Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-10-08
In these progressive days few mer

In these progressive days few men
,i any breadth of view whatever, may
be found who will not acknowledge
that the most important duty now be-
fore US is the educatioo Of the children
OF our glorious republic. Upon the in
.telligence Of the people does the safety
and prosperity of commonwealth d.
pend. AS some writer said recently,
Fright knowing is a necessary pre-
requisite to right doing" and failure
lnd degradation, both individually and
national, will surely follow in the foot
steps of ignorance.
The best legacy that parents can
leave to their children is an education.
for without 1t, all other wealth will
soon take unto itself wings and fly
away. Education is creative, reproduc'
tive, and cannot be destroyed; while
ignorance is wasteful, destructive and
degrading. It has been too often clear
ly proven that 1t Is the best economy
schools; hence arguments from my pen
would prove useless. The plain, potent
facts are so manifest that 1t seems to
me that they stare the public In the
face. The people create and own these
schools and their children should get
the benefit from them. In order tat
the burden of their maintenance may
bt, evenly distributed taxation Is the
proper means for supporting them, and
the bulk Of the money should be the
result OF wise, local taxation. This is
not only fair to all concerned, but 1t
is in harmony with the right OF local
self.government Most of the success
ful public schools in America are sup
ported by local taxation. 1t Ia. we are
thankful to know, rapidly coming to
be recognized all over the land that
good schools are essential to the wei
fare of community but that Is not
all by any means. OF course, we must
have good schools, but they must be
continued long past the present short
session lin some counties), and sufii-
cient salary should be paid to secure
the services of well-trained teacher
1t will be a great ~ for Mississippi
when all Of her children, from far and
near. whether high or low. rich or
poor, are enjoying for eight or nine
school months each year, instruction
from thoroughly equipped teachers. 1t
will be infinitely better than score
of gold mines, or twenty cent cotton,
or any of these consummatlons, which
are so deyoutly wished for. Gold
mines and twenty cent cotton we need
never hope to see in Mississippi, but a
general high grade education for every
Mississippi child We can have and
must have, and that right soon, IL our
people will so decree.
SO frequently the enemies o. educa-
tion argue that there is too much timo
thrown away on educaton---that boy
of a certain (often pitifully tender)
age. should be making his own liv-
ing instead of sitting up in school
while somebody else works for him"
There are many excellent reasons
which wiser writer's than ! can bring
forth, to silence these narrow-minded
enemies of progress, but | can not
refrain from suggesting now, while the
chance is mine. what have so often
thought. And that is, that these peo-
pie are unjust who think 1t right to
set a child to make his bread. 1t Is
not the chid's fault that he is where
or what he Is. In all probability had
he been consulted he would have pre-
ferred to keep out of 1t all But now
that he Is here, it is only fair that
those responsible for him should give
him a chance at least to make some
thing better OF himself.