The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-08-28

iieYe IN class Legislation Dull Ia
equality Of privileges 50 that all
may share alike the burdens and
benefits Of legislation and taxation.
Whatever our opinion may be with
regard 10 the kind Of education the
Stale oa Is the negro child, We will
all agree that there should he no
/ discrimination among the white
ch'!dgen Of the State The f4ets,
aawvSer. couua3lc, his theory
We find that the State is aop CIV
laE the white children a yagne CON-
muallses only four months while ii
gives others eight Uaoaths oi school
without local ag. that the former
bare teachers wao are paid In some
counties &s os IS $3.50 per an
EggH. WAl}e he latter are taught by
those who receive nearly $500
year. We find also tia, those chill
dTra aha ATE thus Disseminated
aEa.as, II length Of term and quail
Is ui teachers have, as q rule, poor
accommodation in the way Of build
!ngs snd equipment, while those OF
the other sections are we'll provided
In this respect
We find that many Of the chill
dren Of the state have not access to
High Schools that thousands Of our
children in the rural districts are
being taught by incompetent, in
experienced teachers, that the mat
ter Of supervision is sadly neglected
in sone counties, notwithstanding
the general improvement that has
been made in this respect in recent
years. We find that in some coun-
ties there are no school libraries,
that many Of the counties have no
local levy for the rural schools, to
supplement the state appropriation,
and that in hundreds of districts
the people are content to see the
schools run only a few months in
the year, under poor teachers, in
wretched houses, while they have
not taxed themselves, locally, one
cent to improve these conditions.
We further find that the very hearts
blood is being drained from our
rural sections because Of the supe-
rlority Of the town and city schools,
Finally, we find that our state
stands to. day the only civilized spot
on the globe that has failed to pro-
vide for the professional training of
rural teachers.
In view of these facts, We earn
estiy plead that the time has come
when we must improve these condi-
tions. We must have |, a more
uniform method of distributing
school funds appropriated by the
State; we must have 2, not less than
six months school for every white
child in Mississippi, it should be
nine months; we must provide 3,
comfortable and attractive buildings
and surroundings in every eommu-
nifty; we must have 4, scholarly and
well trained teachers for all our
children; we must have 5, intelli-
gent and energetic supervision in
every county; we must have 6, a
library in reach of every school
child in the State, we must have T.
better salaries for our competent
teachers; we must have s, more
local taxation, for this is the basis
for longer terms, better houses and
better teachers.
Most of these improvements are
directly in the hands Of the people;
some Of them rest with the law
makers. But the people are the
makers in this country, hence
the responsibility for all these mat
ters rest on their shoulders. 1t is
necessary that the conscience of the
should be aroused on this
important subject. Let us not rest
content with the advances we have
made but remember that nothing is
too good for our children in the
Of preparation for the strug-
gle OF life. Let us not be deceived
by the cry that we are too poor!
No people are too poor 10 educate its
Is it not better to spend
money 10 make men and women
than IN sacrifice children to save
money! Shall we continue to be
on other sections for
rainad msu tn Milan and rnnstruct