The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-11-19
A PLEA FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION.

Senator Watson took the floor and
spoke very earnestly as follows:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen OF the
convention: Several things have
happened in the last few days that
have made me feel like we we're so
years behiLd whore we are. My friend
said something about an ideal system.
Under this two-mill tax we get $1.50
to run the common schools, and that
includes the poll tax. Add another
mill and we will get So. And that is
an ideal system at the end Of the nine
teenth century. An ideal system to
run the schools of this country.
MIR. President, pardon me, but l
have stayed awake several nights
thinking about this matter, and the
tears running down my face. And
why shouldn't they, sir? l had gone
back to the fights around Richmond.
remembered whom IL o'clock at night,
after terrible battle, l have gone
around carrying cup of water to
dying soldier and received message
to his wife as he commended her and
his children to the care of his friends
at home in the State, and have lived
to see those children working in the
fields with negroes as ignorant as their
fathers were a thousand years ago,
with no friends, no protectors. What
did these men fight for? Liberty
What induced them to fight but
liberty. And in all the history Of this
State, sir, those men who have never
feared to bare their breasts to the
enemy have had no recognition in all
| these 200 years. They have been
allowed to 60 their way in darkness
and you propose that they continue to
do it, and then you pass a suffrage bill
and say they must learn or they can
not vote. And yet we talk about an
ideal system with So. DIR. Tornwell
said that there ,can come no sweeter
satisfaction than that which,comes from
the consciousness Of being father to
the fatherless.
Who is to take care of the poor peo-
pie unless you do it? They can barely
earn bare subsistence The labor
ing man gets so month. He can
barely feed and clothe his family, and
yet you say you will not help him.
Can 1t be, gentlemen Can it be that
| there is q single man in this conven-
tion who will refuse to give the pit
tance of $3 to educate the masses OF
our people; the children and the
grandchildren of the soldiers of this
country.
Can you deny them this small
amount? Gentlemen, came to this
convention for the single purpose to
plead for these people. [ have no
higher ambition than to help to be @
father to the fatherless and / would
want no prouder epitah than that
here lies the protector and the friend
of primary schools. 1t was natural
that our fathers should care nothing
was rich and proud and the poor man
was only poor buckra; they cared
nothing about his labor; they did
what was natural to do, adhering to
the prejudices OF their fathers to the
divine right of kings they must have
higher Instruction. college. Whilst
they educated few grand men like
Harper and O'Neal and scores OF others,
, and yet they were comparatively few,
In ignorance. Slavery naturally made
a wide gap-a great gulf between the
, higher and lower orders OF that
society. Lord Macauley said "That Ii
the happiest society In which the
supreme power resides in the whole
, body of we'll informed people," This
is an ideal and perhaps an unattain
!, able condition, but he only Is q states
+ man who tries to approach this ideal
, Political philosophers all agree tha
, it Is the duty OF the State to fostel
primary education. No other powe
| can do 1t. Such was the opinion o
3 Stuart and Adam Smith ano Say ant
. many others. 1t has been truthful.
, said that power without intelligence
| was O. blind monster. The father O
our country said Promote then, O.
r an object OF primary Importance, In
: structions for the general diffusion o
t knowledge" Thomas Jefferson sal
d lit is far safer to have the whole pee
pie respectfully intelligent than a fe,
o la high state OF science and tn
n many in ignorance" Governor Nortf
{. rop said "The State has duties as we
i, as rights, and one OF these is tn
j, securing ofa good common school edr
It cation to the children of all cfasse
d 1t is the duty and right OF the State (
lr defend itself by humanizing and COZ
A. vsrging education against what woul
10 otherwise become q degraded and dal
rs gerous class In society. Better tina
ID fleets and forts for security and pro
,s perity is universal education, which
A. TIE safeguard of our institution
es Universal suffrage without univers
is education means, universal anarchy