The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-07-10
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Hope of the State and of Our
Civilization.

All knowledge is the Kindling of the
Small Light From the Great Which
Illumines the World.
The public schools have closed, or
are about to close, all over America.
The books are gathered together and
gladly put away. The lnk-staIned,
well-carved, wooden desks are left
to the Summer flies and the Summer
dust. The children are leaving school
and going home. The country chill
dren will have the months Of sun
light, fresh air, green fields and Ma
lures wonderful mysteries.
The less happy children OF the
cities-too many of them-leave
school for dusty streets, hot pave
ments, repressive laws, wretched
homes and only half chance in life's
battle.
But, whatever the home, whatever
the opportunity given or denied by
an imperfect civilization, the fact re-
AAS~A43S S1Ae1l IA~oC SUi1Ol SI VI (AO = u y
lie schools, these little citizens be-
ginning life in the school-room dem
ocracy, represent the greatest hope
of this country, the hope of the fu.
ture American race.
Progress in this world comes en-.
tirely from education, and especiauy
from Democratic education-that is
to say, from the education of men tc
whom knowledge is their chef pos
session, and not opposed in it's bene
ficient effect by unearned wealth Of
unearned power.
We live today in what is practi
cally the first generation of universe
education.
Without education the mind can
not express itself. Take the creates
brain ever born, deprive it of simpl'
elementary knowledge-that brain i
useless to the world and to its owner
giving him only sorrow and vain pro
test against unfair conditions.
Ii it is dreadful and discouragin
to see magnificent field lying idle
uncultivated, how much worst is
to see the brain of a man or wo
man uncultivated, idle, unproductiv
Think how men have lived and died
hundreds of millions of them, with
out any of the light of knowledge lie
into their heads, their brains an
souls like dark cellars! And thin
how encouraging it is that to-day ou
finest buildings are our public schoc
buildings, our great expenditures ar
our public school expenditures!
The successful man is taxed, an
willingly pays the tax if he be a goo
man, to give education and opportun
| ity to the children about him. W
are cultiyating the minds of tn
children more rapidly than the field
of the nation, and we should b
grateful for it.
The fields can wait; they can kee
their wealth until another day. Blu
the brain that is neglected, tha
grows up and dies ignorant, is los
forever.
All wealth is the result of huma
thought and industry. All freedor
is the result of knowledge and
trained mind.
| What wealth, material and menta
there is in the great army of schoc
children, now going back to thei
homes to accumulate health ana Wig
or for the school work of next year
The children have learned in scnoc
to respect one another and to respec
real ability. The boy is valued
his playmates for what he is. H
lneed not have penny in his pocke
his clothes may be the poorest; bu
if he has the power in the back of hi
head and the thought in the fron
brain the little boys around him rec
ognize him and follow him.
The American father and mothe
deprive their children of the bes
chance in this life at its beginning
they refuse to send those children t
the public schools. Many excuses ar
made for what is often snobber1
Unquestionably many fathers an
mothers feel it is their duty to max
the financial sacrifice that the pr:
vate school calls for. But their rea
duty is to encourage the publ
school. to fight to make it better, t
send their own children there. T
supervise them while they are there
and to vote to gether in such a wa
as to make it impossible for tn
richest man to give to his childrel
teaching as good as the publ
schools can give them.
Childhood is the most beautiful a
well as the most hopeful element il
the life of the human age. The old
er people are doing their work; th'
world has taken their measure. Thu
child is an unknown quantity, unlim
tied in possibility. The dull boy o.
today may turn out. as did. that othel
dull boy Newton, to discover some
great cosmic law. The high-temper
ed girl, imaginative, hard to manage
full of whims and strange fancies
may live to be the mother of the
man the world needs. Very otter
the woman of apparently undiscip
lined Imagination and impulses has
given the great son to mankind.
The responsibility of parents in
creases with the holiday season. The
coming home of the children adds
many duties to the lives of fathers
and mothers. already fully occupied
Children must, above all, be made
healthy and strong in vacation. The
boy or girl inclined to read too much
must be kept from it firmly, but kept
from it kindly by supplying other in
terests instead of taking away the
book arbitrarily. The child that has
been dull in studies must be encour-
aged and made much of, not dis
couraged. Tbe brain grows with
kindness, and possibilities develop
with encouragement and judicious
praise. If a son seems stupid or is
stupid it is the fault Of father and
mother, not of the child. And it is
the business of the father and moth
er to repair the harm that they have
done.
AS matter Of fact. there is no
stupid child. A normal human being
can be made into useful, intelligent
and satisfactory citizen with the
right bringing up.