Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-11-16
Compulsory School Laws.

The question Of Compulsory School
Laws has been discussed In the Demo.
crat for some time and II is time for
Common John 10 give his ultimatum on
the subject.
We need no such laws IN Tennessee,
and we all know this, too. Therefore
we must not have them. We can get
along better without them.
We are free, as people and can send
our children to school if we wish. The
lower class Of people, intellectually, will
be low, however much they are educated
and the master minds will get an edu-
cation if they never get to 90 to school
day in their lives, even if they have
TO study at night aud work in the day
time. Send the lower class OF people
to school and they will study meanness
instead of their books, If the teachers
were paid about five dollars a month
more than their regular salary, paying
them enough to demand their labor on
Saturdays, and every Saturday that
comes start out early and visit those
families that will not send their children
TO school, and encourage them and ex-
plain the value and use of an educa-
ton and all of them that were able
sending their children to school every
day. Now, good people this can be
done without having yourself, rich or
poor, tied up with a useless law. The
SOUTH needs no such law as this, and
will not have it, as long as we Southern
people have voice in the matter.
Every mans house is his castle. and
we will not have the law encroaching
on our personal rights and liberties
We Southern people have always edu-
Gated our children, we have made it 4
sacred duty to do so The South is ia
nous for its educated men and women
Even the negroes, our fpImer slaves, W,
have spent time and money trying t,
educate aud bring up to a higher stand
ard of intellectually.
l say the South can do without sucl
laws as this, and who dares dispute it
/ also think that child should not g,
to school at all untilit is nine Or ten year
old, or even older, until its character j
formed, partially at least, under moth
er's loving and watchful care. A chill
that is sent to school to learn those les
sous that it should be taught at it
mothers knee is never of the same mer
tai and moral fibre as one whose frs
impressions of life are received, who's
budding character is formed, and who's
vague ideas of right and wrong are di
rected by its own loving mother; for
/ small child at school will fall anon
, thieves, so to speak, that is, they ofte
/ fall into bad co mpany and have thei
tender, receptive minds filled witt
things that must ever prove detrimental
to the growth of moral character, things
that make our boystoughs"
There are several people who claim t
be in favor of this law, and are writin
on the subject, when if they would jus
stop and think over the matter the
would be against it Rambler and my
self are not the only ones who strictl
oppose this measure, the Others are DC
stirred up yet,
We, the people Of the Southland
love our country almost to idolatry, an
we would feel it to be desecrated by
+ law that seemed to imply that we WEI
incapable of rightly ruling our ow
households and doing what was righ
8 and best in such matters as this. Pee
pie of this State, TO you | appeal d
not allow your homes to be invaded
, this manner, your rights within thel
: are sacred
Yours sincerely,