The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-01-04

ed in the beginning. Like the acorn
shaken from the twig by the passing
breeze, it falls into the dust below
and while it contains within its little
shell the germ Of the great oak, it re-
mains an acorn still, until the rain
falls and moistens the earth, the life
giving sun pierces its mould, and
bursting open the door Of its prison
cell, the stimulating air fans its folded
leaves into life, it rears its infant head
% the light and sends forth its ram
ifying roots to gather material with
which to build the giant Of the forest.
A few years of cultivation and direc-
tion and it will care for itself. SO 1t
is with the sturdy boys and girls OF
the rural districts of Mississippi. They
need only the sunlight of an oppor
tunity to awaken sleeping genius
one draught from the Pierian Snr'"
will create thirst for knowledge that
will remove all obstacles to crafty 1t.
But without that opportunity, without
the whitted thirst for knowledge, the
glorious possibilities of that mind
would never BE- developed.
Negro Problem.
Thus far what | have said on the
subject of education has been with
reference solely to the white child
rem. Certainly the education suited to
the white child does not suit the ne
gro. This has been demonstrated by
forty years of experience, and the ex-
penditure in the southern states OF
nearly three hundred millions OF dol
lars. 1t was natural and quite rea-
sonable Immediately after the civil
war, especially by those who had
made but a superficial study OF the
negro, to expect that freedom, equal
educational facilities and the exam
pie and precept of the white man,
would have the effect Of improving his
morals and make better man OF him
generally. But it has not, / am sorry
to say. As a race, he is decorating
morally every day. Time has demon
strated that he is more criminal as
free man than as slave, that he is in
creasing in criminality with fearful
rapidity, being one-third more crimi-
nal in 1890 than he was in 1880. The
startling facts revealed by the census
show that those who can read ana
write are more criminal than the Tilt
crate, which is truseof no other ele-
ment of our population. / am advised
that the minimum of illiteracy among
the negroes is found in New England,
where it is twenty-one and seventeen
tbs per cent; the maximum is found II
the black belt, Louisiana and Missk-
sissipp and also South CAROLINA, whefe
it is sixty-fve and seven-tenths Ew
cent. And yet, the negro in New ny
land is four and one-half times 1he9
criminal, hundred for hundred, tan
he is in the black belt. In the soutF,,
Mississippi particularly, | know he is
growing worse every year. You can
scarcely pick up q newspaper whose
pages are not blackened with ON ac-
count of an unmentionable crime COM
mitted by negro brute, and this
crime, want to impress upon you, IS
but the manifestation Of the negro s
aspiration for social equality, encour-
aged largely by the character OF free
education in vogue, which the state IS
levying tribue upon the white people
to maintain.
Public Health.
Concerning the public health the
governor makes the following state
ment:
ssFirst- Invest the state board OF
health, or some similar organization
with plenary power to regulate, and
control by rules promulgated, all IN
fected localities.
"Second Empower the governor,
acting in conjunction with the health
authorities, to use the state militia as
quarantine guards.
Third Let the state bear all the
expense of maintaining the quaran-
tine.
Fourth-As it requires active CO.
operation of all practicing physicians
in the infected localities to fight sue
cessfully the yellow fever, the state
board of health vested with authority
to revoke the license of any practic-
ing physician who refuses to obey and
carry out the rules promulgated
by the said board of health, in infect
ed localities.
The Soldiers Home.
"The home for INDECENT Confeder-
ats soldiers established two years ago
by the state at Beauvoir, the home of
the late President Of the Confederaey,
jefferson Davis, will doubtless com
mand continuation of your favora-
BILE consideration. 1t has in truth and
in fact proven an ineffable blessing
to the homeless and penniless ex-Con-
federate soldiers of Mississippi who.
have taken refuge in it.
The governor recommends that the
legislators provide for the establish
ment of another state charity hospi-
tai.
Child Labor.