The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-21

! in Ignorance. Slavery naturally made
wide gap-a great gulf between the
higher and lower orders of that
society. Lord Macsuley said "Tbat is
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 unattan-
able condition, but he only is states
man who tries to approach this ideal.
Political philosophers all agrco that
it is the duty Of the State to foster
primary education. No other powc:
can do it. Such was the opinion of
Stuart and Adam Smith and Say aud
many others. 1t has been truthfully
said that pOwer without intelligence
was q blind monster. The father Of
our country said "PrUmotc theu, as
an object of primary Importance, in:
structions for the general diffusion OF
knowlcdgc." Thomas Jefferson said
" 1t is far safor to have the whole pco-
pic respectfully intelligent than lew
in a nigh state OF science aud the
many in ignorance Governor North
rop said 1.-The State has duties as we'll
as rights, and one Of these is the
| securing of Il good common school cdu
cation to tho children OF all Classc5.
| 1T Is the duty and rlght Of the State to
defend itseif by humanizing and con-
otherwise become 4 degraded and dan.
gerous class in society. i'cttor than
| fleets and forts for security and pros
| perity is universal education, which is
| tie safeguard Of our institutions.
Universal suffrage without universal
education means universal unarchy.'
Governor Winthrop in his YORKTOWN
address expire SScu these Views Free
governments must stand or 'ai! with
common schools. These alOuc can
supply the firm foundation." Dr.. }.
l.. Nj. Garry said Behind the bal
tots shonid stand Intelligence" Such
wriocrs on the EoGjish Consultation AS
MOGie:quieu ana Biach stOuu. in writ
ing on Suffrage concur Luat those
should be excluded from voting whose
education is such that they cannot be
presumed to have viii OF their own
or what is equivalent, an independent
and Intelligent will" DR.. Eliot Of
Harvard says: I'VE deceive ourselves
dang eruuelp when we think that cdu-
cation whether primary or university
can guarantee Republican institutions.
Education can do no such thing. Tho
Republican people should indeed be
educated and Intelligent, but it by no
mean follows that and educated and
intelligent people will be Republic
5
lean method in the matter of educa-
lion. The essential features OF that
system are local taxes for un versa
elementary education voted ny the
citizens themselves local elective
boarGs to spend the money raised by
taxation and to control the schools
and for the higher grades Of in
struction permanent cudowmcuts adj
ministcred by Incorporated bodies Of
trustceSs.
He then read Il number of extracts
from DIR. Thornwell bearing on the
same subject.
He then said We pay less for primary
education than any State in these
United States just mentioned in the
beginning that EdSeicld has $l.4O to
educate a man Il year. Our people are
an agricultural people: only II few OF
us live in cities. Contrast the ch;.rac-
ter OF the educational conditions with
those Of tho North. Three years ago
Maine raised 80 bushels OF corn to the
acre; South Carolina, with her fertile
soil makes seven or cight bushels. 1t
makes this difference: South Carolina
has made more corn on an acre than
any State in tho Union. 1t means that
Maine has an intelligent and self-rcli-
ant active citizenship--cvery man TAX
painfully otherwise today over this
country. 1t is painful 10 ride along
our roads and notice the depression Of |
the value OF lands in this country. | |
know farms IN our county where the |
real return from cotton is p pur cent. |
less than it was 10 years ago. 1t is
because the lands arc in tho hands of |
densely ignorant people who are ruin
ing tho soil and there can be no pros
perlty in onr country until We have Il
widc-awake citizenship among our
farmers. at ono time irtcltlgcnce I
directed labor in this country. The |
laborcr was Il machine. These dcnsely |
ignorant men are cultivating and max |
ing our lands poorer day 10y day.
want to impress it upon you tnab tn:
hope Of higher education is tue pri
mary school. Contrast the Southern
systom for ono minute if you please
with the Northern system. Over 100 !
years ago it was in England that the
governor Of Virginia WI. asked whaL |
he was doing for primary .cnu3!s: he
replied that they had none ana no
newspapers and nupcd they wnul0n't |
have any for 200 years. IN" governor
OF Connecticut says: - We are dc.
voting Ono-l0urth Of the Hhr'.. lnrOniu
from the province Tor the l:l.intrn noe
VI Illc PllnlaFy SCHOOLS. !\Hh IicE |
you arc not willing to give shat 75 p".
capita to educate the people. rnr,r !
high school system is bette" l''un Onr
colleges. They get together amt de-
tcrmine how much il viii take - run
the public schools and then they vote /
it, Talk about not giving ; mills. Sap.
pose man has 1900 worth ot p:upcrGy, ;
it only increases his taxes 30 cents. !
a man with a family o! five children =,
pays so cents and 81 pol! tax aud g:t~
schooling for year. Say Lh.i IL /, h
tax on factories and railroads. 'Hnr
rich ought to holp educate %hc poor.
He pays no more than the pnJH man,
for he has more to protect. We have
got no skilled laborcrs. We have TO go
to the North for our noes. oar ptows
and shoes and hats aud everything |
Then we so To Kentucky or somGwhcrr
else for our whiskcy, and We are bound |
to be poor as long as VIC have no
skilled labJrcrs. Enigrants are not
going to come here when you tell thom
that you have no common schools TO
give them. Would Il man come here
from country where he can sond