The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-06
FOLK SAY CHILDLABOR
IS E1NEM Y TO CIVILIZATIO
Missouri Governor Declares Leg
islationis Needed in South
ern States.
EDUCATION is NECESSARY
Deprcciattes the Tendency to
Lavish Money on Higher
Institutions.

Governor Folk, of Missouri, In his adj
dress at the opening session Of the con-
ference for education in the South IN
Lexington, Ky, Wednesday night, de-
clared the subject Of compulsory educa-
ton and child labor to be especially I'M
portant in the Southern States. Child
labor, he said, is the enemy Of civlliza-
ton, and the educa ton Of the masses a
necessity II free government Is to be
maintained. Governor Folk said, In part:
1t is a mere truism to say that the con-
tinuance Of our government as gov
eminent by the people depends upon the
constant creation and wise use of edu-
cational facilities. The safety of the
republic rests upon the intelligence of the
masses, In "a monarchial form Of gov
eminent education may be a luxury, but
In a government BY the people s,s,h as
ours, it is necessity. The hope for the
perpetuity Of popular government rests
in education. If every university in the
land were closed. every school house Shut.
every teachers lips sealed, the result
would be In a few years chaos, anarchy
karEarism. AS the entire lack of eGu-
cation In the masses of the people would
bring disaster, so the more the ma sses
can be educated the greater will be the
governmental welfare and average indl-
rilual happiness.
The children Of to-day will be the SOW.
ereigns of the nation of tomorrow. AS the
state has the right In order to protect So
ciey to punish those who commit crime
SO it has the right to compel the educa-
ton of children In order to bring the
future citizenship up to a higher stand
ard. A few years ago there was great
prejudice against compulsory educational
laws This prejudice + believe Is rapidly
passing away At one time 1t was argued
that the State had no right to take the
child without the consent Of the parent and
PLACE 1t in school, But Is 1t not better to
even without the consent of the parent,
than for the State to be compelled in ar
ter years to seize the child then grown up,
and led by Ignorance into crime, and
conflne It In the penitentiary? 1t is less
harsh for the State 10 make the child
us efu member OF society by education
even without the parents consent than
later on without the parents consent for
crime to n1prson the youth the child be-
comes. The penal institutions are filled
largely with the ignorant and uneducated.
Lack Of education and crime. statistics.
show. go hand In hand. It is not only the
right Of the State 10 offer education as
a spIlNHe6e, Jul ~ 10 lHc OutS VI tuS Stdtc
to demand the ton of its future
citizens.
Every dollar a State expends In educa-
ton is returned tep-fold in higher citi-
zenship. better morals and lessened crimi-
nal costs. In the Southern States, partic-
ularly, the need Is for more compulsory
education. Such a law was enacted by
the last Missouri Legislature. and Its re-
suits have been most beneficial. There Is
one defect in our law. however, and the,
same is true Of practically all Of the
States that have compulsory education.
and that Is the provision which permits
a child, the sole support of INDECENT pa