The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-08-12

populs.ion cannot read AID ahou,
one OF every four white men ard
women is In the same condition.
! know ,Lat all illiterafe people
are not ignorant, but generally tn. Y
are Sd, and IL you will show ms one
iiiiterate race or one iliiterate coua-
try with general prosperity, high
and wealth, / will se.ee
to give up this whole question.
The percentage Of illiterate adults
as compared with the entire popula-
ton in Scandinavia, is 3; in Ger
many, 4; in Switzerland, 5; in Scot
land, @; in England, 8. In Austria
It is 45; in Spain, So; in Italy, -; in
Russia IS.
That brain culture is the founda-
ton of civilization, prosperity.
wealth, freedom and good govern.
ment, especially in . Republic, does
not admit of argument.
The products of the labor of eau
Gated men invariably sell for M e
than the products of ignorant labor
ers and the wealth Of State must pc
determined by what .ae products Of
its labor will bring in the markets of
the world.
The structure of society is ia the
shape of a pyramid, and tests upot
the broad base of unskilled laborers.
whosr products are entirely the
products Of muscle. This bsss is
composed Of men and women who
work the longest hours and get the
least pay. because the supply OF such
labor is SO abundant and must beg
for employment at almost any price.
Upon the shoulders of these stand
those laborers who have learned to
do some few things that their fellows
cannot do. They use their minds as
well as their muscles. They have
some training, are more intelligent,
as We say, have shorter hours of la
Dor and receive better pay because
fewer in number. Upon the should
ers OF these stand more intelligent
class still, men aud women who have,
by self-denial and labor and some
times by good fortune, prepared to
furnish certain necessities to men
which the larger classes below them
cannot furnish. They are fewer in
number and the law of supply and
demand fixes their hours shorter and
their compensation higher. And so
ambitious and self denying people
rise towards the top of the pyramid
which is crowned by the one man
who can do the one thing that the
world is obliged to nave done, and
the world asks him to name his
price for a minute Of his time. He
names whatever figure lie
chooses, and the world jumps at
the chance to secure his services and
congr Atulates itself and feels CRATE
full to him because he did not set his
price higher.
Note the fact that as yon ascend
the steps Of this pyramid, brain
work increases and muscle work de-
cres ses.
Any man or people who will de-
pend upon muscle alone, will not
rise high In this pyramid.
A State that depends upon main
force and awkwardness," to produce
wealth, will not rank high among
the civilizations of the earth.
No legislation and no system OF
government can make an illiterate
people prosperous and wealthy and
free.
For the past twenty years the edu.
Gators of this State and those other
citizens who recognized our greatest
need, have IN season and out of sea.
son urged upon the towns Of the
State the necessity for local taxa
ton for public schools and graded
schools, as we call them, are the re.
suit.
The agent Of the Peabody fund
approaching the condition, agreed
to give to any town that would vste
and levy q local tax to supplement
the State tax for schools from $3.50
to 81 900 year, for three years, anG
under this stimulus nearly all the
towns of the State have voted upor
themselves a special local tax fol
schools varying from 20 to so cent.
on the 500 of property, and cor
responding amount on the poll.
In none of those towns is there tn:
slightest disposition to repeal tn!
tax, though in most cases the figh
against the first levy was strong and
bitter.
The State now seeing that what i;
good thing for the towns will b,
good for. the country districts, ant
realizing that only through loca
taxation can we become an intelli
gent people, aud approaching til,
fact that the Peabody fund, which
has already done SO much for TIT
towns, cannot hope to reach with it;
stimulating influence all the schoo
districts of the country, sets asid
! out of it's general fund sum o
money to stimulate local taxation II
the country, aud for every dolla
raised for the public education Of
township. either by tax voted o
by private donation, it will add an
other dollar. If every township i,
Mecklsnburg county should vot
this tax of 10 cents on each $40
of property, and 80 cents on eacl
| poll, it would raise about 81 300
year, and for each Of the three year
following, the State Treasurer woul
| send to this county $4,000, making
total of more than $12 600 whlc
would come from an outside sourc
to the schools of this county if the
sho aid vote the tax now.
Moreover, the school fund of III
townships voting the tax, would b
Increased about 60 or 70 per cent.
Moreover, the cost to make this il
crease would be less than so cents
about six-sevenths OF the taxpayer
since about that proportion Of ia,
payers are as esssd On the tax book
for less than $500.
t A man mussb be assessed at So 90
before his property would be take
So. and not moro than. about fv
men in the average township wcul
be called upon to pay that much. I
. those who say that there is enoug
rD.n fh