The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1897-07-07
What the Child Should Know

j |
is not robbery, and above all that
when a man evades q just tax he is
a robber.
Let him understand that govern
ment is an insurance society, guar
protection of life and
property rights.
As one mans life and liberty IS
to be as dear to him as
any other mans life and liberty
is to him, all men pay equally a
poll tax. When a man owns prop
erty that must be protected, he
must pay an additional tax for
this protection. And if this prop
erty amounts to $50, GOO he ought
to pay fifty times as much tax as
one whose property amounts to Il :
GOO. That is the plan of fire inst
rance companies, but they call
their taxes premiums. wish the
State could change the word "tax-
es" to ''premiums.''::
The school should also teach that
big tax receipt does not entitle
the holder to any special prive-
leges over his neighbor. 1t simply
means that he has called upon the
general insurance society, which
we call the State government, for
more protection than his neigh
bors called for and he has only
paid for what he was obliged to
! have.
l. The child Will hear some day
: from mansof means who objects
3 to school tax, that he does not
want to pay his money to educate
: negroes, and will hear this same
man when told. that the negro
e pays for about one half of what
2 he gets in his pulic schools by his
e poll tax, say:
II "But many negroes evade then
poll taxi Let the child Learn
1t early in life that if man should
l. evade his poll tax from the ag'
70 of 81 to so, twenty nine years, TIN
: State would lose only $58 by hin
d whereas man of wealth can chea
70 his State out of more than tina
* in one year, by not fairly listin
1t his property for taxation.
e. Let him learn that meane
II than a highway robber is tn
to man who, by a technically
f. evades paying his just tax to tn
e. government which protects hin
ID and his property.
tn Let him be taught that idlenes
&C. whether among the rich or poo
I'll among men and women not undo
he bodily infrmity, is an excusele
is crime, and that every health
or person ought to contribute by h
all. labor to the sum of huma
nd wealth more than he CO..
nd sumes.
Il And this above all. Every pu
we lie school'should;teach obedien
,he to law and cheerful submissit
we to authority. To the time hone
of ed "three R's"-reading, writil
arithmetic-so essential as fou
ten dation of all education should
nat added the fourth RESPECT f
m, authority.
ood If the American governme
ars IS ever overthrown, I believe
Ton will be the result of the failr
sh- of the family and the school
re. teach the children of our count
nd that beautiful and essential V
ORC tue of obedience. More importa
her than any subject taught in a
of curriculum is that general scht
by discipline which produces the {
izen who recognizes that he is
) be part of a great association of
18th, man beings, each under a swe
re- contract to submit cheerfully
fern the will of the majority in M
627 tiers of government under the c.
one stitution, and who does not
do his heart secede every time the I
tern jority at the polls decides upor
OF policy which he does not cons
Is 1t slider the wisest. Liberty d
be not mean the right of a citi
7ctl- to kick out of the traces every ii
ST. he finds himself in the min
Dor7 ty.
1ade Nor is liberty the end of COVE
e In ment as many think. Libe
e IN is the atmosphere necessary t.
man Republican form of governm
But government which make
the it's end is like man who is de
pro- mined to live in a locality wi
one the atmosphere is pure and t
toto insists on doing nothing but ex
,oo ingin that locality.
4oo Let the child learn that
IS OF chief end of all. right polit
ee of government is human progr
ditto and that the individul rie
+lo which the citizen surrenders
~. the general good are only a ]
'iie of the tax he pays to support
government which protects
" in and seeks tO DrOmOta the ho.