The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-28
Child Labor Va. PUBLIC SCHOOL.

Editor Of The TImcs-D ispatch
Sir,--There IL a gentleman in Mary
land by the name OF Livesey who is
s snS hlckih ne foe Of tho public
ne has done all he can to break them
up. root and branch, for the past tllir-
~ years. AS our progress in the
south depends SO much upon the edu-
tho effects Of this Vicious s attack on
| the public schools should be done, and
out some OF the very Obvious errors
in, this fanatical literature. :
IN IN the hrst place. he condemns the
shape and form. This is not fair, and
Is doing, great injustice to many
fine public schools throughout the
Go harS a., When he assumes to tell
education is failure, he backs his
opinion. against some of the wisest
, men or the country. and establishes
e camself bi 60 nDSwn with the edu
ne South been struggling for during
the past forty years but to free her,
SELF Of the ignorance in which she has
V Who W SnyGli9p Sd ", Then comes man
sWoop," with our whole system Of,
public school education. which we have
,rit, to follow after the principles
s saia oS Wy 1 ny the great Thomas Jeffer-
ueators are Socialists. and that all
e,,diucation tends to idleness and crime
ms hnn. IN nth the face Of the results which
sally. is nothing short OF downright.
facts. VI
One fatal error In his idea as to
now boy should be trained Is that he
regards tho ordinary schoolboy as
composed Of body alone. Even il the
mills and factories did develop the
ehlld physically (Which they do not),
portunity to SEQ or hear anything Of
the beauties OF literature, or feel the
necessity for an education. IL he is
f i1nesa, to he ANYTHING more. than Mr..
dren in the kind of mills which this
gentleman believes in have any good
moral influence upon them, I have
that near heard OF It before Ye, he pleads
laws passed. prohibiting our children
from working In the mills and fac
,,. our schools may not be what
young boy and girl are taken away
from the school and are forced to
labor side by side in these factories
where the, physical and moral condi-
uons are shocking. we had better send
them to the schools and take tho con-
sequences.
Any proper kind OF education has an
elevating influence over the mind and
to grind out an existence, as the child
does at the mills. the product Is a |
dwarfed specimen In mind and BODY
and morals. II he has any ambition
~ is soon snuffed out. for what has he
to look forward to? Long hours and
monotonous work have completely sap
ped his freshness and youth. and have
already made him an easy prey to |
consumption and other lingering dis
knowledge. the wing wherewith We
fly to heaven" This learning must be
begun. generally speaking. in the
schools for the public. There may
come a day when there shall be no
must be: in the meantime. a place |
where the masses can be educated |
within the reach of all, and not ad-
init that education is for the favored
dren TO private schools.
Mr. Ltvesey points out the fact that
New England is unable to supply
t enough ;lar children sTs for the mills. This
nifty used to work more children in
the mills than any other part of the
country, put the more thoughtful pa
rents are taking their children away
from the factories and are sending
them to the public schools.
His circulars. expressing these views.
have been circulated by the thousands /
and unless we make some effort to
counteract their baneful influence. the
cause OF education will surely suffer
These articles are written in the
fanatical manner which has ALWAYS
appealed to the more or less ignorant
element of our race. His motto nigh.
do we'll for Frenchman during tho
times of the Revolution. as 1t dis
tinctly shows his desire to level things
Education without a school: Chris
tianity without a church." This is Mr.
would like to adopt this motto and
have their children do so?
In conclusion. instead Of our abol-
ishirg the public school and continu-
ing in this course of greed and COM
ton compulsory. Many of our fore
most educators are in favor of doing
so. G. l.. KEMPER.
Fairfax. Va, March %. 1908.