The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-07-30

that 10000 are in private schools
reckon that 80, 900 have learned to
read and write and you still have
more than $4,000 boys, white boys
growing up in illiteracy. There are
215, 732 girls in North Carolina $780,
258 are in the free schools. There
are 218, 518 colored children in North
Carolina there are 1906 O5 in the
free schools. Such are the proper
lions of the task that oonfronts the
Democratic party.
One fact is bold: The present sys-
tenn has not reached, is not reaching,
and will not reach the children of
North Carolina-neither in seven
years nor in seventy years. Thirty
five per cent. of the people of North
Carolina are ~illiterate.
We are persuaded that the condi-
tions require a special relief and d
general remedy.
To reach the ~illiterate boys soon
to become of age requires a special
relief and it is required right now.
If we wait a little, it will be too late !;
and the faith on which the Amend
ment was ratified will be broken.
We must find those boys we must
take them in hand. We must make
them the object of special effort. In
this work the volunteer teachers can
be best used. The county superin-
tendents and the local committee
men ought at once TO be put to look
ing up these children. And when
they have been found, special means
must be used to teach them to read
and write. And if they should not ac-
cept these opportunities, a oompul-
sorry law will be necessary.
Let us be done with making
speeches and indulging in visions.
These last twelve months we have
had enough of this. Let the Cover
nor and the State Superintendent ad-
dress themselves TO the supreme task
of their administrations. For if
they do not, their pledges must fail.
For a general remedy our mind
turns to some measure like that Of
the proposed London Amendment to
the Constitution. The general tax
has failed. The local tax has been
rejected. But a local tax, properly
qualified, might be more acceptable.
We would have it offered to either
of the races but it should be offered
to neither save in counties in which
the general tax already maintains
the schools four months. This OBJ
tanned, we might devote larger
special appropriations to the short
term districts, and thus bring them
up. Every dollar of the extra ap
preparations ought to be expended
in the districts that maintain their
schools less than four months We
ought to have 5000, 900 for this pur-
pose.
Along with this we ought to i'm
prove the school houses and use the
swamp land funds for this purpose.
At the same time the entire system
ought to he revised with a view to
putting in strong men at every point
possible and to reducing the number
of schools so far as may seem naces-
sary
If those who are talking so much
about the free schools will go t
work along these lines something
will be accomplished. But simple
talking is not going to get anything
One.-Biblical Recorder
That Everybody's Magazine has
'arrived" is now undeniable. This
publication has forged to the front
with a rapidity and certainty with
out parallel in magazine history and
the ability of it's editors to keep up
the pace is evidenced IN the contents
table of the August issue.
The President of the Press Asso
=