The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-04-30

the rural districts, because VIC pew
pie will not come to you. If a man
is hungry he will ask you for bread,
but if he is ignorant you must g" TO
him and insist on him having bread.
People are afraid of taxes aud
ought to be. There never was bat
tie on American soil, but that taxa
ton was the moving cause. 1t is a
dangerous power and ought to be
safeeuarded. The taxation spent in
oppression broughton on the revolution,
but the taxation that goes to schools
goes into every humble cabin in the
land aud is freedom aud liberty to
the people.
We must help ourselves by local
taxes. We may be poor but we are
also y p~oud. Eager and anxious as
we ~ not even the uplift of kind
he arted people should be allowed to
bear the whole cost. Education
means something more than reading
and writing. It means willingness
to make self-sacrifice to achieve
higher benefits. 1 count it more to
meet YOU here in this fratelnal spirit
and discuss this question than all
the millions that could then into the
treasury of this movement.
The government is appropriating
money to preserve the Appalachian
forest from the great floods that
sweep over them, but there is flood
of ignorance that is driving the best
men into the cities and will destroy
the rural districts unless you go to
them and avert it. These men have
the same blood in their veins as
yours. They have the same revolu-
tionary ancestors, who left the blood
from their bleeding feet at Valley
Forge. They have the same blood
as the men who followed Stonewall
Jackson and Robert e. Lee and
charged with Pickett and Pettigrew
up Cemetery Ridge, at Gettysburg:
All they need is to see the truth.
They have seen it and are ready to
help carry on the movement against
illiteracy.
Each side in that great conflict
fought for liberty to hand down to
its children. Now that the war is
long since over and the South is en-
toying the most glorious independ-
ence in her history what hinders it
to make a small sacrifice of time and
money to build up the schools that
our children may enjoy their bene-
fits?
Another distinguished member OF
the Conference was the Hon. Hoke
Smith. member of President
Cleveland's Cabinet. His was one OF
the best speeches.
Mr.. Smith said that this confer
ence was a great pleasure to him.
The conference was made up of great
educators gathered together to dis
cuss the great cause Of education, so
necessary to US and yet surrounded
by so many difficulties.
A great son of Pennsylvania has
declared that the South was section
upon which God had bestowed re-
sources with lavish hand. The three
raw materials, coal, iron and cotton
are in abundance, yet we are behind
in the progress OF industrial enter
prises. Massachusetts furnishes us
our own raw material manufactured
and returned with greatly increased
value.
Why does one section lag? We
gave time to raising slaves and
to agriculture, while Massachu-
setts trained the minds of her chill
dren. The work to which l call your
attention is sacred work. 1t is the
work of the people of the south and
by Gods help we mean to perform it.
We mean to carry it on until every
child in the south, white and black,
shall have an education.
Mr.. Smith referred TO the great
strides in cotton manufacturing and
in archaeological training. In every
city and town where public schools
are established, manual training and
domestic arts should be taught.
While we thank our friends from
abroad for help, let US of the south
give with free heart our help to
this great cause.
What an opportunity for develop
ment is offered to our people in rural
education. The sparsity of popula-
ton in the country, bringing with it
an increase of expense, is the most
serious problem of our rural schools.
Comparing Georgia and Massachu-
cot+C he coid that while one state