The Tupelo journal., 1904-07-29

tie rural SCHOOL uOeS the lutuIe OIL
our State depend. There is much to
be said on every side of this great
question. and l fully appreciate the
need of better superintendent, better
trained teachers, more comfortable
houses and longer school terms. But
during two months just passed
among the people of some of the best
rural communities in the State, | have
reached a conclusion which will here
state, though know the risk is great.
II may, and doubtless will, bring an
avalanche of unkind criticism upon
this department, but despite that pos
sibility, | shall tell what believe to
be the truth.
And that is that We need, first of
all, and even more than trained teach
ers, improved buildings and length
ened terms, better trained parents.
There lies the heart of this whole
question. If the parents cared
enough about their children's educa-
terms in comfortable houses, and our
teachers and superintendent would
be compelled to fit themselves to
stand with the best in the land. But
to the short-sighted policy of some OF
our parents, the carelesSness OF some,
and the ignorance of others, do we
owe the present state OF things in our
schools. There are, OF course, in
every community, some parents who
understand the great need of giving
their children the best that may be
had, and who strive to do it; but
this element is usually in the minority.
On this subject Prof. Whitfield said,
in a recent address:
1--WE should, in every way possible
impress upon our boys and girls the
importance of making preparation for
life, and nothing so makes them lose
respect for the school as a prime fac
tor in this training as the starting
and stopping Of it to suit every other
term is worth five half terms in train
ing the minds of the children. Every
one who has had any experience in
school work knows that it takes a
month to get children disciplined for
work. You send your child to school
and about the time his mind is free
of rubbish gathered from a long vaca-
ton, you decide to divide the term.
The child is out of school for a long
time, forgetting almost all he has ac-
quired during the short time he was
in school. He comes back again in
the hot summer time with the same
books and practically starts in the
same place. Can you expect him to
take much interest in schooling? Is
there hope in such work? On the
contrary, if you start him at the be-
ginning of a six to an eight months
term, and keep him in school every
day you possibly a he will get
through a set of books and the next
session he will be advanced. OF all
discouraging things, doing work with
hope and progress is the most dis
heartening.
But you tell me that you are an
agricultural people and that you need
your children on the farm. OF all the
fallacious arguments | have ever
heard made this is the most delusive
and robs more of our beautiful Missis-
sippi children of an education than all
other causes besides. This same ar
gument was made in Claiborne county
when, twelve years ago, the true and
intrepid Reagan began the work of
organizing a system of graded schools
for that county, but after these years
of successful operation and better
average attendance no one there now
has the temerity to mention such an
objection.
"The same argument has been made
in all agricultural communities where
the question of longer school terms
has been agitated and the fallacy of it
has each time been shown by the re-
suits of better average attendance and
no decrease in the amount of agri-
cultural products produced, and no
increase in the number of paupers in
the poor houses. | do not speak theo-
retically on this subject. | al reared
on a farm, attended a country school,
and for years was a teacher of rural
schools. In my present official posi-
ition | have access to the records of
this and other States. Let us ana
1yZe this question to see If there
is any merit in this contention. |
trust no one in this presence would
put a child under II years of age to
Ehoeing and blowing. If you would,
the only thing l care to say is the law
should restrain you from doing it.
You, as parent. have no authority to
by requiring it to do continuous work
that calls into requisition only a part
of the muscles OF his body. A young
child should do chores around the
house, but should never be put to reg
ular field work. Now, if you have to
work your children when they become
old enough, does it not follow that if
you want to do anything for their edu-
cation, you must give them as much
as possible before they have to stop
to work? If we could have every child
in the State in school from the time
they are six years old until they are
twelve, for eight consecutive months
each year, they would get the basis
of education, they would be revealed
to themselves, they would get a
higher vision, they would be saved
from the blight of ignorance and
would give refined and intelligent