The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1903-11-04
EDUCATION.

Inc SlItIlSllI dIId SldDillS vi ally
community are largely in proportion to
the intelligence of hat community.
The intelligence Of the community is
always in proportion to the education
of the masses. The power and strength
of a State are not in its material ad-
vance and development, however valu-
/ able these may be, but in an educated
ci~tiZenship-an education which trains
it's citizenship intellectually, physically
! and morally. If our State is to keep
pace with the other States of the union.
our people must be educated-not a few
mere and there, but there must be a
general education of the masses. The
wealth producing power of a country is
in proportion to the education Of it's
citizens. and as we increase the eff
cheney of every citizen by education, so
we increase the wealth producing power
Of the State. IF we should double the
wages Of every in the State, we
should not thereby increase its wealth
a dollar, but if we could double the
efficiency of every mar in the State and
then double the wages we should quad
ruple the wealth of the State" Said Mr..
Ruskin: "a piece of land which will
only support ten idle, ignorant, and i'm
%provident persons will support thirty or
forty intelligent and industrious ones"
The value OF a country depends rather
upon the virtue and intelligence Of the
people who inhabit it than upon the
richness of the soil. All wealth has it's
basis in intelligence.
We should permit no child to grow up
to meet the high and responsible duties
Of citizenship without at least the rud-
iments of a good education. I'm the
south IS per cent. of the criminals are
deficient in education, while 60 per cent.
are totally illiterate." Statistics show
that % per cent. of all the inhabitants
i%lliterates, while in New York it is only
3 1-2 per cent.
my last annual message I en-
d ,-yored to show the Importance of
a compulsory education law. Thirty
three States and Territories, including
the District of Columbia, now have
compulsory education laws. The high
est per cent. Of illiteracy among the
native white population over ter years
in those States having compulsory
attendance laws Is Wyoming with 7.3
per cent, and the law has been in force
only a few years. In Connecticut the
per cent. is ! and in Massachusetts,
and Nevada only s. In States not
having compulsory attendance the
lowest rate of illiteracy, Of native
whites over ten years is Texas with
S.3 per cent. In South Carolina the
per cent Of illiteracy of native whites
over ten years Of age is 1871 per cent,
and in North Carolina it is % per
cent. In the face of these facts I do
not see how any one can oppose COM
pulsory attendance at school. 1t is not
| nanaccarU RI vCorru ohn11t tho ncOrn
He is getting all the education which
is provided now and could get no more
under compulsory attendance. What
we should be concerned about is the
education and the moral uplifting Of
u white boys and girls. Ignorance
is a menace and a burden to civil lib
erty n the good morals Of the
try. In addition to this, every boy
n girl in mis- country has a right
to the opportunity to do something
n to be something. Such a law can
not interfere with the rights Of pa
rents, because no parent has a right
to make a slave out Of his offspring
or to rob his child Of the right to
make a useful citizen or to have the
opportunity to live a useful and a
happy life. No one in this day will
question the right Of the State to en-
AVN SoAilpoAoOi ollSlloollSN. " - lCSy
a tax and enforce the collection Of
public education; then why not en-
force attendance so that all the chill
dren may receive the benefits and have
the money put to the best possible
use n for the greatest possible good
to the greatest number. individual
welfare depends on the general well
fare. Having taken the money of one
man to educate the children of an
other, the State must protect that
man and his children from oppression
and dangers Of illierate neighbors and
fellow citizens" The history and ex-
p%erience of those countries in which
compulsory attendance has been tried
/ prove its good results and refute the
idea h a it works any hardship. 1t is
r that in the States which have
compulsory attendance laws, only
two are southern, but that is no reason
why we should longer lag behind.
THE COMMON SCHOOLS.
There is a marked increase in the
interest in public education, and there
are many encouraging evidences Of
Improvement. Yet the bare facts Of
the condition of the average school
In some counties are shocking. Refer
ence to the statistics in the report
- NN 1ShSS SuPNa lllSiiOcllI Vi cuuNo-
ton dlscloses hat there are numerous
schools with less than q three months
term, n still more with teachers so
badly paid that they cannot be sup
posed in any degree competent. If the
legislature will discharge its resDon-
slbllity to the cause Of education in it's
entirety in the State, there must be
State aid to the public schools. An
appropriation to be apportioned accord
ing to the money raised in the counties
is nothing more han a county tax
an increase of the constitutional three
mill tax. Efforts heretofore made to
pass such a law have met with the
response from some delegations: I'VE
nave money enough already" The
Charlie. onians can point to their
school terms and their teachers sala-
rles as evidence that they need little
or no money. The truth IS, that a
legislative appropriation should be
made along the lines prescribed by
the constitution to bring up the de-
1clent school, to a minimum stand
ara. Inc dlspensarY one has been
apportloned under a law fixing three
months Of $500 salary as the mini
mum standard. but the educational
sentiment Of the State has passed the
point where it a be longer satisfied
with this minimum. 1t would be little
enough for the legislature to contrib
ute 10 the efficiency of the public
schools a sum equal to the amount
1t a~pproprlates to the State colleges.
A much smaller sum. as estimated onri