The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-05-06

lOuSuI uDOn CuOCdblOh0h
pertinent TO M-ississippians and a
Greater Mississippi" Mr.. Whitfield
is very enthusiastic in his work and
the items are we'll worth the perusal
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.
1--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 OF
the skilled and high-paid work to be
done by people who come from places
that have put a 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 wv 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 tle investment and the high
salaries paid for skill go to outsiders?
What is it worth to orr 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?
mo, 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-
PIC VIII 0olCG JIAuL IL ID IAIC pCOlj4C anu
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 u 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; it
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 all our
people first attend.
Because children have to work in
the fields is no reason why a 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 a 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 n 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
rease III usefulness to their family
to themselves and to God? Fathers
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 MOI
feel that you have been paid a thou
sand times over for all the extra worl
and sacrifice it has occasioned?
But, unfortunately, there are somt
who look On their children as they d.
their beasts of burden-value then
only for the service they can get GU
of them. 1t is especially to such PEG
pie | want to make an argument. LIE
us take it for granted that yer thu
most Indifferent parents to the wei
fare of their children would like t.
send their children to school whel
they are not of material service OIL
the farm. In other words, If yol
want to send your children to schoo
without losing their services on tn,
farm, it is necessary that they hav,
as much opportunity as possible to g
to school before they are old enough
to be of material help on the farm
There is a gap of from five to sevel
years between the time when a chill
is old enough to go to school and be
fore he is old enough to do regula
farm work. Now, if you want to sen
your children to school, and intend t
keep them in the field when oil
enough to do regular work, then
follows that you should have as goo
schools and as long terms as possibl
during this time. Let us illustrate
If a child can go to school for fv
years before his services are require
on the farm, he will get twent