The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-04-16
Education by the State.
continued from page on..)

ttc.tluGed from Page DH--)
democratic imperative by the dem
cratic means or universal contribution.
Ther- are other agencies for the
general welfare which our democratic
American state employs. Doubtless
private enterprise would serve ~
transmit letters as efficiently as it does
express packages, or kilograms. But
u may we'll he doubted whether every
remote corner Of our vast ountr
would under that system IL reached by
the postal service. And it surely can
not De doubted hat q two cent stamp
under those conditions would 81 vest
y less athletic than is that which now
bears the benign counteuance Of
George Washington. And 50 il il that
our postal service belongs % D al.
II is for tle SAM reason that We have
q national army. q national navy. q
national leather bureau. the ends
sought b. these branches Of the public
service could not adequately bc at
tanned under private initiative. The
SAM thing precisely i true Of general
education.
Whether Il is advisable fot the state
10 mDnoDoiizc education a. il does the
transmission OF the m3ils. IS quite au-
other matter. 1t makes little differ
cnce vino bring me- ~. letter 50 long
a. | get IT,. 5ut while it = quite true
that | have no right - let my child
grow up iu ignorance, it is also true
THAT there are many NNIye II training
q child. Hence, 50 long Us tIle just
demands Of the State are met. surely
! should have the widest possible lib
crtX IN the choice of means.
7 The public schools, / am satisfied,
arc a vitality u part 81 our American
system as il universal suffrage. on
z republican form If government. But
the work to bc done is 50 vast tho
sound methods Of doing it are - many
that use shpuld welcome every aux
Hilary agencr. There Is room for the
private school. there Is room for the
parish school. there = room for the
endowed academy and college, and
the wholesome rivalry Of I'll these in
dependent Institutions should tend to
keep Tho whole system thoroughly
awake.
Thus far ! have been speaking Of
education by the State-Hhich is also
primarily for the state. And. as ]
have said, education by the state is
usually justified just because it is for
the State welfare.
But | believe that education by the
state has another basis quite as solid
as this. | believe not lnerelE that the
State has q right to educate for its
own welfare | believe tlat il is the
duty OF the state to provide eQuca-
ton and tl.al there is IN the young
q correlativc right TO be educated and
that for their own welfare.
IN other words. no one Of u is re-
sponsible for his appearance in this
vale of tears. and / hold it quite as
self evident a. Thomas JefferSon's
swelling assertions in the Declaration
of Independence that those in whose
custody the helpless stranger falls.
the family AMI the state. owe the child
two things: First. such nurture that
he may not OF necessity become either
4 paupcf or a criminal: second, such
measure of opportunity as viii render
it at least possible for him ~ make
the most fruitful eXcrtion Of his nat
ural powers.
Society owes 10 man luxur:es. but
modern humanitarianis1n old that
the helpless have q right to be help q
by those who are able: hence the hos
pital and the asylum. ana the home
for the INDECENT. stand out in bold re-
lief as characteristic social facts Of
our age. 1t s not at all different in
principle and vastly ounde in prac.
tice t. apply our humanitarian ener-
gles to the prevention of helpleSsneSs.
The aged pauper is a failure-let us
keep him from utter misery. But the
child Is not ! mere animated human
unit. He has within him the poten-
TALLY OF endless henific;t activity for
himself and for his fellows. What
ever we do for the aged social failure
IS done once. Whatever we do for
the child is multiplied q thousand fold
The technical training of the engi-
neer. the physician, the teacher. and
the lawyer. the refined culture of lib
eral learning. the scientific activity oil
the geological survey. and OF
the agricultural experiment station.
the intellectual Industry and riches u
the high school and academy. the al
permeating enlightment Of the com.
mon schools. Illuminating and mellow.
ing everything. like the sunshine anG
the rainfall these are parts Of ole
system-bound closely together by in
terweaying Of nerve and tissue, ane
dtrophy of one tends surely toward:
paralysis of all.
How much of all this vast education