The Springdale news., 1906-08-24

i t0OltH WiAH tIdt VI tHI -NOI LII. The last census report shows that only q per cent of the white people live in the South; in other words, there are not one third as many white people in the South as are found in the North. The same census report shows that 64 per cent of the ignorant white children over ten years of age are found in tie South; that is nearly twice as many ignorant white children in the South as in the North. Both reports show there are six times as many igno- rant white children ih the South. according to population, as there are in the North. Why Is this true? Is 1t because we have more indolent and stupid class of children in the South than are found in the Northz Not at all, because We have tile most eu ter prising and energetic class of children than is found in any country. Our children. strange 1y protected from the taints of undesirable foreign bloods, have the richest heritage on earth; and all they need Is an equal op- portunity to compete with the children of any country. The difficulty and the only reason why we have more ignorant chil- dren in the South Is because the North spends about twice as much per child for education as the South does. We do not refer to this fact as critical against the people of the South, because 1t IS wonder conditions are as good as they are. It Is evident that forty years ago the South ern people were sent home to find their slaves freed, their wealth gone, their fields devas- tated and their homes destroyed. But the people of the South have met the difficulties in heroic manner, and within one genera ton have placed our country on safe and prosperous basis. The opportunity is now with the people of the South 10 do some thing for the children by giving them an opportunity for educa- tion equal to that given by the North.
 Next let us compare the condi- ton of Arkansas with that of the United States as whole. Last year the United States paid on an average per child enrolled in her public schools S22.75, while Ar kansas paid on an average per child enrolled in her public schools last year only $7.27. This shows that the average child of the United States, which con- tains over eighty million people, gets over s invested in his early intellectual training every time the average Arkansas child gets S1 b help prepare for fife. Re- member that the day is past when competition exists only among the people of small locality as it did in colonial days. But because of our convenient transportation and railroad system an individual can in few days place himself within the boundaries of Arkan- sas, from any section of the United States, f he thinks 1t better place for investment. Then your children must the children of the United States as a whole, in free and open competi- ton, Then are you going to force them 10 prepare themselves for 1t with less than oue-third the opportunity of the average child of the nation2
 Now let us compare the eduea- tional advantages given tie Ar kansas child with that given the children in some Of the other states. New York paid last year per child in her public schools S44,62, while Arkansas paid S7.27. The New York child getting over