The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-09-14
A LETTER FROM MIR. RIVEs.

I. Watson, J. Harris, Compulsory
Education and Scientific Cooking.
Editor of The Dawson News; The
Hon. Thos. Z. Watson devotes sew
eraI pages Of the September number
of his magazine to demagogical at
tempt to demolish Julian Harris Of
Uncle Remus Magazine, and compul-
sorry education with a fling at scien-
tific cooking as represented by the
Federation of Womens Clubs. Now,
for both Watson and Harris I have
equal respect. The first assumes he
is great because he was nominated
by a minor political party for the
presidency; the other that he must
be famous and learned because he is
the son of Joel Chandler Harris.
Both are mistaken. Yet both have
done and in spite of these handi-
caps may do a great deal more good
if they will get off these pedestals
and measure themselves at the right
angles. Compulsory education is a
necessity cOrrelary of public educa-
ton. If by taxation you raise money
to educate the children of all the peO-
pie you must see that none of the
children are deprived Of their share,
and so long as degenerates exist and
are allowed to marry and bring chill
dren into the world so long will force
be needed to properly train these
nh 10 hn q
and not a hindrance to sOciety-and
society here is used in it's broadcast
sense We assume because we are
of Anglo-Saxon lineage that, for
sooth. we are all equally capable and
willing to give the best we have, and
do the best we can for those entrust-
ed to our care, but as in every brood
of hogs there is one runt so in every
people there are some deficient alike
in energy and brain. And it is this
class and that other class who,
chasing the dollar, are forgetful of
che rights of their children that the
compulsory education law is intend
ed to reach. That in Lumpkin coun-
ty wherein there are but few ne
gToes there is thirteen per cent of
illiteracy among the whites proves
the contention of the advocates of
compulsory education. One-eighth
of the vote of any county who
through ignorance Of law and NOR
ais may act as the balance of pow
eT may, if they are controlled by de-
signing demagOgues, and these are
the peculiar prey Of the demagogue's
arts, destroy and bar the progress
Of any county.
Watson's appeal to 'the country
mothers and their modes of living
and their morals would be very af-
feeting if it were not so shallow and
so silly. Two-thirds of the women
Of the cities were reared in the coun-
try. They are just as patriotic, just
as filiaI and just as jealous of the
honor of their country forbears as
Watson. This writer's mother and
his motheT-in-law were both noted
among their families as cooks and
hoUsekeepers, but by reason Of my
wife's sOiouTn for several weeks Gas
a girD as guest in the household
of a scientific cook and educated
boarding house keeper, Mrs Annie
Z. Porter, of Macon, Ga, she was
able TO teach these good women many
ways of saving time and labor of
which they had never dreamed, and
because of this with a meager salary
through twenty-seven years we have
lived better than great many others
with twice the means. This personal
allusion is by way of Illustration. Let
US by all means conserve all that is
good in the old south, but not be so
blind as to neglect the means offered
because it is new, or because it was
first used in a section with which we
have many things different Re-
spectfully, ANDREW P. RIVES.