Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1902-12-07
BILL ARP.



girls OF course they can get lite
schooling under the present system.
but that will be only in textbooks q
reading writing and arithmetic. Whist
they need Is books OF reference thai
will answer their many questions E~
cry mail brings me letters wanting to
know things that they cannot leari
In their country schools. Their teach
ers cannot tell them nor their neigh
bors. OF course not more than half OF
them care about knowing anything
outside OF their school books. but the
other half do. and on that half de-
ponds the culture and progress OF our
country. Why should these boys and
girls have 10 ask me and Joel Chano-
Ter Harris and John Temple Graves
and others so many questions When
they inclOse a stamp | answer all
can. but these young people need
books that they can refer 20. II Mr..
Carnegie would place IN every coun-
try school standard cyclOpedia, such
as Applctons sixteen volumes Of uni
vorsal knowledge or DOdd. Meade &
Co.'S international OF sixteen volumes.
the young people would have library
that would answer all their questions.
Add 20 this AppletOn's seven volumes
Of American biography AID country
youth can get an education without
. q n
I bana asks me what books he must
I buy 60 improve his mind md store up
/ knowledge by reading and studying 1t
f night. Well. IL VIII take near 500 10
f buy the above named books and he
had better skip over all the modern
trash that does nothiug but entertain
. and amuse and strain his farm AMI
( his cattle and everything 90 get that
hundred dollars. ] think he could get
q h.r l~r~r NON llr.ar. TO-
Now. OF course a boy or q girl not
yet In their teens would prefer books
TO suit their age. and they ought 10
have them ] still treasure with de-
light my enjoyment Of such books as
+ Robinson CrusOe" Arabian Nights
and jules Nerne's works, Swiss
Family Robinson" and some OF SCOTS
novels. ike Rob Roy" aud "kenil-
worth" Children must have entertain
mcnt AS they grow up they must
have knowledge. for as Lord Bacon
said knowledge is power and Lord
Brougham said. Il had rather trust the
schoolmaster 70 porpetuate this gov
/ eminent than all the armies or Eng
land"
Now. here is a youth who writes 10
me- 10 know who invented the abba
bet. Wen. that Is going afar back but
30 is a question that should De answer
cf. for the alphabet is the very begin
ning % knowledge. The alphabet goes
away back q thousand years before
Moses was horn The PhCCpccians
made the first one that We know OF.
They lived In a narrow region that lies
t between Palestine and Syria, a country
about 200 miles long and 20 miles wide.
B and yet they dominated III civilized
vorl3 for thousand years. Tor they
D. had control % commerce and Dnnufac-
h. lures and the gold OF Optir a1d the sill
+ Yer % Tarshish and the h~ass and cop
per 90 other lands were az theirs. and
T. Do was q fact that as tsaib wrote,
- silver has heaped up n dust IN the
streets and was more plentiful than
lror Hiram. tho king Wa the friend
u % solomon. but a thousand years b.
p sore their time these Ph1enecians had
~ a De an alphabet and usel g. ln writ
D., ing and engraving. But thar alphabet
. has PASSED away. in c0urS ~ time me
"a Citclans conquered Phoolcc,1 and tao
/ Greek language prevailed. Their al
r rh..let Is the origin OF Ours the yer,
=, word being compounded ~ tie frs
two letters. alpha AID beta Just a.
the Phoenccian language was lost aug
s. went into disuse just 50 has the Gree
~ and Latin language been au0nlone'
s- end car English VIII no d'uht Dee th'
Language OF the civilized woriI hetor
this century ends.
Nearly hundred years ago an Eng
Hshman hy the name of James smith
In son bcQleathcd 10 the United State
-e something over a million dollars 20 b
d. used 10 promote the diffusion OF know,
q edge among men. That sum has bee
" Increased by our government from yea
q" tc year until now the Smithsonian IN
r stitute is one OF the wonders OF IN
lc . world But you cannot see il unles
b, you 90 10 IT, and only the rich an
g. members OF Congress can do that IN
liz ( common people are still in the wood
on and that is why I wish Carnegie {
some other phiianthrOplst would
something for our country schools. tt
II spirit Of progress is doing well in II
on towns and cities Right here in Ca
ll- tersville our good women have organ
rel | lied a public library as an attachmel
mt 10 their club work. The corner stoI
will be laid next Saturday and | ha'
been honOred with an invitation 10 u
heave the first shovel full OF cart
which / shall certainly do II I a
strong enough 10 lift the shovel. / fe
IN deep interest in this education
nd work and hope 10 live loag enough
-aS see II in successful operation. y
> long ago a lady asked me who design
.ap the Confederate flag and who first su
"a / ges.ed our Memorial day. When o
- library is we'll supplied they Will n
'"e have 10 ask these questions. but VIII
ne there and find out.
Cd. But I must stop now for fear | "
M not only overtax my bodily streng
ur- but will strain my mind besides.-E
nm ARD in Atlanta Constitution