The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-18

ANY disturbance of the aether must
originate with some disturbance of mat
ter. An explosion, cyclone or Migratory
motion may occur, for instance, in the
photosphere of the sun. A disturbance
or wave is impressed on the aether that
is propagated in straight lines through
space. 1t falls on Jupiter, Venus, the
earth and every other planet that meets
it's course, and any machine, human
or mechanical, capable of responding to
it's undulatiOns indicates it's presence.
Thus they strike the human eye and
produce sensation that we call light;
they fall on the skin and produce the
sensation of heat; they make the gal
yanometer respond and it is called cleo
tricity; they defect the magnetometer
and it is called magnetic force. Hence
this one kind of wave is called electric
ity, light, heat or magnetism depending
entirely upon the accidental instrument
with which they are received and in
reality they are all identical in nature.
One of the greatest achievements of
this generation is the magnificent and
generalization of Clerk Maxwell that
all these disturbances were of the same
kind but differed only in degree
DIR. Charles ID. McIver. president of
the State Normal and industrial College
ut Greensboro. spoke with great power
and ability ON 1.-The Education of the
While Girl in the Countrywide Great
Problem in the South" 1t was the best
of his many excellent speeches i have
heard and made a profound impression.
He introduced his address by some OBJ
servations upon the necessity for educa-
tional craftsmanship, calling attention to
the following facts:
II. We have poor school houses. poor
school furniture and equipment. inclld-
ing hooks. because we do mot have
enough money.
80 We have poor teaching because
North Carolina pays less for the skilled
labor employed to train her citizenship
than is paid for any other kind of skilled
labor. The average price for the public
school teacher is about eighty cents a
day. which is very nttle more than the
price of ordinary unskilled labor and
does not compare with the wages of the
carpenter. the brick mason or the black
smith
%. The poverty of our people which
is urged as the reason for inferior edu-
cational facilities. is itself the result of
the lack of education.
What North Carolina needs to-day
more than any other one thing is an etiu-
cational statesman who will be willing
to sacrifice. if necessary. every ordinary
political consideration for the education
of the great mass of the people. We
have men in public life whose names
will he suggested to any one when the
question of free-silver or the gold stand
ard is mentiOned: there are others whose
names are distinctly associated as par
tisams Of w. ]. Bryan or Grover Cleve-
land: Others have thoroughly identified
themselves with the cause of a low tariff
tax or with the doctrine of protection:
there are others whose names rise be-
fore us as soon rs we speak of corpora
tons and railroads: others stand almost
solely for white supremacy; a still larger
number of those who would be included
i'm a correct list of political leaders in
all parties consider opposition to taxa
ton the sine qua non Of craftsmanship.
Each of these various leaders has
persuaded himself and many others that
upon the success of his nar. r,.nar idea
depends the salvation Of tho pnonle.
Naturally he will sacrifice most other
public considerations for thu Saiie of his
one favorite idea: nor do / mean to say
that it is wrong. from his point of view
for him to do so. All COED things can
not be done at once. and what Il man
regards as the supreme and immediate
need must have precedence over other
causes of secondary Importance. | be-
lieve. however. that the supreme need
of any people. one-third of whose ciri
zpns cannot read and write. is education:
and no other question can approach it
in Importance and dignity. Yet it is
unfortunately true that there Is not
a recognized political leader in North
Carolina whose name is a synonym for
better educational facilities. including.
the necessary taxes therefor. and who
makes every other public question seq
ondary to that cause. NOT n political
leader has been developed who viii
make all other public questions sec
ondary to good public schools for ali
the people.
..No great cause has ewes won ITS
proper place in the history of the world
which did not have some man Of power
and leadership boldly standing Cor it,
who, though he might compromise Oh
all other questions of public policy,
would persistently refuse TO yield on
that one supreme question.
1T is well to have political leaders
who are willing to die for any good
cause which they believe TO be right.
But have we not reached the point
where we may expect some Of them TO
espouse this cause of public education
and prefer to march to political death.
if necessary. for it than 70 gain any
kind of political triumph fighting for
any other cause?
'''Fhe work Of Thomas Jefferson at the
beginning of his life and at the end of
it and all through it was Tor this sac
red cause. The cardinal principle of
his political faith was the free public
school.
There are bigger questions in North
Carolina than the tariff or the money
standard or the negro question or econ
olny as understood by some people.
1.-THE political leader who selves upon
this idea. and, though it may be unpop
ular at first, advocates an Increase Of
taxes for local needs like public schools
and public roads and decrease OF
taxes for eXtrayagant federal eXpendi-
ture. often unnOticed because collected
indirectly, will not only render the