New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1910-12-03

} IN getting them classified, but he
} finally gets them settled down to
working order, and makes a nev
start for progress He finds n a
) short time that some OF the bri ght-
est minds are among those delin-
quent rolls. Here is a boy a
them, he manliests an eagerness
and aptitude for learning above
the average. He is proud and
} ambitious, and it humi iates him t.
idrag along as the hindmost one of
his class. 50 he works manfullv
to recover the ground lost. or as
he expresses It, to catch up with
his class, and the teacher finds
h mself wondering how much h.
can advance that boy if he will
Ionly come regularly But ere
many days have passed. some Ii =
tie odd job keeps the boy at home
a week. perhaps longer. Then
when he comes back to school and
finds his class has gone far be
yond him. and that it vii be I'M
possible for him to keep up. he
is discouraged and loses interest.
Not infrequently he becomes the
bad boy at school. for his great
store of energy must find a vent
through some channel, and f i, be
not assisted ito flow in the right
course, it will flow with increased
Homentum in wrong course. an
if he don't become the bad boy
his keen desire for advancement
has been blunted. and the next
time his parents say "you may 90
to school today. if YOU want to, "
he very likely will say 81 =
care to GO and if a child don
care to go to school, he genera |,
doesn't go.
Those people who take little or
no interest in the school are almost
always the ones to make COM
plants aga INST 1t, if any one does.
Otter they can be heard to say,
"1 sent my children to Mr.. SO and
Sos school, and they didn't learn
anything. and what they say is
true as gospel. The children did
mot learn anything Why? Be
cause no teacher can advance a
pupil who goes to school only a
few days in a term.
1t seems unreasonable, but it is
4 depot fact. nevertheless. that
there is an idea abroad in the
land-among the ignorant elias
SEES. of course-that no one needs
an education, but teachers, doe
tors. lawyers and a few other
highly professional people. tn S
class expect for their sons to be
farmers or slaves at some public
works, and their daughters to mar
| ry at any risk, before they are
out of their teens.
You tell them that farmers and
farmers wives. day laborers and
their wives need education most
of all people and they viii laugh
at you.
There are numbers of families
being reared in tbs glorious land
of opportunities, that cannot read
intelligently or make the simplest
business calculation. They are
lfar behind the times. that they
cant realize that ere many years.
it will be considered disgrace to
be i.literate. no difference what
profession we follow.
1t does seem to me that of all
the people on earth that need an
education most it is the fathers
and mothers. Just think what a
responsibility. The future destiny
of their children is to a great ex-'
|fent in their hands, not only
LIES destiny. but the destiny Of a
never-dying soul Whatever the
future of the child may be. tn
parent is more or less responsible.
'Ehen parents, in Heaven s name,
arouse from your indifference and
what you do. do quickly. no time
lis to be lost. 1t is on " a few short
years from childhood to man and
womanhood, when the child emerg.
es from your jurisdiction and is
brought face to face with the bat
ties Of life, which means the sur
wal of the fitest. Then don't
neglect your duty. delay is danger
Gus, and don't depend entirely on
the teacher for the mental and
physical culture. and on the
preacher for the spiritual culture
of your children. They are i'm
portant factors in their place. but
on you hangs the great weight Of
responsibility, and you need not
try to throw it off on any one else.
Your children will be just what
you make them.
Now we viii call attention to
the other class of patrons. They
CIIC tlpOSC VIII diuNISC al y |
regularly, and it is simply Won
drful how very seldom Prov
dence places insurmountable OBJ
stac,es in the way to prevent them
and this is true in any
vocation. If we are really con-
cerned, and earnestly desire to
excel. it is not often we are pre-
vented by any higher power; that
s if the vocation be a worthy one.
have heard persons say 81 Won
Ter how Mr.. s. can manage to
send his children TO school so
much. / have to keep my chi
lren at home nearly all the time
% help me work" l will just
lsk one question. Is not the fl
lanc ial condition of those who
manage to send to school regu-
arly, to say the least of it. as
prosperous as that of those who
10 not.
m, "a ,.ea -,