The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-10-30

90, Atrend.,nce Even with in
ncien lpnj. poor school houses.
3chuo, terms. AMI incompetent
chers me people may still show
romnrendanie eiucaliinai purpose
sending every child t. school
.r, da> tbe schools are in session.
:b goaG mag De go ont Of yer.
school ii he children at
nd it regularly and with the pur-
-e of getting the most possible out
Il. How are the white children
South Carolina attending the
uuols% liz 1907. the white enroll
ent in the public schools OF thr
lte was l44.66S, while the average
endance was only l03.S04. The
reral census taken seven years be-
re 1900, gives South Carolin'
1872 white children between the
;es of 5 and 20 years, while oui
gal school age is between anu
years. 1t Is safe to assert thai
rely sixty per cent Of the white
llldren of the State are enrolled IN
nv kind Of q school, and not owe"
,rty per cent are in average atten-
ance. In 1900, thirty-six per cent
+ the white children between the
ges of 10 and IA years were not
nrolled in any school, public o.
,riyate. In the same year Massachu.
etts had only six per cent OF her
-hite children of tue correspcndin2
,ges ont Of school, Connecticut hac
seven per cent, and Michigan eish
per cent.
In 1900, South Carolina had "a,
III native white illiterates over lu
years of age, only 1872 fewer white
illiterates than the State had III
1870, thirty years previous. AT the
same date Connecticut, with nearly
vice the white population of South
Carolina, had but 1858 white illlt-
crates over 10 years Of age. Again.
;outh Carolina had 1858 native
White illiterates of the voting age;
lode Island, with four-fifths the
,opulation of South Carolina, hao
ust $50. We had 1888 na'iVe
White illiterates between the ages
#, 10 and 19 years; Michigan, with
vice our population, had LII;
Connecticut had 40, and Rhode
Island 100. Is it reasonable to hore
for the South Carolina Of tomorrow
with her load of helpless illiterates,
20 cone successfully with those States
and sections which have freed them
selves from the bondage of igno
rance? The day Is forever gone from
Carolina when a few highly
trained men Of leisure could direct
and control the destinies of the peo-
ple. This responsibility has been
shifted to the shoulders Of the mass
es and now we are forced to con
slider the training of the masses
Only yesterday Hon. o. B. Martin
gave out this: Several educa-
tional leaders in New England frank
ly told US that they are spending
their money and building up their
schools in order to retain and main
tain their industrial supremacy
They realized that we have adVan-
tages and great resources in the
South. but they propose to keep tn"
lead, If; possible, through the power
Of trained brains and trained hands
Intelligence and skill will win every
time in every race. What is Sout''
Carolina doing to-, meet this open
challenge from New England?
Who are these South Carolina
white children not in school, anu
why are they not in school? Some
are the sons and daughters of f:parents
themselves ignorant and unable to
appreciate or to understand what
means to their children
and to the State; some are children
pf fathers and mothers, greedy aE:l
self sh, who are more than willing
to make wage-earners and bread
winners out of their young untaught
offspring; a few are the children o.
parents opposed to education, be-
cause they have known some edu-
Gated scoundrcls; a very few are
he children of parents who actually
need the labor of their children t.
exc out living, and many are the
children of fathers engrossed i'll ma
terial affairs and mothers recreant
10 duty. Many Of these children are
at work on the farm, in stores and
shops at few cents a day, and in
he cotton mills making good wages
for children, while hundreds of 9TH
ars are roaming the streets and coun-
.ry lanes-thc training grouns for
dlers, vagrants, and enemies to law,
1rder, and decency.