The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-27

AS q working craftsman myself, l con-
gratulate the Commonwealth that its chief
aim is now become the training Of men
to work. You hear nothing about the
dead old doctrine that cheap wages are
desirable; for the gospel now preached to
you is the advantage of good workman
ship. And this change of creed marks
new epoch. 1t maks a change in mems
relations to one another and in their re-
lations to society. 1t covers all the wide
difference between a mediaeval world and
a democracy. 1t covers as great a change
as it took the English race nearly a thou
sand years completely to make-the change
from the feudal barons to Thomas Jeffer-
son.
Let any man here whose memory goes
back twenty years make list of the men
and of the families who were the people
of most importance in North Carolina
twenty years ago, and another list of
those who are the most important now.
He will be surprised to see how few men
and families are onboth ists
In twenty years the population has in
creased half a million, without any inn
migration to speak of, and in thirty years
it has practically doubled. In twenty
years the ratio OF illiteracy has decreased
from forty-eight per cent. to twenty
eighth ger cent, and it is decreasing now
faster than ever before; twenty years
ago North Carolina was hardly reckoned
as a manufacturing State at all. But the
last census showed that its manufactured
products are worth more every year than
it's farm products-ninety-fi millions OF
dollars as against eighty y-nine millions.
Our manufactured products were, in round
fifures, wort fifty-one dollars person
of the whole population but our farm
products were worth not quite forty-six
dollars per person. Our manufactured
products per year increased from twenty
million dollars to nearly ninety-five mil
lion. Our railroad mileage increased from
less than two thousand miles to nearly
four thousand. In fact, the advance has
been so general In North Carolina during
the last twenty years that If a man who
went away then were to come back now
for the first time he would not recognize
many of our towns; he wouIu not know
our leading men; he would not know the
thoughht nor the habits of the people.
Twenty years ago your college existed
and existed only dimly-only in the minds
of group of young men who used to
meet in an Office on Fayetteville street
and talk over the possibility of such
thing. The place where it stands was an
old field and the road that ran by it was
the wrost piece of highway when boy
l hauled peaches to market over tit was
the very worst piece of hiway on earth.
Every horse and mule and driver in this
end of Wake county will remember it
throughout all eternity.
The greatest progress shas been made in
manufactures and in education. If you
will recall how these changes have come
about, you viii find that they were made
by comparatively small number of men
who went to work themselves. Most of
the manufacturing progress made in
North Carolina-practically all in fact
has been made by men who were born in
North Carolina and with money that was
made in North Carolina-home industries
nearly every one of them. Our great edu-
cational progress salso has been made
chiefly by our men and women.
Now if our leaders for these twenty
years had accepted the doctrine that our
people are incapable, they would have
done nothing. If they had accepted the
doctrine of the desirability of low wages
they would have done nothing. They be-
lieved i'll the efficiensy of the people
That is the whole story.
There are two days of looking at hu,
man society. One way of looking at it is
to say that Gcd made some men useful
and that He made the others won thless,
and that we can't 10 much TO change the
Almighty's handiwork--that the clod-
hhoppers and jacklegs must remain clod-
hoppers and jacklegs and that the others
will take care Of themselves.
The other way to look at them is to
say that all men are capable of some de-
gree of development, and that it ii the
duty Of society give every one chance
to develop his aptitudes the best he can.
The first method makes sort of aristo
cracy of privileges and opportunity IT is
the way of low wages and all that low
wages implies.
The other way is to give the clod-
hoppers and the jacklegs-and their chill
dren--a chance; in other words. to train
them so that every one may quit clodhop-
ping and jacklegging and become a skill |
full man and get the rewards OF his skill |
Now the difference between these two |
ways OF loking at men makes the whole I
difference between life in tn AIiddl Ages
and life in the modern republic. Almost
every man in Wake county now lives bet
ter than the Kings of England once live,
for they had neither forks nor soap. The
difference has all come from this changed
view of human development.
How simple has been the method of all
human progress! In one era of the history
of mankind king, or baron, or a man
with power, looked upon the great body
of men as common herd, good to till
his land, to fight his battles. to obey his
orders--to keep their place They remain
ed generation after generation common
herd; and the doctrine was accepted not
only that he was born to lead but that
they were born to be led Human so
ciety went on for centuries without any
great change.
Kenly for School Tax.
Capt. John Duckett, Chief Clerk to
State Superintendent Joyner, last night