The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-01-14


and In every instance it has been
found to be the part Of wisdom, look
ing both to the mental and moral up
lifting and the material advancement
of the people, to prohibit the labor IN
mills of children Of tender age. Eng
land, France, Germany, and all the
principal manufacturing countries OF
Europe, and all the manufacturing
States in the North in our own coun-
try, after thorough investigation and
long experience, have decided in this
manner. The question is a new one in
the South only because the South has
within very recent years developed
into manufacturing section:
The manufacturing industries Of the
Soath in the near future will be COM
PEELED to meet strong competition
from the people of other sections OF
the globe, particularly from the far
East. In order to meet this compe-
tition they must have skilled and in
telligent labor, and this can only be
secured in the operatives OF the fu-
tura by the education and the pre-
paration Of the children Of the pres
ent. And the children Of the present
cannot be educated and prepared for
their duties and for good citizenship
il they are required to labor In the
mills during their tender years.
The question is demanding solu-
fion, and the part Of wisdom Is to
solve it now. For the longer it IS ieft
alone the more difficult Of solution 1t
becomes. This question was discuss.
ed by you at your last session and
in one branch Of your body defeated
by large majority. Final action, how
ever, was postponed by a continu-
anee OF e bill in the other branch.
After careful and thoughtful con-
sideration it is my opinion that It IS
a d1ty which you owe to humanity
and the citizenship Of your State to
protect these children by prohibiting
their labor in our manufactures. II
the parent does not feel sufficient in
ferest in his own offspring to lok after
its best interests and to prepare 1t for
the high duties Of good citizenship,
then It is the duty Of the State to step
In and assert it's authority by taking
care Of the life and the health an6
the happiness Of these helpless little
ones. I Irealize that it is a perplexlng
question where the authority of the
parent ends and the duty of the State
begins, but in a question OF such vital
Importance to the State fine spun
theories should not be INDUCED, but
the best interests OF the Common
wealth and its citizenship should be
the paramount issue. No child under
twelve wears of age should be per-
naitted to labor in the manufactures
,1r>r--
for the support of a widowed mother.
IF you should adopt such a measure,
however. at least one year should pc
given before it becomes OF force IN
order that all parties may adjust
themselves to the new conditions.
Il EDUCATION.
Is is "a principle row we'll recog-
nized, that the safety Of Tie govern
ment itself requires that it give It's
citizens the opportunity to fit them
selves for an intelligent discharge OF
sSfeir duties to the State. Our form OF
GdTernment itself, in which every
citizen is a ruler, and every ruler a
public servant, depends for its pre-
sefYation upon the enlightenment or
the great body Of our people
education and instruction in the
great elemental truths which ele-
.vate the mind and purify the heart
of man., and which render him cap
able Of endorsement. Subsequent
eVents have proved the truth of the
seatimeRt expressed by Washington
at the very foundation Of the Gov
eminent. that tsiit is substantially true
tiaat virtue or morality is a necessary
.ring Of popular Government. Pro
mote. then, as an object Of primary
IGNORANCE. institutions for the gen
eral diffusion Of knowledge. In pro-
portion as the structure of a Govern
mept gives force to public opinion, It
is essential that public opinion should
be enlightened =
Public opinion depends for its en-
ightennent very largely upon the
free common schools, and the efforts
of the State should be directed prin-
cspallys to the Enforcement and per-
feetion of its system OF common
schooi education, for it is to the com
mon 5chSols that the great majority
sof the children must look for their
education. This should not interfere
with our system of higher education,
but the irst duty OF the State is 20
sprepare the great majority OF its cltl-
zens for the intelligent use OF the
functions Of citizenship The ideal
system is one properly articulated
from the common school to the high
school, the college and the university
at is Of little use for a republic to
have higher institutions OF learning
producing men Of wisdom and power
unless it has also a system Of gen
eral, nay, OF universal, education pro-
ducing popular respect for wisdom
and power. The uniVersit! at the
summit, reaching as high as human
Intelligence can go, the common
school at the base, spreading as wide
as human nature itself, and between
them the best attainable system OF
grammar schools and high schools
and academies, and spreading out
from them an eyer-developing organ1-
zation of technical and professional
Institutions these are the defenses
of the republic" :.
But it is Of little or no use to have
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