The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-26

| ticipnted were first. that II WINS undefsn.
cratic. and, sccondly, that sl i,,,,r ~ la"
w2nld have to apply to neg h ep,or ID tbnt
gu tue States of this mon uMG'P tndian
Southern States, Oklahoma and ahg irhn
territory have compulsory ..ia,, ~ n,,ni,
| more difficult. ~. ,,,t
Against the first objection, the d rntt
shnt The 1nglsh speank az tso w rnrrIores,
has adopted it should be q pohtdin not,n ,r
potent as It is, the following reasons 5, :, n mp
pear to mo to give the WelSnt n itaNot
OF the establishment of. this system;
Is It better to Keep the white children
q the. Commonwealth IN isnpprfh,nh nn,, i 81,
sah Il bottar agstab d system whe
shall give the benefit of an eiementa asy
education to the children of botli races ices,
rms argument will not appeaal .o 10 s crosJ
system. II will not appeal to those VINO VINO
think that the capacity 10 re ha ,, mtl.'
write, and the attendance upon .ne pull III
lie schools of the State Is the cause Oh az
the moral delinquencjcs Of the negro rhco,
It Will not appeal to those, who believe ,i,,
That none of the money paid by the WILLIS VILE
1t will not appeal to those who look upon o.,
the negro as the enemy of =, me ,o Wn' Nc
man ard 90 of Poniet'h " ~. A., nod III. Mp-
peal to those who do not regard the eduea-
ton offered by the iree scnooi aysten US u
moral ana mental training.
But 1T seems to me that this reasoni M
should 81. appeal to every man WHO ne Ne g
lieves In the free school system as MT.
Jefferson believed in 1t, as Dr. curry pc
lieved In 1t and as Dr. Ruffner believes
In IT.. that It should appeal to every man
and who knows the helplessness of the
the country districts of Virginia.
It should appeal to every tax.payer, no, NOT
In the objectlng class first above mention
ed, who would wish to see his taxes
effectively applied; to every one VINO
looks to the future and considers that me
right of suffrage for tho next generation
is dependent upon an educational duai,iii-
cation; to those who consider the question
OF illiteracy among the native porn iree
nte ~ yirInans db @iI
Tree white citizens of other states, Where
this system prevails.
Let us not only be proud OF the acnlevs-
ments-ef our ancestors but let us think
something of our posterty. Let us WHO
remember the glorious days of our youth
not forget to make the days of this gen
clinging to the traditions of the past not
forget the duties of the present and the
consequences of such forgetfulness upon
the future.
1t is possibly as safe to take the judg
ment OF some great Virginia teacher upon
this point as IL is TO take that OF some
great Vlrginian. whose life has been spent
In other vocations.
1t Is. needless to say that we arc too
poor, for the Commonwealth Is rich and
growing richer financially every day. II
is useless to argue that we are doing well
with nearly forty out Of every hundred
white children of the State not on tho
school rolls. and with nearly forty out OF
every hundred of those on the roll not
in attendance upon the school. II Is idle.
to suppose that a State whose pupils at
tend school seventy-three days in year
can compete with State whose pupils
attend schoolo ne hundred and forty-nine
days In a year. Yet this Is the relative
average number of days attended by
each pupil enrolled for the session of 1907
'03 in the commemorative of Virginia and
Massachusetts.
In the last named session virsinia's
school revenue for each person between
five and eighteen years was SS.52. In
West Virginia it was s1.G2; in Massachu-
sets 1t was SECS.
The per cent, of illiterate among adult
native white males as shown by the last
census was in Virginia n little over IL per
cent, and in Massachusetts little less
than one per cent.
These startling figures do not appeal TO
those who are content to think that an
ignorant Virginian is better than learn
ed man from any other State. but it may
rant Nirginian Is not 80 usafui n man TO
his family or to the community ne one
who has an elementary education.
The difficulties in the way are i;rca.. but
the danger In not removing that difficulty
our fathers established the srcc school
system when Virginia WAS n ihc loG
tide of her prosperity. Let US, their
but let Virginia move forward and align
herself upon the side Of hose whose ex-
perience has taught them the necessity
OF compulsory education. Respectfully.
ROOSEVELT PAGE.
Oakland, Hanover cpthty, Va, JAM "a,