The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-30
9Re GdUertiSer
Senator Irby on the State College and
Citadel.

Citadel.
In his speech In the Court House, as
q candidate for the constitutional con
vention the Senator declared that he
would Abolish the State College and
tho military Academy. The Senator
declared himself unwell, as he rose to
address the audience and these can
scarcely have been his healthy views.
He declared them dude manufactures
n unworthy the support and main
tenance of the State. Taxes should
support the primary school and Glenn
son College. Why? Upon what prin-
ciple? The Senator gave no reason. IL
was the utterance Of a candidate surely
and not a thinking man. The Senator
may not have read the law very deeply
but he has had ample leisure to study
the needs OF the State and the laws OF
political economy. He must certainly
know that the State cannot take by
taxation as a matter of right the
money OF the people and give it to the
education of other peoples children
he must certainly know that his money
cannot be taken as q matter of right to
educate people in primary schools or
mechanical colleges, or scientific col
leges, or classical colleges. He must
know, and 1t Is an easier lesson than to
learn the financial problems that all tax
alton is founded upon pure expediency;
we force money out of the pockets of
the people to educate the children be-
cause 1t is i%nexpedient and disastrous
to the interests of society that igno-
should prevail and as a result
crime and barbarism. 1t is not as O
matter of right. 1t is expedient, pro-
per and for the best interest of society
that public schools should be main
tanned by taxation but not rs u matter
OF right. Abstractly it is wrong The
State therefore has wisely established
a system>o of primary schools and q half
million is spent in support of them;
she has Clemson, q school of science
and practical arts; mechanics and
agriculture. There the sons of plant
ers, rich mems sons, farmers sons, the
sons of bankers, lawyers, merchants,
old soldiers and poor widows are taught
at the expense of taxpayers, not as a
matter of right, but because it is for
the convenience and best interests of
all u people. Then we have the Cita-
del or State Military Academy upon
the same principle Of practical exped-
iency and If there is a civilized COM
munity on the globe whose environment
more urgently demands q school fur
nishing a class Of trained military youth
as a nucleus around which to form
ready efficient soldiery we do not know
where upon the map to locate it.
This is enough to urge on this point.
The South Carolina College is a cap
stone to our system Of education. 1t Is
atypical classical school; it has q very
high order Of learned and scholarly
men, a corps of Professors on q par
with any band of teachers to be found
In the country. Here are to be taught
the men who are to be teachers else
where. 1t Is not necessarily q school
for lawyers or doctors. 1t is q school
ordained to make scholars and learned
men. 1t rounds out and completes our
system. 1t is a college absolutely ne
cessary for the son Of all classes, farm
ers, professors, mechanics, merchants
and lawyers. Here as elsewhere edu-
cation Is made cheap as it should be,
not as q matter of right because as
we have urged, every form Of taxation
Is robbery for eXpediency and under
the forms Of law.
The school for women at Rock Hill,
was instituted, though at great cost, to
complete our system. 1t has been gen
orally understood that with the estab-
lishment of Clemson the agitation of the
support OF the higher schools of learn
Ing in this State should end. We re-
greet Senator Irby has seen fit to open
up the agitation. 1t will not strengthen
him with reformers in the State and
we do not believe in Laurens. We
trust, therefore, upon reflection, he
will think better Of it and should he
go to the convention, as he will, sec to
1t that a State College be provided for
III VhS vi duiC law uS Wcll as ~ DrOVlS-
lon for the maintenance of the primary
schools for all the children of the peo-
pie. All cannot be college bred but
the poorest and humblest should have q
chance. There is not wealth in the
State to build great colleges with pri-
vate means. The argument of competi-
tion is fudge. because every school in
the United States is in competition
with every other school, as every in
dividual man is in competition with
every other a The writer is proud
to believe that there is not an anti in
the State who begrudged a dollar to
Clemson: while his nearest kinsman.
outside of his W children, q farmer,
has his boy there learning the first
and noblest of arts, that of tilling the
ground. We have var enough over
offices, politics and financial problems:
let us have no further agitation on an
old ~threadbare subject, worn out and
threshed over by Gov. Tillman and by
him and everybody but Walt Whit
man sunk in the oblivion of the dead
past.
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