Madison
Chataqaa. inaugurated at Madison,
has proved by the success of its two
annual assemblies, that the people
of the state are III close contact with
the higher grades of mental attain.
ment. Their patronage has been
so generous that the Lake Madison
Chataqua has been able to take rank
with the best and highest; 1T is an
honor to the state.
Two hundred and s~ixtyone papers
are published in the state, of which
twenty-one are daily, two semi,
weekly, sixteen monthly, one semi
monthly, and the remainder ar,
weeklies; being one publication tt
1,l50 Of the population. New Yorl
has one paper to 5000 of popula
ton, Massachu ,etts n to 5000
Maine one 10 400, Kentucky on
To G,G00, Connecticut one to 1900
California n TO 1900, Wisconsi,
one to 1880, and SO on. III add
ton to tae reading matter furnished
by the 2Gl native papers, the daille
Of Sioux City, st. Paul, Minneapoli
and Chicago are largel, p~atronized
~. South Dakotians are n reading peo
pie, and keep posted on the curren
event Of the day and age.
~ The state has wisely made pro
visions FOR educational and refof
ma'ory institutions, - that h o
the most prominent objects in TIL