Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-10-13

moro Wealth4 portions of our coun
try is tbs lack EFF education in it!
ibroadest sense: We TO not know how
because We have not been taught.
! ."We have no Just conception of the
producing capacity of our lands
While the farmer in France, or Eng
Hand, Germany, in far-away Japan
!! and even in our Northern States, may
acquire competence on ten acres OF
ground, rearing and educating .
family, many of our farmers delVe
without substantial results on broad
kacres, maintain steady horizon OF
agricultural slavery, and holG.f the re-
!mainder of the population to rela-
lively INDECENT condition. These
iplain facts, necessarily condensed in
statement, are generally recognized
Jas true; but there has been no fixed
and steadfast discrimination to strike
steadily at the root of the evil We
Fhave been too complaisant AMI salts
fed; but The time is now here when
we must move forward, or our posi-
ton in the sisterhood of States and
among the nations of the world will
.hccome one of profound reproach to
us, a condition of apparent rctrogres-
sion, while the world around us
moves on with the steady and virilc
stride of giant refreshed with new
wine"
"And the education, the
dissemination of the knowledge Of
what tho world is doing and what VIC
unay do We must educate the great
mass Of the people that they occupy
a land that may be made "to flow
with milk and honey" goodly
land--a mine of wealth, from which
may be easily dug fortunes; heri-
tage greater than any similar area
Ion the face of the globe. Our public
schools are not doing this great
work, the pulpit is not doing it, and
the press has been somewhat neglect
full along the same line.
And just here comes the exceeding
Of the discussion of
this subject before the Press Associa-
ton of our State. Our great power
shoulaa be united as one man in this
plan of education. The problem is
simple, the subject may be homely
one, especially when iteratcd and re-
lLcratcd with the persistcncy necese
sary to produce substantial results.
But it is our duty. The argument
That we arc editors, and not cu:tiva-
tors Of the soil, cannot avail, for the
reason that we, more than any othe:
class Of citizens, arc on the watch
towers and catch the first g!impses of
power that science is projecting into
every avenue of human endeavor. We
must be-. the .purweyers Of that know
ledge to the Hsat body of the people
first, AMI most directly concerned;
not incidentally nor systematically;
but with q power and pc@Sistency
that must bring immediate results
eve may discuss the tariff, the cur
,rency question, our foreign relations,
current literature, current events.
and give our readers all the news Of
the day; that is one of our special
provinces; but bhc issue that most
nearly concerns our welfare is the
rescue Of our people from their rela
tive state Of poverty to the full mea
sure of prosperity that their God
given natural advantages entitled
them to. Virginia sends annually
millions Of dollars from the State for
agricultural products that should be
grown within her borders, and an
immense balance of trade is thus cs-
tablished against her. Let this con-
dition be reversed, and within a few
years the question how to build up
our Commonwealth will be most cf-
fcctivcly answered. This can he
done. 1t has not been done, because
our people did not know how to do
it. The press of Virginia can show
Tic way. The Federal and the State
governments have only recently COM
bincd to lead the people "out of the
wilderness" They have adopted
Demonstration method, simple and
practical, to directly apply by per-
sonal instruction the cogent facts
that science has developed What an
Immense volume Of influence the
press may exert in disseminating
this practical and necessary know
ledge! United, it would be irrcst-
bic.
"The sources Of information to
carry on the campaign here in,icatcd
arc ready at our hand, in the State
i ,,4, &C. &C i