The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-20

ScnOOI lncN Hldy sup at a.
public library and take from it any book
they want free of charge, or spend the
day i'm the large reading rooms, investi-
eating any subject they may be interest
ed in. So may any man or woman or
child in the whole city, free Of charge.
The literary building was a gift OF
wealthy citizen, The books are paid for
by my taxes and the taxes of other men
there Every town in Massachusetts.
but about a dozen small and remote
towns has such free hbrary-the direct
growth of a public school system. The
States of New York and Michigan send
travelling libraries of new books-collec-
tons Of good literature to any town that
asks for them, and has public library
Of it's own. After these hundred or two
volumes have remained in one town the
allotted time. they are sent on to another,
and so on ndefinitely-all at the States
expense.
When | have seen these things and
protited by them. and when | know that
men are every day going away from this
old land that they love to get such advan-
tages for themselves and for their chill
dren. can / too, listen to the mendicant
whine of any church that says that my
children had better not be educated at
all if they cannot be bred with its narrow
outlook ON life?
Now look a little further yet along the
line of development of the public school
system. Following the high school may
comet and l think ought to GOMEZ, a still
higher extension of State educa tion-the
wholly free University and Industrial
Schools. When the University was es-
tablished, the old political idea OF educa-
ton prevailed. and a restricted number Of
boys from each county were admitted
free-and these only. This system dis
eliminates in favor of a restricted num-
her of youths and against all the rest.
1t is still only a partially free system.
There is always a danger that the boys
who pay, if it be known who they are.
will regard those who do not pay as char
ity students. If all alike were free-as
all in my judgment ought to be-no such
danger could arise.
The old aristocratic idea had Il lean
ing towars charity as the ecclesiastical
system has: and the view of education as
a charity has always been one of the
great weaknesses of both systems. Edu-
cation pays the State The more persons
are educated the better it pays the State.
But to dole it out to any restricted num-
Der is to regard it as a charity and to
turn the State into an aims giver. Most
of the Eastern States. where the aristO-
cratic idea of education was strongest
have stopped short of free universities;
| but the Western States have been wiser.
In the State of Michigan, for instance,
a child of either sex can begin its educa-
| ton at a public school, and pursue it
| through the State University without
| charge; and this University has become
| one OF the great strongholds of learning
| in the Union, and one of our great
schools A similar system has been
adopted in Kansas, in Texas, and in
many other States. Any child in any one
| of those great communities can have
free training from infancy 20 maturity
| free training is one of the most efficient
/ sysemS Of education ever devised by
man. And this system has been con-
| structed almost within the life time OF the
youngest of us.
/ The opportunity exists in North Caro-
| lima to establish similar system by a
| single effort and without any considera-
bic increase of expenditure. We have
| our State University, most useful and
| vigorous under its recent President, and
+! its present one; we have our three larger
and older UNCONVENTIONAL colleges. David
son with its solidity and old-time dignity,
| Wake Forest, striking demonstration
| Of what people of moderate means may
at any time do when they work with uni
ted purpose, and Trinity with it's new
| life made possible by its generous bene-
| factors. We have all these and the other
State schools and UNCONVENTIONAL schools
for boys and for girls. If they could all
be united into one great school, it would
at once become by far the most efficient
and noteworthy institution in the South.
And there is no reason why it should not
become one of the great seats of learn
| ing in the world. If the doors Of such an
+, institution were thrown open free to every
boy and girl in the State, and there were
! free schools to train them for it, we
could no longer talk Of forgotten men and
| women and people from other States
F., hundreds and thousands of them-would
/ seek homes here. These counties would
| by such means be peOpled at last by
! the most efficient and cultivated popula-
ton in the world.
| Nor need the religious Influence of any
! of the denominational colleges suffer by
! such move when the time for it comes
, Every one might have its own dormitory
and religious supervision over pupils Of
its own sect. definite movement OF
! this sort has already been made where
! the denOminational schools have shown
! wish to become part of the system
/, Of public education.
| About so called co-educaton-that is,
the admission Of women to colleges in the
companionship of men-the experience of
those institutions that have tried it seems
! to me to have demonstrated the sound
: ness OF the idea. Some of the men and
women of the very highest type that l
/ have known were educated under this
social and educational system. A few
years ago, / asked several hundred women
who had been trained at co-educational
colleges and who now have children of
their own whether they wish to educate
their children in this way-especially
their daughters. Every one answered
with emphasis, Yes, our daughters, espe-
cially our sons, but our daughters also.