The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-01
.
TROUBLE IS With
STANDAROOF DUTY
Direct Result OF Character OF
5 Homes, Schools and
Churches.
SOME ILLS OF THE SOUTH
They Are Pointed Out by
Speakers at Educational
Meeting.
SOME ILLS OF THE SOUTH

Houston, Texas, November 3o.-"We
Of the South are lacking in only one
thing citizenship whose masses
have been adequately trained to live
officially and to utilize wisely and in
the fullest the natural advantages with
which we have been blessed. In other
words, our progress In educational
achievement except here and there.
has not been such as TO render possible
the best Of development, civic, social
and economic and Industrial"
These words were spoken by John
w. Abercrombie to-day at the conven-
zion OF the Southern Educational AS
ISOLATION. He called attention to the
conditions in the South disclosed by
the census OF 1900, and said: I'VE
await with uneasiness the disclosures
OF 1910"
Standard of Duty Wrong.
accounting what he termed the per-
version OF tie home by demoralizins
criticisms Of and contention within the
church, the disregard of law, Increase
OF homicides and lynchings in the
South. which extends, he said. not only
to the blacks, but to the better class
of persons and those accused of minor
crimes, DR.. Abercrombie asserted:
The trouble lies not with our form
OK gov OUT with t!lt PSOplC
who constitute the government; not
with our judicial system. but with
those who administer the system. The
trouble Is with our standard of duty,
which Is a direct result of the char
acter and attitude OF our homes, our
schools and our churches.
Our educational policy must be all
comprehensive in scope and extremely
individualist In application History
s., al
through the process OF education that
a people can be advanced; that only
through the cultivation of mind and
heart can the masses be brought TO
realization of that fact taat violation
of law, civil or moral, dcgrades all
who participate, even all who witness
or condone: that a resort TO mob vio-
lcnce. under any circumstances. is I'M
justifiable; that crime Is not a pre-
vcntive, but a producer of crime; that
lawlessness begets greater lawless-
ness that hatred and revenge breed
hatred and revenge. Woe be unto that
government that makes provision for
poorhouse, courthouse jail, and at the
same time neglects adequately TO train
its children for the responsibilities of
citizenship"
The speaker advocated a proper cdu-
cation OF the negro TO solve the So
Cdlleu pTOplcill. iuu stuNOSdtSp
Federal aid for public schools
Public school Defects.
Defects in the public school system
arc responsible for the desertion Of
boys of the country for the city, for
neglect of health and for much OF what
he termed civic unrighteousncss nc-
cording to II. l. Whitfield. president
OF tia Mississippi Industrial Institute
and College. who spoke at the con-
Iie ,,lf a
of New Conception of Common
Echol for the South" The church also
came in for some criticism in his
paper.
While Mr.. Whitfield declared he was
not a pcssimist, he in effect called for
regeneration of methods of educa-
zion in public schols as being needed
to make amends for what he termed
shortcomings of present-day methods.
On the subject of tho prevalence OF
prcvcntable diseases, he said:
81, IS due to OCULAR Ignorance that
these diseases continue year by year.
But at what door can the rcspon-
bibility for this be laid. but at that
Of the public SCHOOL,"
lie gave public health bureaus
credit for much good. but pointed to
the fact that they dealt largely with
adults and not with the child In his
period. of training. The sam arraign-
ment he. maat of the absence OF proper
physical training TO insure a healthy
mind in a healthy body.
There Is expended in this country
every year for worthless patcn, ,ncdi.
cincs more than three times as much
money as Is expended for public cdu-
cation At what door should the re-
sponsibi!ty he laid except at the pub
lie schools-tho only agency that can
reach and remove the cause"
Too Much Abstract Knowledge.
Continuing, Professor Whitfield ask
ed IL the schools were maxim, better
ciuzcns II high ideals prevailed are
puDilc "ihGers actuatrd by highest mo-
tlVcS IS tie home life All that II
should he. was not the contest between
labor and capital injurtng tho South.
why were the sons Of farmers leaving
:. uclr homes FOR urban communities IN
such large numbers. what Gauss
crime, the matter OF public morals
to all adverse answers he had b,it nro
remedy. and declared ITO nv mimi
there can lie but one answer m.
schools have been too busy In dtIn,,
the sacred work Of handling nbstrs .,
knowledge down along the lines nf
INC changing generations IL give linn
ana effort to supplying tnc demand.
Tor those real ana larger MImian ,..ds
Mhat we 50 much need IS not ,u..r..Iy
me addition OF social ana fndratr,.l
branches TO the curriculum lrt, !,
radical REORGANIZATION OF iIn vn,I.
school with reference to- The f7,tur.
home, social Industrial ana ciyie liz,
OF the pupils"