The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-08-21


energy that | possess, with all power
of mind and heart and soul, that can
be brought to bear, strive to hasten
the day and make possible the speedy
realization of that greatest of all |
needs of this State and county, of
your boys and mine, namely: redeem
the proud state of South Carolina, the
proud sons of Union county from the
curse of illiteracy. l would give ev-
cry drop of my blood, cheerfully, and
work till every ounce of energy of
mind and heart lies exhausted and
paralyzed, if We could bring to pass
that condition, which our freedom
from ignorance, the Enchanting of our
latent powers of manhood, the setting
up of all that virulent force of man
hood, character, and we'll being that
will come to pass when every white
man and every white mans child in
old South Carolina and Union county
shall have at least the rudiments OF
an education, when no son of Union
county shall ever again have to hu-
initiate himself, by having another
sign his name-when no longer men
can be driven like beasts to their own
undoing, or exploited by the dema-
gogue; because each can think, each
can study and understand the real is
sues of life and business, and each is
free to worship God according to the
dictates of his own conscience, and
when untrammeled, unbiased, free
men, who in the sober light of reason
and truth may give their energies and
suffrage to the solutions of the ever
inrl casing problems of life and the
age in which we live. do not think
the present school system that we
havo is IDEAL do not believe we
have attained or it is possible to at
tain the greatest efficiency or the best
results from our school system as
now conducted; but undoubtedly, the
common schools, the graded schools,
and the high schools of this county
are our greatest asset, and our chief
est hope, and it is through them, and
by charging, and developing and
strengthening them, by perfecting
them far beyond what they are now.
that our main hopes lie. No word ot
condemnation, no word of criticism,
of fault-tnding shall ever come from
my lips for the colleges or institu-
tlons of learning: they are essent,u,
and in their way come far nearer
meeting the demands upon them than
do Tho common schools of the county
and State. The great truth that |
want to drive home to the minds and
hearts of our people is: That the vast
percentage of your boys and girls, of
my boys and girls, of the boys and
girls of the honest, God-loving, hard
toiling masses of humanity, with
three, five, seven or more children to
educate and provide for, can never
nope In the light of honesty or com.
mon sense to discharge the duties of
honest citizenship, and send these
children beyond the common or high
school, opportunities in our county, at
our homes; therefore, in the name of
G"1-ln the name of our sons and
daughters, in the name of tn. futu..
citizenship of this great country of
ours-let's get together, and pull to-
gether for every improvement, for
every facility, for every equipment,
for every teaching force and practi-
cal method, that can be adopted, and
make it possible not only for our sons
and daughters to get fighting
chance In life, and in the future glory
In the achievements of the nation, but
lets make it possible when they leav.
the schools that we provide for them.
to have practical training and equip
ment for the farm, for the mill, for
the store, for some useful and honor
able service in life that will lift them
above and make them mentally, NOR
ally and In every way, the superior
indeed, of the inferior race with
which we are surrounded, and which
is a growing menace to our welfare
and prosperity.
"Viciousness and lawlessness are
the twin children of ignorance. and
whether we deserve it or not, South
Carolina, and that in some measure
includes every son of Union county, is
suffering in the eyes of the nation,
and of the States, by reason of a rep
utation that has gone abroad, that we
are lawless Deople-thank God for
the fact that Union county, perhaps,
deserves this reputation as little as
any part of this great commonwealth,
but you can't escape the old adage:
Give a dog bad name and it will |
hang to It, any more than you can
escape the fact that one vicious, law
less character that goes unwhipped,
ana not called to account in any COM
munlty, no matter how solid and law
ABIDING every other citizen of that
community may be, the whole commun-
lty suffers for the bad odor of it's one
lawless character. And we can not
escape the fact that human life is,
perhaps, today one of the cheapest
things OF this country, when in the
eyes OF God and man and, for the
sake of civilization, and the future
hope and happiness of the people, and
prosperity, the time must come when
every man can worship God, pursue
industry and court happiness, unham-
pered, and without the fear of the
SIM. h,,llat H.