The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-13
WHAT Is EECCATION

tdli'. ana 10 DfOaucn their. minds
their lives. their souls.
We educate our lands. II is but
necessary 10 look around us to see the
truth of this statement Lands that
sometimes are consider. worn out"
are by drilling and fcrt. ..ization. edu-
Gated to Il high state Of usefulness.
Once there was Il prevailing idea that
IL did lands good to let them "lie out"
Tor crop year or so TO regain some
OI the strength lc"ched from them.
lHt our progressive men OF today can
tell us from experience that this IS
wOrs" than a waste for IL Is hut Civ
Ing the soil over to the weeds and the
tarcs, whereas by varying the kind of
crops. we may be able to put into the
soil. by means Of certain root crops
or logumcs the identical things re-
moved by years of digging
we break them In and then we care
for them to make them useful for the
longest period Of time. The principle
OF education is AS natural as life It.
cussion of the matter OF compulsory
education.
The mind Of the child is the soil
In which will grow thoughts. idle and
vicious. or fruitful and productive of
OF the beauty OF a well spent life. The
idle mind is the devils workshop, aud
the idle brain. even If 1t does not pro-
gress In the wrong direction will
gradually become narrow In It's per
spective and limited in its vision and
the child that ia idle In it's mind. no
matter how useful 1t may be with ty
nimble fingers will become dwarfed.
that is the word. We look with sad
ness upon the afflicted person whose
body has not been permitted It's full
development. How much more should
we have cause to grieve over the
stunted minds OF the country
Education is not merely the me-
chanicei process Of going teeschool.
The mind Is not developed by gazing
blarkly upon printed pages or staring
without understanding at the black
boards or listening with deaf ears to
what the teacher says. Education is
training, discipline and application.
The responsibility of the parent
does not end when the child is
turned over to the teacher. The pa
rent should know every, day or every
week If the child Is making progress.
The child should not be allowed to be
out of school, or to be idle when
school is not in session.
> The old idea that the child's mind
needs n rest is about in keeping with
the belief that the land should lie idle
The child's mind Is improved With
ligAt exercise. Let the child have
little reading to do through the va
cation months. and occasionally peep
into their school hooks. Try to get
the child to love books. not 10 look
upon school as time OF servitude.
1t seems to us that no person can
with any justice argue that compul-
pulsory attendance upon school is
wrong. There is no need for such
law In some communities The
good people realize too clearly the ad
vantages Of sending their children TO
school. But there are some triflng,
lazy men In the warld who would
make thir children slave that they
may drone. A compulsory ATTENDANCE
law Is not In any way repulsive to law
abiding citizens. 1t would exempt
children who are required to work FOR
the support OF widowed mothers.
1t does not interfere with the person.
al liberty OF any one. But II does give
liberty and protection to the child
whose male parent has not enough OF
manhood, or christianity and OF love
In his heart to wish to see the mind
OF his little one expand under the
kindly influences OF good teachers as
the rose bud expands under the be-
neficent stimulus Of the spring sun
shine.
We believe there is no man who
would seriously say that the state has
no right to help his child. Why, of
course 1t has. II that child were to
commit crime the state has right
to take 1t and send II to the reforma-
tory. The state makes the parent
clothe the child's body. shall its soul
be naked? The child has rights in
the keeping Of the state as we'll as
the parent and II the "sorry" parent
Will not yield to the child its rights.
the state may step in and sprotecttthe
child This La tho .,ase with inhnri