The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-15
Compulsory Education I'm the Southern
States.

school attendance laws in the South
ern States is made by William III
Hand, State high school inspector fol
South Carolina, in a bulletin lust is
sued by the United States Bureau O.
Education. After pointing out tha
the six States still without compulsor,
laws-South Carolina, Georgia, Flor
ida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tex
as, and the four States with compul
sorry laws that apply only partially
Maryland. Virginia, Arkansas, ant
Louisiana-are all Southern States
Mr.. Hand presents statistics showinl
that although illiteracy has been re-
duced rapidly in these States withir
the last two decades, they still have
the highest percentage of illiteracy
among the white population.
The figures can have but one
meaning" declares Mr.. Hand. "They
show that compulsory education re-
duces illiteracy.
The opponents OF compulsory ed
ucation insist that the people will
send their children to school with
out being obliged to do so, IL only
they are shown ther duty and their
obligation to their children. These
opponents declare that the younger
generation of white children are al
ready in school. Neither contention
is true. In 1910 the 12 Southern
States had 7SS,699 native white chill
dren between the ages of and IA
not in school.
WHO are these illiterate white
children. and why are they not in
school? Some OF them are the sons
and daughters of parents themselves
ignorant and unable 20 appreciate or
to understand what an education
means to their children and to the
State. Some are the children Of sor-
did fathers and mothers who are
more than willing to make wage
earners and breadwinners Of
their untaught offspring at the ex-
pensc of their future manhood and
womanhood. Many are at work on
the farms. sacrificed to the monot-
onous round of planting crops, cult
waiting crops. harvesting crops, and
again planting crops. Some are at
work in stores and shops or engaged
as messenger boys, all at a small
wage. Many are employed in the
nerve-dulling and blood-sapping en-
vironment Of the mills, receiving
good wages as children in exchange
for vigor of body and training Of mind
as men and women: while thousands
OF others are roaming the streets and
country lanes. the training ground for
idlers, vagrants, and enemies to
law, order, and decency.
When the State has provided
schools for all its children, it has per-
formed only a portion Of it's duty. II
q universal school tax is justifiable on
he ground that popular education Is
a necessity, compulsory attendance
by the State is also justihablc. The
State has no right to levy and collect
taxes for a specific purpose and then
permit that purpose to be defeated at
the hand of indifferent or selfish par
ents.
objection Is often made that
attendance would work
in the homes Of the poor.
Is it not n fact that the poor child
is the very one who most needs the
aid OF the State to bring him into
possession of his own? He it is who
must soon face the complexities Of
M odern life and the insistent demands
OF citizenship with none of the ad-
common to birth or wealth.
The poor child is the very one whom
tho state ough. to help. because he
himself is helpless.
The argument against compulsory
attendance on account of the negro
has been worn threadbare; surely the
time has come to drop it. Some
phases of 1t are pathetic. Is it wise
or cxpedlent to permit thousands Of
white boys and girls to grow up in
ignorance lest in forcing them into
school the aspirations of the negro
child should be awakened? Shall
rhe white man remain ignorant in or
der to encourage or to compel the ne
gro to remain ignorant. Is it better
for white and black to remain ignor-
ant than for both to become intelli-
gent?
II yield to no one in the matter of
pride over what has been accom-
plished educationally in the past 40
NclrS. We have DlannCQ better