Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-11-05
POOR ATTENDANCE-Even with


short school terms. and incompetent
teachers, the people may still show
cOmmendable educational purpose
by sending every child TO school cv-
cry day the schools are in session.
Much good may be got out of a NcIy
inferior school, if the children at
tend it regularly and with the pur-
posee of Citing the most possible out
of 1t. How are the white children OF
South Carolina attending the schools
In 1907 the white enrolment in the
public schools of the State was 1i4,-
6GS, while the average attendance
was only l03.304 The federal cen
sus taken seven years before G9OO)
gives South Carolina 217.972 white
children between the ages of ) and 20
years, while our legal school age is
between & and 2l years 1t is safe
to assert that barely sixty per cent
of the white children of the State
are enrolled i'll any kind of school,
and not over forty per cent are in
average attendance. In 1900. thirty
six per cent of the white children
between the ages of 10 and IA years
were not enrolled in any school. pub
lie or private. In the same wear
Massachusetts had only six per cent
OF her white children of the CORE
ponding ages out of school. Connecti-
cui had seven per cent and Michigan
eight per cent.
In 1900 South Carolina hal 54.!77
native white illiterates over 10 wears
of age. only 792 fewer white litter
ateS than the State had i'm 1870. thir-
ty years previous. Al the same date
Connecticut. with nearly twice the
white population of South Carolina.
had but l.95S white illiterntes over
10 years of age. Again. South Car
olina had l5.643 native white litter
ateS of the voting ages Rhode Island
| with four-tthS the population of
South Carolina. had lust $50. We
had ll.S39 native white illiteratcS
between the AGES OF 10 and 10 years ::
Michigan, with twice our population
had LII; Connecticut had 100. and
Rhode Island 100. Is ii reasonable
~ hope for the South Carolina of
tomorrow. with her load of helpless
illitoratcS. To cope successfully with
those States and sections which have
freed themselves from the bondage
gone from South Carolina when "A
few highly trained men of leisure
could direct and control the dcstinics
of the people. This responsibility
has been shifted to the shoulders of
the masses. and now we are forced to
consider the training of the masses.
Only Yesterday Hon. q. b. Martin
gave this ont: "Several educational
leaders in New England frankly told
us that they are spending their mon
ey and building up their schools in
order to retain and maintain their in
dustrial supremacy. They realized
that we have advantages and great
resources in the South. but they pro
pose TO keep the lead. if possible,
through the power of trained brains
and trained hands. :" Intelligence and
skill will win every time in every
race. What is South C"rolina doing
to meet this open challenge frcm
New Englandi
Why are these South Carolina
children not in school. and why are
they not i'll school7 Some are the
sons and daughters of parents them
selves ignorant and unable to appre-
ciate or TO understand what educ a
tion means To their children and 10
the State: some are the children Of
fathers and mothers. greedy and sci
fish who are more than willing 10
make wage-carnerS and brcnd-winuers
out of their Young untau@ht offspring
few are the children Of parents OPP
posed To education. because they have
known some educated scoundrcl: a
very few are the children of parents
who actually need the labor of their
children TO eke out living; and
many are the children of fathers en-
crossed in material affairs and mo!h-
ers recreant TO duty Many of these
children arc at work on the farms. in
stores and shops at few cents day.
and IN the cotton mills making GOOD
wages for children. while hundreds
Of others arc roaming the streets and
country lancS--the training grounds
for idlers. va@r9nts and enemies TO
law. order and decencv
Two of the worst enemies to child
hood and youth are overwork AID
idlenesS. Close confinement ut man
ual labor Is dulling. sitting. and dcs-
tructivc TO childhood; idleness is
poisoHous and uinous to youth. At
tendance upon school may he used as
| n corrective for both evils. The
State, In order TO protect at least
one class of children against over
work. has passed a child-labor law.
Earring some notable exceptions. the
abortiveneSs of that law is common
jest. To Illustrate: I'm 1908. one of
our city school superintendent lost
more than twenty pupils from one
school room within two months. In
company with one of the cotton mill
| supcrintcndcnts of that town Ca man
| in favor of scboolS), the school sup
erntendent went from house to house
in the mill village cnquiring far these
missing children. In one afternoon
he located twelve of them. every one
of them Unlawfully engaged Mt work
In the mill, though onlv three Of
4 tlCfr ramps apDooVoJ ~, flo INV roll