The Monticellonian., 1895-01-18


 culites iron and marble, oil present excellent opportunities for profitable investment. But the world docs not know this.
 1tis duty which we should not shirk to sec that the world shall be informed of these ex cellent resources.
 RELIGION AND EDUCATION.
 It cannot but bo 6 matter of pride and grat flcation to every Arkansian that during the past ton years we have established upwards of seventeen hundred churches within this state or nearly one every other day, until we have one church to every three hundred and | twenty-five people, men, women and children, black and white. And the good work goes bravely on.
 Hand in hand with this great religious work is advancing our educational achievements Within the past four years we have erected one and ono quarter school houses every day until we have ono school house for every two hun dred and ninety cone inhabitants. Colleges and seminaries dot our mountain ranges as well as our plains with phenomenal frequency until we have one for every twenty-two thousand people.
 Vol. No. IT. pages and 6 of the last United States census reports show that we are not on l ly educating larger per eentage Of our white children in our public schools than many of the oldest and wcalthiest states in the Union, but that the white people pay 9S per cent of the taxes which support our colorod schools and are educating larger per cent Of these latter than Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massa- chusetts, Now Hampshire, Now York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are educating of their own sons and daughters.
 | Surely it will not be necessary for me to re- mind tho representatives Of such people that they should lend liberal aid to the Arkansas Industrial University, the normal schools, and l all state institutions Of learning, whether for | white or ooured etiaons.
 1 There is good reason why Arkansas with l her splendid climate her unexcelled resources and such citizenship should not become educational center for the youth of the entire union But this can only be accomplished when our legislators rise to an appreciation of | the fact that liberal contribution Of money in this direction is tho most profitable species Of economy.
 | ARKANSAS INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY
 Tho Arkansas Industrial University under tho present regime is in more fourishing dition than eyer before In It's history. It's rap idly increasing usefulness, as shown by it's largo increase Of students within tho past few years, clearly proves that people are learning more and more to appreciate the im- | portance Of educating their children in tho l schools of our own state Tho advantage of ! having the youth from all parts Of our state ] brought together, making acquaintance with each ether and forming friendships which shall serve many n useful purpose in after life can not be over estimated.
 There is no reason why student should not | obtain as good an education at this institution as at any other in tho United States If the | legislature will properly equip 1t. It k sur rounded as all colleges should be- by beauti ful scenery which eultiYates the a,sthetie part of boys nature in manner in which neither money could purchase nor teachers skill otherwise attain During the past year there have been upwards Of six hundred students In attcndance and yet there has not been q single death from disease, and only two cases Of l serious Illness.
 This record is believed to be unparalleled, and vindicates the location of the A | U. near the healthy, cultured and beautiful city of Fay etteville.
 1 It will be gratifying am sure, 10 all patri- | ottc Arkans sians to know that there has been | an increase In the total number of students within the past ten years of over 100 per cent. and of collegiates proper Of over 200 per cent. l cannot too earnestly recommend that am | pic appropriations ba made to render the mi vcrsity as well equipped as any other in the United States, and to this end, both the law and medical departments should bo provided with sufficient funds to insure greater ef1 ciency, and the appropriation asked for by disnterested board should be cheerfully granted.
 CHARITABLE ISsrITuTioNs
 That our charitable institutions should be in a fiourishing condition k but the logical result of our advancement in rel zion and education. tTloT 10 tue aSl StsSltlH Ol the 6GneFal ASSPUl bly,, each Of these institutions had separate board of five directors, and 0 separate corps of saaried officials. A majority of each Of | these boards were citizens Of this city. For reasons therein given sent a special message 10 the General Assembly, recommending the ! consolidation of these boards into one, to be | filled with men from outside the capital city | This done, and we now have one board of sY members instead of fifteen, and one set of officers instead of three, The result has been a saving to the tax payers of upwards of sixty thousand dollars within two years, or upwards of thirty thousand dollars per annum and an | investigation by the General Assembly will show that never before In the history Of these institutions have the real objects Of tho states charity been so well provided with both com fort and educational training. The saving in | current expenses has been more than sufficient to meet the enormous loss by the late cyclone which well nigh demolished Q large portion of the asylum for the insane.
 The application of ordinary business princi- pies to the management of the state institu- tions by making them mutually assist each other, would result In a still greater saving to | tho people.
 Tho penitentiary should raise the vegetables and provender as well as make All the clothing boots, shoes and hats of nll the institutions the blind asylum make all the brooms. harness and chairs, and tho deaf mutes do all the state ] printing and binding. By expending about | SIS, GOO % in the purchase of Il plant the deaf mutes could do all the public printing and binding for the state, and the tax payers | at least ten thousand dollars per annum, and at the same time open up field of employ | ment for these unfortunate objects of the states charity.
 ELECTIONS. l In appropriate connection with education, religion and charity should be considered our | election laws. In effect now they contain an | pducatiOnu au nincatiOu which has a | to encourage the education of the youth of the | state, while it eliminates the dangers to free l institutions which inevitably follow in the wake of an ignorant ballot" As our governments, national, state and mu- | nicpal, rest upon tbe ballot it is of the high est importance that thls ballot should be in l telligent well honest. But much of the | good results from an intelligent and honest ballot must be lost until the primary elections are also legalized and made pure. | While elections are indispensable to free in stitutions, they are also expensive necessities. | To save as much of this expense as possible, consistent with safety and purity recommend the consolidation of our state and national and municipal elections so that they will all fall on l the same day.
 LAW AND LYNCHING. While the laws of Arkansas are believed to l be as well executed as those Of any other state in the union, yet lynching by mobs has oc- cured six times within the past two years. Only four of the participants, three negroes | and one white man have been convicted and l punished. The fault lies with the officers of i the law, and the situation calls loudly for remedial legislation.
 l To take human life, even by the regular l course at law Is demoralizing, for when the state takes a life, which none but the Creator 1 can give the lesson it teaches is that human l life is not as sacred might otherwise sup l pose and as a civilized people should regard it. l But for irresponsible mobs to take the life of