Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-10
PRESIDENT TALKS
ABOUT GEORGIA
He Declares That He Is Very Proud OF
His Ancestry and Southern Ties.

- wv ~ SAASA IL i 4N0s
look at the problems that face us from his
brothers standpoint as well as from his
own.
Astounding Strides.
During the last quarter Of century this
nation has made astounding strides in ma
terial progress, and In no other section has
this progress been more noteworthy than
IN the south. While her agriculture has
grown faster than ever before. there has
also been new growth of her manufac
turing tndustries-indeed, there has been
growth of every kind. But of course there
Is ample room for further growth. The
south will be all the better for new immi
grants of the right type, and I hope
to see steamship lines carrying such immi-
grants established at ports like Savannah
and Charleston. just as l hope to see ports
like New Orleans connected by lines Of
steamers with the South American CONT
nent, the continent with which our rela-
tons should grow ever closer and mutually
more advantageous. In the south, every
where through the Union. we need to see
a good education given free to all children,
no matter what may be their race color.
Nor can we wisely permit this education to
be of merely literary type More and
more we are growing to realize that there
must be an education of the hand as well
as Of the head. There must be agricultural
and industrial colleges, and, above all,
schools in which there can be elementary
preparation for agriculture and industry:
These schools for technical training will
hold a great place in the future in fitting
our citizens for doing their economic duties
In the best possible shape. In the south
there is a population peculiarly fitted to
profit by them. a population which has been
generally referred to as poor white"
popula ton Of splendid capacities, and
almost purely of the old native stock which
simply lacks the opportunity to develop
degree of industrial efficiency unsurpassed
elsewhere on this continent
Interest In Children.
It Is a matter for congratulation that
there is such steady increase of interest
In the southern states in everything per-
tanning to children. This has already
markedly shown itself, and hope will still
more markedly show itself in the future.
in warning against the evil Of child labor
in factories. The factory Is a very poor
place indeed for a child indeed personally
think the factory a poor place for
woman-certainly for a married woman, or
for an unmarried woman for more than
very few years. In any community organ
lied on really healthy lines the average
woman will have quite enough to do in her
own home whether she Is rich or poor;
and nowhere else can she do work of such
value to, the nation as a whole-and by
work. 1 mean her housework, her work as
housewife and mother, and not so-called
home industries AS regards children 1t
Is as essential to look after their physical
as their mental training. We can not af-
ford to let children grow up ignorant: and
II they are sent to school they can not,
while young, also work hard outside with
out detriment. physical. mental and moral.
There is urgent need for the health author
tiles to Increase their care over the by
gienic conditions and surroundings of chill
dren of tender years, and especially to
supervise those In the schools It is good
thing to try to reform bad children. to try
to build up degenerate children; but it is
an even better thing to try to keep healthy
| in soul, body and mind those children who
are now sound but who may easily grow
up unsound If no care is taken of them.
The nations most valuable asset is the
children: for the children are the nation of
the future. All people alive to the nations
need should join together to work for the
moral, spiritual and physical welfare of the
children in all parts Of our land. 1 am glad
that there has been founded a national So
cety Of public school hygiene, and 1 wish
1t, and all Its branches, W i in every way
Should Be Safegrarded.
There is increasing need that the welfare
of the children should be effectively safe
guarded by governmental action; with the
provisO, however, that this action shall be
taken with knowledge and In a spirit of ro-
bust common sense: for philanthropy,
Whether governmental or individual, Is
curse and not a blessing when marked by
a spirit of foolish sentimentaIity and igno-
rance. Such governmental action Is merely
one inevitable result of the ever-increa sing
growth of our complex industrialism. Dec
ade by decade 1t becomes more and more
necessary that, without sacrificing their
individual independence. the people of this
country shall recognize in more effective
form their mutual interdependence. and the
duty of safeguarding the interest of each in
the ultimate interest of all. We have in
herited and developed a superbly self
reliant individualsm in this country. l
most earnestly hope that it will not be lost.
that it will never be exchanged for a dead
ening socialism. The only permanently
beneficial way in which to help any one is to
help him to help himself; If either private
charity, or governmental action. or any form
of social expression destroys the Individual
power of self-help. the gravest possible
| wrong is really done to the individual.
Nevertheless. az the conditions Of life grow
more complex. 1t is not possible to trust
| our welfare only to the unbridled individual
initiative Of each unit of our population
working as that unit wills We need laws
for the care of our children which were
not needed when this country was in it's
infancy. We need laws for the control of
vast corporations such as were not needed
| when the individual fortunes were far
smaller than at present, and when these
fortunes were not combined for business
use In the same way we need to change
our attiture toward labor problems from
| what that attitude was in the days when
the great bulk of our people lived in the
country with more complex labor rela-
lions than is implied In the connection be-
tween the farmer and the hired help.
Accidents to Wage Workers.
For example. the great increase in me-
chanical and manufacturing operations
means a corresponding increase in the
, number Of accidents to the wage workers
| employed therein these including both pre-
| ventable and inevitable accidents. To the
| ordinary wage-worker's family such a
calamity means grim hardship. AS the
| work Is done for the employer. and there
! fore ultimately for the public. it Is a bitter
| injustice that 1t should be the wage-worker
| himself and his wife and children who bear
| the whole penalty Legislation should be
| had, alike from the nation and from the
states not only to guard against the need
| less multiplication of these accidents, but
| to relieve the financial suffering due to
them. Last winter Congress passed a
safety appliance law which marked long
stride in the right direction. But there
should be additional legislation to secure
pecuniary compensation to workmen suf-
farip frnn