The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-04-21
A VIGOROUS PLEA FOR
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
Prof. VIM. H. Hand Issued Bulle.
tine Setting Forth Strong
Reasons

A vigorous plea for compulsory
school attendance laws In the South-
ern states is made by william H. Hand.
state high school inspector for South
Carolina, in a bulletin just issued by
the United States bureau of education.
after pointing out that the six states.
still without compulsory laws
South Carolina, Georgia. Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi and Texas, and the
four states with compulsory laws that
apply only partialiy---Maryland Vir-
ginia, Arkansas and Louisiana-are all
Southern states. Hand presents sta
tistics showing that although illitera-
cy has been reduced rapidly in these
states within the last two decoes, they
still have the highest percentage of IL
| literacy among the white population
THE opponents OF compulsory edu-
cation insist that the people will send
thc!- children 30 school without be-
ing obliged to do SO, II only they are
shown their duty and their obligation
to the children. These opponents de-
clare that the younger generations
OF white children are already i'm school
and neither contention is true. In
1910 the II southern states had 7SS, 500
native white children between the
of and II not in school.
WHO are these illiterate white chill
dren, and why are they not in school?
Some of them are the sons and daugh-
ters of parents themselves ignorant,
and unable to appreciate or to under
stand what what an education means
to their children and to their state.
Some are the children OF sordid moth
ers and fathers who are more than
willing to make wage earners anu
bread winners of their untaught Off
spring at the expense of their future
manhood and womanhcod. Many are
at work on the farms, sacrificed to the
mnnntinnms rnnnds nf nlanting corn,
cultivating crops, harvesting crops,
and again planting crops. Some are
at work in the stores or shops or are
engaged as messenger boys, all at q
small wage, Many are employed In
the nerve-dulling and blood sapping
environment of the mills, receiving
good wages as children in exchange
for the vigor of manhood and training
of mind as men and women; while
thousands OF others are roaming the
streets and country lanes, the training
grounds for idlers, vagafants and en-
Gemies of the Law, order and decency.
when the state has provided
school for all its children, 1T has per-
formed only q portion OF its duty. If
a universal school tax lis 'justifiable on
the ground that popular education Is
not a necessity, e6nnpulsory attend
ance by the state rs also juattfiable
The state has no right to tisvy and
collect taxes fof "a specific purpose
to be defeated gt the llaiIis of indif-
fereHt or seitisll parents. sg.' = orc -
"Objeotion Is often ,tHads that com
pulsory educatioS would, work hard
ships in the homes OF the poor. Is It
not fact that the child Of the poor
homo is the very one who needs most
the aid OF the state To bring the COM
plexities Of modern life and the In
sistent demands of citizenship with
none OF the advantages common to
birth or wealth. The poor child Is
| the very one whom the state ought 10
help. because he himsals Is HELPLESS.
The argument against compulsory
tendance on account OF the negro has
been worn threadbare; surely the time
has come to drop 1t. Some phases of
1t are pathetic. Is 1t wise or expe-
dent to permit thousands OF white
boys to grow up in ignorance, lest In
forcing them into school the aspira-
tions Of the negro child should be
awakened? Shall the white man re-
main ignorant In order to encourage
or compel the negro to remain igno-
rant? Is it better for both white and
black to remain ignorant, than be-
come intelligent?
II yield to no one in the pride over
what has been accomplished educa-
tionally In the past 40 years. We
have planned better schools, inspired
the taxpayers to vote taxes for schools
and encouraged the people TO build
modef schools, to lengthen their school
|tercIs, TO employ better teachers, and
to pay them better salaries, and to
make their schools their pride. But
what has been accomplished In the
way OF substantial decrease In IL
literacy of the citizenship? OF what
value are all our school taxes, our ell
egant school houses, our improved
schools TO the thousands of boys and
girls who never enter the doors of n