The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-06-17

draln upon her than the drain upon a
real school teacher as she undertakes
70 guide the intellectual and spiritual
path OF that same little child developing
IL the period Of youth. I would almost
prefer that my children should rot go
10 school at all than that they should
come in daily contact with a-mbitionlcss,
mediocre. wooden teachers.
The third and largest item OF ex-
pense in the cost OF education is the
~drudgery that the individual Who is be-
ing educated must undergo in order TO
become a strong and useful member of
society. Not one child in a hundred
OF those who have the opportunity is
willing TO go through this toll and dTudg-
cry; nor can it be ascertained without an
effort for the education OF all which one
of the hundred will be willing TO under
go it. Those who are willing to do the
drudgery belong to no particular class
Of society. Upon these, the select few,
who are willing to go through the grind,
who have ambition and unquenchablc de-
sire to know something to do something
and to be somebody, upon this select
lew depends the progress of the world.
1T ought to be the highest ambition
of those Of US who have power, by rea-
son Of our education or wealth or social
or political position, to use that power
to give a chance in life to all little
children, and especially to that masterful
! class.
Il believe that the present hard condi-
tons as to our school houses can be
remcdied best by women. l believe that
the most practical service that women
can give to their State today is to band
! themselves together and declare that
every child shall nave an opportunity to
spend at least a few years in a good pub
lie school house with inspiring surround
ings and with an effective teacher. 1t
VIII not cost as much to do this as any
one of the many wars Of the past nun
cred years mas cost the State Of North
Carolina. Are we willing for the chill
dren Of North Carolina and the other
southern States to grow to manhood and
Womanhood without having half the edu-
Catlonal opportunity that the children of
every other section Of this country have?
What business have we to rush to an is
lana in the sea, spending hundreds of
millions Of dollars to free the inhabitants
OF Cuba, and establish compulsory educa-
ton among them, while our own chill
dren are starving for intellectual food?
Women of North Carolina. you have
built nearly every church in this State.
You have heated and lighted these
churches, and cushioned the seats, and
carpetcd the floors, and adorned the
walls, so that you may go there and
comfortably worship God for one or two
hours . week. You and others similarly
situated have provided for the children of
this commonwealth school houses with
out carpets, without ornaments, without
cushioned seats, without towers, and ex-
pect your children to be trained for citi-
zenship, in spite of the discomfort, SOM
berness, poor light, bad ventilation and
feeble leadership.
Fellow teachers and fellow citizens
who are not teachers.
1T is a shame to you and to mo if We
fail to do what we can to remedy the
hard conditions OF ignorance. ilIitcracy.
weakness and poverty around US. The
only way to do this is to teach people
to labor with intelligence ana effcctive-
ress. Industrial education is necessary,
but industrial education includes at least
the ability to read and write the English
language accurately. We nave hardly be
gun the ABCs of industrial education. [
do not believe that any man or woman
IS properly educated who has never done
manual labor, and who does not have
a common trade by which he or She could
earn a living. With tho new opportunities
Of education coming to women. there is
a greater demand for an outlet for their
activity. 1t is to the interest of all of
us that their great tact, enthusiasm and
power should not exhaust itself upon
chjmerical schemes or foolish crusadcs as
has often been the case in the past with
men and women of the noblest impulses.
The wOmen's clubs Of every kind in the
South ought to bend their energies for
1 hn nnXf five or ton PC nyra tho
solving Of the problem of illiteracy among
our people. If you will declare your
purpose and determination to abolish il
litcracy in the South, its days are num-
borcd, ard without your active help and
cooperation, | do not think that l~cgisla-
tors, governors, or superintendent will
be able to accomplish the task.
The time has come for work. The bat
tie is on and the people of North Caro-
lima are going to educate their children
at whatever cost. There is no doubt about
the final outcome Of the issue. If each
teacher here at this great meeting dc
termines that right shall win in five
years, five years it will be! But it is
not enough for a few teachers to under
take the struggle. A few men and women
cannot win the fight, nor can a divided
profession win it; but a union of the in
hio lio
claiming any truth for the upbuilding of
North Carolina is a guarantee of vic
tory.
What can you do? Do some
thing! There is not a woman
here who cannot help improve some pub
lie school house. There is not a person
here who cannot make some family send
children to school, where heretofore the
children have remained out of school.
There IS not a citizen who cannot convert
some voter to an active belief in i'm
proving the public schools by voting a
special local tax for the greatest special
local good. There is not one of us who
cannot teach tho following facts:
Il. That no community on earth has a
satisfactory system of schools without a
special local tax for that purpose, illus
trating by every town of Importance in
North Carolina and by every prosperous
rural community in the United States.
~ That intOl1iCnnt n fnrnr;cinn ,anplnH