The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-08-26
MISSISSIPPI'S EDU-
CATIONAL NEEDS.

CHIlUlVHL NLEUJ.
AN ADDRESS ISSUED BY THE OXFORD
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.
A Stirring Appeal Some important
Facts Worth Your Consideration.
To Te People of Mississippi:
The best blood in the world
courses through the veins Of the
white people of Mississippi. It is
the blood of both Pilgrim and Cav
alier and has been handed down
through the centuries without taint
or corruption. No people or nation
has more right to be proud of an
cestry than has this people, nor
can any boast of brighter record in
deeds of valor both on the field of
battle and in the halls of states
manship. Page on page might be
written recounting the deeds of our
great men our Lamars, our
Georges and even of those who are
still on the stage of public activity.
But our purpose is not to point to
the pages of the past, but to train
your vision on the future by arous-
ing your interest in present condi-
tions and future possibilities.
Since the organization of the
public school system Of Mississippi
there has been wonderful develop
ment of our intellectual and mate
rial resources. As our school sys-
tenn has developed our people have
grown in power and in wealth.
This is no coincidence, but is an
illustration of general law that
the wealth-earning power of
people is in direct proportion to
the character and the amount of
the education they receive. sour
schools have not been poor because
we are poor, but we have been poor
and are now poor because our
schools have been poor With all
the improvement in our educational
facilities we find our school system
in many respects crude and unsatis-
factory failing to give our boys
and girls fair chance in the race
of life with those of other Sec
tions. Our towns and cities are
doing well, but even their schools
are weak in some points, especially
in that no training is given to
dignity labor. Manual training
and domestic science, absolutely ne
cessaIy to make the hand deft and
skilled, are no part of the course
of study. In this particular, even
our city schools are behind those of
every other State in the Union.
But the great problem for our
State to solve, and solve quickly,
is the problem of the rural school.
We believe that the boys and girls
of our rural sections should have
equal educational advantages with
those of our towns and cities, and
that all of our youth should have as
good opportunity as the youth of
any section of the country.
In comparing educational condi-
tions in Mississippi with those of
other States we find, q) that 81.
States and territories have longer
school terms than Mississippi; (2)I
that 46 of them spend more on the
education of each child than does
Mississippi; (3) that the average
rural term in the United States is
25 per cent greater than it is in
Mississippi; az that the amount
spent for public education in the
Union is more than $13 for each
adult male, while in this State it is
only $5 for each adult male. We
find that Mississippi spends less ac-
cording to per capita wealth than
does even Massachusetts,, where the
average wealth is very high. In
Massachusetts there is spent for
public education 8. 45 mills on each
dollar of property value. The
average wealth of each inhabitant
lis $1449, which makes it cost each
person $4911 year for education.
This is just about one-third of one
per cent on his property. In Mis-
sissippi each person is estimated to
be worth $425, on which he pays
ia rate of 2.65 mills, making tax of
81. 1875, which is less than three
tenths of one per cent on his prop
Ierty. These figures are based on
the last census and are here given
because prominent persons have
been heard to remark that Missis-
|sippi has gone 'educationally mad"
and is doing more for education ac-
cording to per capita wealth, than
any other State in the Union.
Statistics show that this is not
true.
In this comparison we also find
that (6) thirty-six States and terri
tories have higher rate Of literacy
Ii. e. less illiteracy) among the
adult male white citizens than has
Mississippi. It is fact worth
noting that in 1900 there were II, y
|293 white men over Fl years Of age
in Mississippi who could not read
nor write.
Such facts as these would warrant
as IN making careful examina-
ton Of our entire public school sys-
TEN. # we are not getting salts
factory results, where lies the