The leader., 1905-05-06

Gf0dIer MISSISSIPPI. MI. Whitfield
is very enthusiastic in his work and
the items are well worth the parusal
of all:
That Mississippi's great natural
resources have been discovered to
the outside world, there is no ques-
ton. 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
at large salaries.
I'VE 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 of
the skilled and high-paid work to be
done by people who come from places
that have put premium on prepare
ton for work. If 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 us offer every in
ducement to encourage the capitalist
and skilled men to come into the
State for the purpose of developing
its great natural resources. While
we should cordially welcome any
good citizen who wants to cast his
Lot with us, yet should we rely on
foreigners to do this work for us?
What use will a<developed State be
to our people if it is owned by 9TH
ers? Do you want your boys to be
satisfied to do the drudgery and mus
Gle work for low wages, while the
profit on the investment and the high
salaries paid for skill go to outsiders
What is it worth to our people to
stand off and see such great activity
without being participants in it, or
without receiving any of the great
profits derived from the work?
No, my friends, there can be only
one true, genuine prosperity for Mis-
sissippi, and that is to have Missis-
sippi resources largely developed by
Mississippi blood. Old sensible peo-
pie will agree that it is the people and
not the physical State that should be
considered. How can this end be at
tanned? There is only one way under
high heaven, and that is to dignity
the training of the individual. First,
we should make our common schools
the peer of any in the land 1t mat
ters not what calling a boy may final
ly adopt, it 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 great
world and decide for himself his
course in life.
The common school Is the neces-
sary basis for all other training, and
If the future of the State is to be
determined by the character of train.
ing we give our fine Anglo Saxon
blood, then it follows that the first
work to do in the great scheme OF
the States proper development is to
make. better the schools that an our
people first attend
Because children have to work in
tho fields is no reason why county
should not have a regular school
term.
In the first place, the training OF
their children should be a parents
first duty and highest responsibility.
That person has very low concep.
ton of parental responsibility who
would only look to his child's prep.
aration for life when there is nothing
else to be done. No one has ever
said that children can be properly
reared and trained without expense.
To do so often means harder work
and greater sacrifice But is there
any other worthier motive, or greater
compensation for increased toll and
self-denial, than to see the beautiful
children God has given you daily in.
crease in usefulness to their family
to themselves and to God? Fathers
and mothers. when you see your chill.
dren, through the results of your toll
and self-denial, being raised constant.
ly to higher plane of life, do you not
feel that you have been paid thou.
sand times over for all the extra work
and sacrifice it has occasioned?
But, unfortunately, there are some
who look on their children as they dc
their beasts of burden value them
only for the service they can get out
of them. It is especially to such peo-
pie want to make an argument Let
us take it for granted that even the
most Indifferent parents to the well
fare of their children would like to
send their children to school when
they are not of material service on
the farm. In other words. if you
want to send your children to school
without losing their services on the
farm, it is necessary that they have
as much opportunity as possible to go
to school before they are old enough
to be of material help on the farm.
There is a gap of from five to seven
years between the time when child
is old enough to go to school and be-
fore he is old enough to do regular
farm work Now, if you want to send
your children to school, and intend to
keep them in the field when old
enough to do regular work, then ii
follows that you should have as good
schools and as long terms ais possible
during this time. Let us illustrate:
sIf a child can go to school for five
years before his services are required
On the farm, ne VIII get twenty
months schooling in terms of four
months a 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 each
month, as one month OF long term
is much better than one month Of q
short term Then, again, longer serv
ice each year would procure a better
teacher
Agricultural people should, more
than any other people, have LONG
school term II they educate theil
children it must be when they are
young and during this time when they
are not Of material service on the
farm they should have just as much
and just as good q school ais possible
ssIf the children Of Mississippi coule
have the. advantage Of good schools
for full terms only for the time thai
they are too young for regular farm
work they could get The foundations
Of good education, they could be
4 49,