The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-08-16
AND IMMIGRATION.


One VI the interesting features OF
the recent annual meeting Of the
South Carolina Farmers Union was
the address by Clarence Poe, editor
Of the Progressive Farmer.
Mr.. Poe's speech laid emphasis up
on Education and Immigration:
Both Of the Right Sort" as two poll
eies the South Carolina union should
steadily advocate. He did not advo-
cate unrestricted European immigra-
ton. but selected immigration OF peo-
PIE OF our own stock. especially
thrifty and prosperous northern and
western farmers. lie urged this es-
pecially as the surest solution Of the
vexatious race problem.
II cannot believe" he exclaimed,
that you white people OF South Car
oiina, will ever be content to have
this garden spot Of creation remain
permanently the abode of a predomi-
natsiy negro population. You have
accomplished much; the progress you
have made under the circumstances
rs one OF the most remarkable achieve
ments In American industry. but
should like to see just what you could
accomplish IL given a predominant
white population and freed from tho
drawbacks OF the tenant system.
believe you would put the northern
states TO shame"
A great body OF small white farm
ers. eacr man living under his own
vine and kS tree. Is the safety of any
state. he declared.
Nh Poe spent the first half of his
time emphasizing the fact that the
welfare OF every worthy interest. in
dustry and individual In the State de-
pends upon the efficiency OF the aver
age citizen.
And the one great question for us.
therefore" he continued. lis simply
this: How can we raise the average
OF efficiency?
1T seems to me that there are
fust two basic and fundamental ways:
CD Education. for the development
OF our own people. and (2) immlgra.
tion. bringing efficient people from
other sections. And OF these two
ways incomparably the greatest is
education.
"As yet we but see through a glass
darkiy as to what education Is really
going TO mean these next twenty-five
years and from then on In quicken
ins the Industrial efficiency Of the
people. Not only shall we have long,
er terms and better grading and all
that. but for tie first time the schools
are beginning to train for actual life.
Here In the South. for example. al
ways rural and destined to remain
90. the one section OF America of
which II Is true that there are more
people engaged In agriculture than
"a all other occupations combined
and yet until now our entire school
system has been hacked and hewed
20 ne the procrustean bed of the ur-
ban model. Made by city people for
city people. the books and teaching
have not been adapted to the needs
Of the country children. We shalt
take long step forward when the
farm boy has proportionateiy fewer
problems In arithmetic about foreign
exchanges and latitude and longitude
and the metric system OF weights and
measures. and more about how to call
culate a feeding ration for cows or
fertilizer formula from certain
quantities. Of potash. phosphoric acid
and nitrogen. and when ne studies
prcportionately less about far-away
Australia and Kamchatka. and more
about the soil that he walks over and
plows In every day OF his life. The
farmer girl (and the city girl also for
that matter) must learn OF food val
ues. OF the chemistry Of cooking, OF
hygiene and OF sanitation. Domestic
science for the girls must go side by
side with agriculture for the boys.
Take our physiology az another
example. Scientists tell us now that
every third death among US Ia the
result of an unnecessary disease.
every third case OF sickness unnec-
essary. and that the average human
life might be iengthened one-third by
proper application OF the principles
Of sanitation and hygiene. And y"t
instead OF practical instructions for
combating disease sand preserving
health. we learn how many bones
there are In the skeleton and about
the difference between arteries and
veins. We have taught men who were
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