The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-09-25
COMPULSORY
EDUCATION.

SO-hI LCoNl
EDUCATION.
The editor of The Palatka News is
a recent convert to the policy of COM
pulsory education for Florida. The
system has long been in vogue in
majority of the states to the north
of US, but here, where we have a large
and transient non-taX paying negro
population which requires the extra
expense of separate schools, the adop-
ton of a compulsory school law has
seemed impracticable.
This fear of an added negro PROB
lem. in the event of a compulsory
school law is, however, when looked at
critically, nothing more nor less than
a bugaboo, a bugbear, a bogy. 1t
has nothing of reality in it to brighten
white tax payers. We ought to edu-
cate the negro children, and we are
doing it. AS rule the negro chill
dren are faithful attendants Of the
public schools up to a certain age.
And the increased cost of educating
the negro boys and girls under COM
pulsory school law would be infinite
sinai.
Progress in all lines is-must be
the watchword in all Florida. The
ewes of the whole country are turning
to us more and more. We are invit
ing, nay urging, the people of all sec
tons to come and make their homes
with US. They are accepting the in
vitation. Nothing can so impress
these people with the sincerity of our
professions of progress as an ener-
getic, thorough system Of public edI-
cation.
Then we need compulsory educa-
ton for the protection of our own ma
tive white children. A new and bet
ter day is opening on Florida. The
children of the rising generation must
have an education in order to be pre-
pared for changed conditions.
A compulsory school law is the be-
ginning and the end of progress IN
the important matter of public educa-
ton.
Get this negro bogy out Of your
head. Think of the welfare of our
white boys and girls; of our duty to
them Why, bless you
wherever the white mans pathway
leads,
Ear, far, has that pathway gomez
The earth is Uttered with broken
creeds,
And always the dark mans tent re,
cedes,
And the white man pushes on.
For this is the law; be it good or III
All things must yield to the stronger
will"
Let US continue to do our duty by
the black boys and girls, but let U:
not fail in our duty to the white chill
dren of Florida; and we are failing
when we neglect to compel their at
tendance upon the public schools O.
the State.
As a rule the white fathers an;
mothers of Florida are more and NOR
approaching the advantages to thei
children of an education, but occa
sionaIlv in the remote rural section
of our counties, there is seen too mud
Indifference on the part Of parents
These parents need the spur that
compulsory school law would put up
on them.
Here is an illustration Of our need
In this county of Putnam, neal or
Of our most intelligent and Drogres
sive towns, a town OF wealth and re
fnement and where the earth Is GOV
cred for miles about with beautif'
productive orange groves, an able bod
led man lives with his wife and llttl
twelve-year old daughter. The ma
!, able-bodied and lazy-so lazy tina
he tolls not and neither does he spin
But he sends that little twelve-yea
cid girl out to work and she is tn
sole visible means of support of thi
law man. The little girl works IN
hotel; washing dishes and doing tn
work of a chambermaid, besides
She is kept out of school in order t
support her shiftless, lazy dad" An
there is no child labor law whlc
touches domestic service, and no la
to compel that unnatural father I
send his child to school. Do we nee
compulsory education in Florida! "
certainly do.
The News may appear extra cal
nest, but you must recollect that II
editor is a recent convert. And tn
example of this shiftless, unnatur;
father, whom he has seen and despt
ed. was the dark blot on our preseE
system that opened the eyes OF II
blind and made him see the seriol
defect in our present policy of mol
interference.