The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-08-20
Living Issues.
IpDRFss OF PRESIDENT W. A. GRAHAM


At the Fifteenth Annual Meeting Of the
North Carolina Farmers State Alliance at
HillsbOrO, August Is, 1901.
To the Officers and Members of the
". @. Farmers Alliance:
I express 60 you my regrets at my
inability to attend the last session,
and tender to you my thanks for
your resolution of sympathy when
the dark cloud of af1iction was pass
ing over me. In these sad hours the
knowledge that our friends think of
us and sympathize with US to some
extent lightens the gloom.
There has been relatively not much
change in the condition of the ALI
anoe during the year; some Sub.
and County Alliances have been re-
organized, others have lapsed. I
meet many who express a wish for
the re organization of the Alliance,
but seem to be awaiting re-organiza-
ton before joining; they do not
seem willing TO perform the work
necessary to accomplish the desired
end. .
EDUCATION.
The Alliance has always advocated
the advancement of education in the
State the efforts put forth by the
Sub Alliances has had much TO do
with producing the present condi-
ton in the State.
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The Governor of the State, who
so worthily fills that position, has
directed and advocated legislation
which has much advanced the cause
of these schools. The reduction of
the price of school books will be a
boon in this State of large families !;
the additional appropriation where
by the terms are heightened, the
elevation of grade and qualification
of teachers, will accomplish much
good. The non-attendance of the
children is now the greatest hin
drance. The State is slow to enact
a compulsory attendance law a Sub
Alliance can do no better work than
TO appoint committees in each school
district to persuade the negligent
parents to send their children to
school. Books for children whose
parents make no objection to their
attending but who will not furnish
them books, would prevent many a
bright child becoming an ignorant
man or woman A provision for
books, I think, should have pre-
ceded that for libraries. The ad-
vancement of the common school
has not led as was hoped to the ad-
vancement of the Alliance. Educa-
ton has enabled the boy to think
and to reason; this has lead him
away from the farm. The Alliance
has been a firm supporter of aid by
the State TO institutions of higher
grade and was chiefly instrumental
in procuring the establishment of
the A. and NJ. College and the Nor
NAL and Industrial School for Girls.
Considering their age, the attend
ance upon these schools has been un-
-precedented in the State and seems
to be limited only by the accommo
dations that can be furnished.
H STATE UNIVERSITY.
With feelings of State pride is
witnessed the progress of the Uni
versity in it's career of prosperity and
usefulness, and the passing of the
opposition to it's nurture by the
State in a small portion of our peo-
pie, for fear it's success would weaken
other colleges or it's alumni prove a
hindrance to the progress of moral
ity and religion. Her sons have ever
been foremost in aiding the new col
leges as they have come into exist
ence and among the foremost in
their localities in advancing the
moral and religious interests. For
more than a century their lives have
contradioted this supposition. The
patent fact that we have d century
of conditions" that prove the oppo
site has been overlooked by the
theorist in his eloquent prognostica-
ton of evil. The resolutions passed
on this subject by those who assumed
TO be leaders of thought in these as
semblies of the various religious de.
nominations met with but feeble
support from the private members.
Each Legislature contained repre-
s~entatives of similar religious belief
earnestly advncatinr cnnErarr action