The Grenada sentinel., 1904-01-23

mant forces which build and complete
that potential moral entity called char
acter. 1t is wise economy in this,
that II. "a man or q citizen be made bet-
ter by education, the government will
share his improvement, and the en-
hghtened moral sentiment will write
the laws of the land. But when I
speak of the government educating it's
children, I wish it understood that l
do not mean that it is the duty or the
hope OF the State to give every boy
and girl technical education or q
course at college. That is practically
impossible. We have colleges and uni
versities which the State must main
tain and maintain properly, but the
first, the paramount, duty of the State
is to provide means for giving in
struction, at least, in the rudimentary
branches, to those children whose Pc
culiar environment and impecunious
condition render 1t impossible for
State will place at the door OF all her
children an opportunity to obtain even
common school education, such as is
given in the best graded public
schools, she will have done we'll.
want to impress this truth as see it,
that it is of much more importance to
start the child On the road to an edu-
cation-to lay the foundation in a we'll
directed common school-than it is to
finish it in a gOvernment-suppOrte
university or college. If the founda-
tion be properly laid, and there is any
merit in the child, it will complete the
superstructure without governmental
aid. 1t should be the policy of the
State to do for the citizen only that
which the citizen cannot do for him
self. The best type of man is the self.
developed man. l am deeply interest
ed in the beginning. Like the acorn
shaken from the twig by the passing
breeze, it falls into the dust below, and
while it contains within its little shell
the germ Of the great oak, it remains
an acorn still, until the rain falls and
moistens the earth, the life-giving rays
of the sun pierce its mould, and, burst
ing open the door of it's prison cell,
the stimulating air fans its folded
leaves to life, it rears it's infan* head
to the light and sends forth its ramt
flying roots to gather material with
which to build the giant of the forest
"A few years Of cultivation and direc-
tion and it will care for itself. So it
Is with the sturdy boys and girls Of
the rural districts of Mississippi. They
need only the sunlight of an opportu.
nifty to awaken sleeping genius
drarght from the Pierian spring will
create a thirst for knowledge that will
remove mountains of obstacles to graf
ify it. But without that opportunity :
the %hetted thirst for
knowledge-the glorious possibilities
of that mind would never be devil
oped.
by
Sitting the speechless longings of his
In unremitting drudgery and care?
How many a vulgar Cato has COM
PEELED
His energies, no longer tameless then.
To mould a pin or fabricate a nail?
How many a Newton whose passive
ken
Those mighty spheres that gem in
f1nity
Were only specks OF tinsel fixed 4
To light the midnight of his nauv.
town
all because of the want of opportu-
nity-the necessary climate to gerni-
nate the seed Of genius which had
fallen in the sterile dust of adversely?
Yes, by fellow citizens, the first duty
of the State is to provide s-aools-
improved facilities for the instruction
of the masses in the rudiments OF an
education-especially those of her citi-
zens who live in the country districts.
The city schools are good enough I'm
til that can be done, until the children
living away from the towns and cities
in the backwoods are given the same
opportunity to acquire q common
school education that is enjoyed by the
children resident in the city, let US not
establish any more institutions for
higher education than those we al
ready have.
Thus far what I have said on the
subject OF education has been with ref
erence solely to the white children.
What shall we do with the negro?
Certainly the education suited to the
white child does not suit the negro.
This has been demonstrated by forty
years OF experience. and the expendi-
ture in the Southern States OF nearly
three hundred millions OF dollars. It
was natural, and quite reasonable. inn
mediately after the civil war. espe-
cially by those who had made but q su-
perficial study Of the negro, to expect :.
that freedom, equal educational .fa6saf'
ties and the example Of the whfffe man
would have the elect Of ip1broyinT his
morals and make 2 'betteE man OF him
generally: But e - lot, ! am sorry
@ Say, As 2 raca As q deterioratinx
stzated that he r. - criminal - !.
free man than e4 eleve. that Is i
increasing in cr1n lily with fearfnl
repidity. heinz Ira more crimi-
nal In 1890 tlnn q a In 1RR() TIE
stArtling fact1 - 1keaaed 81 the censna
show that ulho oan read ana
write are - inAl than the init