Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1905-05-04

By invitation Of tho writer. Hon n
J.. Whitfield. state superintendent of
education. contributes the following
thoughts upon educational matters
pertinent TO Mississippians and a
Greater Mississippi" Mr.. Withheld
Is very enthusiastic in his work and
the items are well worth the pcrusal
OF all:
That Mississippi's great natural
resources have been discovered to
the outside world. there Is no dues
tion. Every train that comes within
| our borders from the North brings
men who are investing their means
In our lands. men who are to promote
great enterprises. and skilled men
who are taking the responsible places
al large salaries
We are permitting these great nat
ural resources to fall into the hands
Of outsiders. We. by failure to train
our BOYS for the higher work Of this
complex age. are permitting most ol
the skilled and high paid work to be
done hy people who come from places
that have put q premium on prcpara
tiOu for work II the names of all
the civil and electrical engineers
architects. and. in fine. all the skilled
men who are doing work in the state
could be secured. it would show that
by far the majority of them are not
our own boys
Some say let ms Offer every in
ducement to encourage the capitalist
and skilled men to come into The
state Cor the purpos0 of developine
ITS great natural resources. While
We should cordially welcome any
good citizen who wants 10 cast his
lot with us. yet should we rely on
foreigners 10 do this work for rs
What use will a developed State be
To our people II IL Is owned BY 9th
ers' DO you want your boys to be
satisfied To do the drudeery and mus
Gle work for low wages. while Tho
profit ON the Investment and the hieh
salaries paid for skill 70 10 outsiders
What Is " worth to our people ~
stand on and see such great activity
without being participants in 1t. or
without receiving any OF the great
profits derived from tho work.
No. my fricnds. there can be only
AAFftf EAffa AfN thN AANE
sissippi. and that is to have Missis
stppi resources largely developed by
Mississippi blood Old sensible REQ
pie will agree that it is the people and
no, the paysical State that should b.
considered. How can this end be at
tained2 There is only one way under
4 high heaven. and that - to dienify
| the training of the individual First
We should make our common school.
the peer of any in the land. n mat
| ters not what calling a boy NAV final
II adop. y is in the common schools
that he is revealed To himself and IS
made conscious of his possibilities: II
IS there that he can view the erest
world and decide for himself hi
course in life.
The common school Is the neCes
sary basis for al other training. an
| II the future of the State is To h.
determined by the character of train
Ing W. give our fine Anglo Saxor
blood. then it follows that the first
work to do in the great scheme ri
the States proper Development is 4
make better the schools that all oul
people iirst attend
Because children have to worl, n
the fields is no reason why a. caunt,
should not have a regular schoo
| term.
In the first place. the training n
their children should be a parent.
| first duty and highest responsibility
| That person has a very low concen
tion of parental responsibility VIII,
would only look to his childs prcp
aration for life when there is nothing
| else IN he done No one has eve
said that children can be properl,
reared and trained without expense
| To do so often means harder worl
| and greater sacrifice But is ther,
any other worthier motive. or create
compensation for increased toll an,
selt-denial. thar to see the beautiful
children God has given YOU daily in
crease IN usefulness to their family
to themselves and TO Godg Father.
and mothers. when YOU see YOUR chill
| dren, through the results Of your TOT
and self-denial. being raised constant
| ly to a higher plane of life. do you no
feel that you have been paid a thou
sand times over for all the extra worl
and sacrifice Ii has occasionedy
But. unfortunately. there arc som,
who look on their children as they d,
their beasts of burden-value then
only for the service they can get on
| of them. II is especially to such peo
| pie ! want 10 make an argument lie
us take II for granted that even tn,
most Indifferent parents to the wei
fare Of their children would Ike I,
| send their children to school wher
they are not of material service OF
| the farm In other words. if yo,
want TO send your children to schoo
| without losing their services ON the
| farm. IL is necessary that they hav,
as mu-h opportunity as possible tn 70
to school, before they are old enough
| to be of material help on the farm
| There IS a gap Of from five to sever
years between the time when a child
Is old enough to go to school and be
| fore he is old enough To do regular
farm werk. Now. if you want to sent
| your children TO school. and intend Z,
| keep them in the fed when OLD
enough TO do regular work then 4
follows that you should have as good
schools and as long terms as possible
Il t1a AAc TINS Nti Us
| IL a child can go TO school for five
| years before his services are required
| on the farm. he will get twenty
months schooling in terms of foul
months year. while he would gel
forty months schooling with eight
month terms. He would not only gel
double the months of school without
losing him from the farm, but he
would get better schooling eaci
month. as one month of a long tern
is much better than one month of Z
short term. Then. again. longer serv
Ice each year would procure a better
| teacher.
Agricultural people should. more
than any other people. have a Ions
school term. If they educate theil
children. it must be when they are
young and during this time when they
are not of material service on tins
farm they should have just as muct
and just as good a school as possible
| If the children OF mississippi coulC