The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-02-07


ed by The State, nm unrivalen instru.
.ment for working towards such an
ideal, and West Virginia Is using III
to good purpose as she makes tiEr-
higher institutions more and more er.
feient, az she replaces her ,unequIpped
log school houses with houses BETTER
in form ard furnishing, as she cars
ries her libraries into the far reeesses
OF the hills.
Inaderuacy OF Our Public Schools.
Obviously. however, our pubs:
school system az at present constituted.
Is Inadequate to the! responsibilities
we are laying upon It.
In tie first place to be an; effective
instrument II. must be In strong,
trained, steady hands, which are not
to be tw;ated about by every wind OF
politics. It Il unnecessary to dwell
upon this point We ali recognize its
bearing unon the results accomplished
by our people, In SO far as 1t relates
to thcse of prominent place and large
Responsibilities. What we are likely to
overlook Is that It's Influence Is equal
Iy deadcnin1 when exercised upon
those Of lover place and limited re.
sponslbility. And by politics I would
not be understood as referring simply
to the intrigues and preferences eof
patty. include in 1t the intrisuea and
preference Of family. Of city, II you
VIII, which sometimes makes of our
schools retreats for the weak and dis.
ahled.
Then In the second place we mus.
have behind our school system an In
teIIi5ent and aggressive public senti.
rent, which will keep the children in
the schools. II Is on this second. pc II:
wish to speak. a IL
In view Of the fact that, according
to the superntendent's report of 1908.
West Virginia has 351,g6e- children of
school age, of which 165,1p3 are in ae.
tual attendance, we have no right to
expect that she will be able Through
the schools to develop her spiritual
reEources to the point of balancing her
material, that she will be able to make
tee advance Of her people equal the
advance of her products. 1t is a self
c!ident fact that If her sehcola are to
do certain Things for her children, the
children must be In the schools.
Forces Which Make Against ccmpuI.
snry Education. i
This brings US to the ACCESSIBILITY
of having ant. enforcing compulsory
education legislation. The fore=u
which make against such legislation
fall, l think, under three headings: In.
difference, Ignorance, greed, Perhaps
1t "hI be we'll for each of us individ.
uaIly to ask himself what is most in.
fIucntiaI In determining his attitud=
towards this question. ! believe tina:
for most the answer would be,
indifference, ,.i 1s.s
There Is nothing more difficult to
meet. ] have 4r1isnamed it =, calling
1t force: ID lis rather deadeninJ
weight. One braces himself and tight
ems his muscles In the face of active
Opposition. but mountain of passive
indifference rust be hewn away stead.
lily and demolished D.. by bit. There
is hard labor and no exhiIeratIcn con-
neeted with dealing with inert masses.
: Indifference.
i. And have we right to be indlffer-
est7 Can we afford to say: al have
no personal interest in this nnatter7 !
shall see to 1t that my own children
are properly educated and that is as
far us my duty goes" is this true 2
Can you look after your own CHI dren
properly without looking also after the
children of others7 Land transporta.
tien and water transportation. teIc-
phone, telegraph and nrwspap per inter-
!, change of products and ideas have for
hidden isolation. We live In a uen1ou.
raey, and we need to consider care
fully what that implies. | believe that.
il nothing else, seIfishness will conf
Eel US to push education and opportun.
ity for ali to "a high level. for no dem.
ocraey can rise higher than tho attain
nient CT it's average citizen. ItSfs he
who defines the Ideals of the Common.
northumberland, social, economic,
moral. While your child as an ind
ridual. may rae above the average, he
will be continually weighted down by
the conditions about him. His. only
successful future lies In tho steady
pull of the whole people towards high
cr things. 5
In view of the fact that more than
one half of the children ct. Yves! Vir-
GINA arc not In her schools, - the out
look promising for her average of In.
telligencc in the future7 If Hr
atrenutll In rIIIinn The innnr,nk ala