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

81, ,tr.nt.,n, r,ven aiIh in
ncir; ,Ir: poor school houses.
rsu" .erms ana inc1upelen'
cher lie p"opIr may still sho"
.oniu.cndao.e elucalii!ai purpose
seLG.a- rheri child l. school
u fh, schools arc in session.
n =, -., 20 90, onl Of yer,
-rau#. i; he children at
nj it regularly ;,nd with the pur-
It Of evt i&g the most possible on!
Il How are the white children
5ouih Carolina attending the
.moIs2 IL l9n7. the white enroll.
4ut in The public schools OF the
.te was l44.66S, while the average
sndanct WAS only l03.304. The
eral census taken seven years be
re 1900. gives South Carolin'
1872 white children between the
scs of 5 and 20 years, while our
gal school age Is between anu
years. 1t is safe to assert thai
rely sixty per cent OF the Whit
,ildren Of the State are enrolled IN
Nv kind of a scnool, and not ove:
,rty per cent are in average atten-
ance. In 1900, thirty-six per cent
{! the white children between the
ses of 10 and II years were nj
nrolled in any school. public o.
,riyate. In the same year Massachu-
etts had only six per cent or hei
.hite children OF tue correspcnalhs
ces ont Of school, Connecticut mac
seven per cent, and Michigan elGn
Drr cent.
In 1890, South Carolina had "a.
~ native white illiteratcs over ~
rears Of ase, only 792 fewer white
llitcrates 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 illit-
,rates over 10 years Of age. Again
outh Carolina had 15.G43 native
White illiterates Of the voting age;
,ode Island, with four-hfths the
population OF South Carolina, mao
ust $40. We had 1883 native
white illiterates between the ages
II 10 and 10 years; Michigan, with
vice our population, had l,l4l;
Connecticut had 40, and Rhode
Island 100. Is it reasonable TO more
for the South Carolina OF tomorrow
with her load of helpless illiterates'
% cone successfully with those States
and sections which have freed them
selves from the bondage OF lsno
rance? The day is forever gone from
South Carolina when a few highly
trained men Of leisure could dlrecl
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 ont this: Several educa-
tional leaders in New England frank
" told US that they are spending
their money and building Zip 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, an"
why are they not in school? Som"
are the sons and daughters of parents
themselves ignorant and unable to
or to understand what
education means to their children
and to the State: some are children
# fathers and mothers, greedy arr
selfish, who are more than wiling
10 make wage-earners and bread
winners out of their young nnlaughl
offspring; a few are the children o.
parents opposed TO education, be-
,Suse they have known some cdIi-
Gated ScOund-cls; a very few are
he children Of parents who actually
need the labor of their children t.
akc out a living, and many are the
of fathers Cngrosscd iii ma
.crial affairs and mothers rccrehIit
O duty. Many OF these children are
1T work on the farm, in stores and
shops ut few cents Il day, and III
he cotton mills making good wages
or children. while hundreds of 9th
ors are roaming the streets and coun-
nv lanes-the training grOuns for
dlers, vasrauts. and enemies to law.
)rder. and dcccnc".
y