The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-03-18
VOLUME XLVIu. NUMBER 22.
THE IDLERs.
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that when the last of his generation
shall. have passed away the civlhza-
ton Of the old South-5he old ante
1,ell11m South-wil be but faint
memory. It was the fairest and
the purest civilization the world
has ever seen or will ever see, and
even in the fast age in which we
live its influence is felt even as the
faint aroma Of some flower which
has been crushed and has died, but
the perfume Of which fingers yet.
The conditions which brought
about that civilization were swept
away by the war. Many who have
studied the question deeply, and
who love the South, but are proud CT
the progress Of the reunited natlon'
are convinced that it was best that
the war should end as it did. L
don't know. T believe that God IN
his mysterious way is moving the
world along as he would have it 60,
and that somehow all things WILL
eventually work out for the best.
Certainly slavery could not have en-
dured. But the South was not con-
tending for slavery. The South was
fighting for. a great principle, and
PRINCIPLES can never die. Truth IS
eternal, the great attribute Of God
himself. -,:..,-ss,.;.; =;
But in this ultra-eommerclal age
when the dollar IS getting to be
more and more the human achieve
ment, and the goal Of human endea7-
or, we can not too much lnstall into
the rising generation the ideals fol-
lowed by their forefathers, to whom
riches were naught where honor
was at stake, and who felt a stain
more deeply than the keenest
wound. I am not a pesslmlst. L
believe that as q whole the world
is getting better and will continue
to get better. While I am along this
line I want to call attention to a
circuit judges charge to a grand
iury which I read the other day IN
one Of the newspapers. He, too,
while deploring the lawlessness which
seems to be sweeping over the whole
country, expressed the firm belief
that conditions generally are I'M
proving, and that the people as a
whole are every day moving on a
higher plane.
This Judge said he had been asked
many times why there was so much
lawlessness, and why there were so
many misearriages Of justice, and
he said that he believed its principal
cause was lack Of restraint of the
children by their parents. He said
he did not believe that morals could
be legislated into people-that the
proper place for the inculcation OF
morals was around the fire side and
in the homes Of the people. A child,
he said, which had not been taught
obedience to parental authority could
not be expected to respect govern
mental authority when he became
s.in-ested with the duties and the re-
ssponsabilit3es of citizenship.
That Judge struck the keynote.
Lack Of proper education and prop
er training is the greatest trouble
of the education and training
of mind and hand and heart. AS to
training Of the mind, I believe more
and more every day in compulsory
education. I know every time any
body mentions compulsory eduea-
ton in South Carolina some fellow
raises a howl about educating the
negro. But, let me tell you, the ne
gro is getting right now all the ed
ueation he can take. What l want
TO see is a compulsory education
law to force the white children to
school. Then others will tell you
that the State has no right to die
tate to parents what they shall do
with their children. But I tell you
what the State has a right to do
and what it is the States duty to
ldo-and that is, to protect the rights
of the children, who will be the fu-
ture citizens Of the State. A child
is not chattel, like a pig or a
horse, and no parent has the right
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