The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-30
THE FREE SCHOOL SYSTEM
OF THE PALbfEYI'ff fCC ] STATE
How 1t Was Begun and How 1t Has Been Continued
The Great Need of First Class High Schools for
Boys Address by Judge Gage al Cheraw.

little part. to declare for the educa-
tion OF al the people by Il compre-
hcnsivc IS: ~ OF schools supported
by taxation.
The, Sy.lcm was crude. 1t is vet
far from perfect bu; it had IN idea be-
hind il - amc idea that the grana
jurics %! thcraw precinct had before
the Revolution. and the idea that fail
cd o: dc.r.npment because OF con-
trary social forces then at work.
! The idcn was that an educated child
Is an asset To the entire community: !:
that an nncducated child will grow
to be a menace 20 the community. and
that To secure that hcnefit and TO
avert that calamity the state might
lay the heavy hand OF taxation on all
the people.
do nu; know tina, the young people
: who daily meet here realize the full
meaning Of what I have said.
This IL" truth want to make
! plain, tit. .,.:;t5 could not tax all the
i people o. any Of t;ic:n 10 put clothes
, OH yon bacxs o: food into your
mouths "i' hc" =: over your heads
But TIT :':c ainy lay taxes and
with til: ra .cy huild. school hou ,cs
pay tca' ."r:i. bay books, cart the chill,
dren to %cnool and then compel the
parents - cad :hc children to
school
!. So l'.c ::c,r.i"-l? atr:""o -Dtctaclc
ic presented Of iac sta '.. inability to
feed the child'.; b0Iy :. ID It's ability
to Iced lii: mind
i ln il :: moi strange for Il has been
ff..n IL. y,
II has. the! cforc come to he uni-
vclsal!y r"rneniz,,l i'll this nn:iom. and
nln0nSs! most civilized nations, that
the education of the child is so i'm
portant that an accomplishment that
II ought To he undertaken by the
E.rong ann of The State. whoce cf-
forts air made avliling blythe power
to tax.
: But la" getting Of an Idea H. one
thing anG ti.e execution Of II is an
| other thing
A system u! public lnriruction in
lVOlveS muEy Issues;
When Cukhi the instl uctiun to b.,
started and wilcn st0pprd7 How
ourhi 81 liz, nn t. Ee cla.re,l Whit
kn0wiHt:.r Gi:tht To- he I:npartrd Ia
them"
! There Is M II" ID foI arbitrary rnles
Esuggcst,l largely by nature. !. iler
p t:.bo'it l'"Gr r1t;tcis' the r,lles are
,Illaws a.t- observed
instruction Between G. ana II Years.
The history of the world AMI com
! mon 3bstrNatinn both teach that the
i chief bucine:-- of men und women Is
ITO mnkc meat to eat and clothes TO
wenr The vart majority OF people
do only this ard die They arc forced
to work for their living often before
they ais &c years OF age: they ought
not to be SO situated. But they must
| lgenelally, begin to labor ut 1G or II
years OF age The years OF in
stTuction, therefore. at the hands of
the state ought to lie. and must lie.
in the Iea!>E between and II.
For us a lula the child can stcv no
longer and the state is obligated to
teaCn him no more.
l think 1t is true tha; the only tax
able interest society has In a child is
to teach him the fundamentals of
knowledge-the knowledge OF his Ian
guage of his country. and Of num-
berc; and IL he il taught those things
well for ten years. he is well enough
educated to make n good, citizen, IL he
Is taught some other things to which
l shall presently rc:tr
But this instruction is insufiiciently
given 4: our cchool cyctem Is now
generally conductcA. The boys
quit school before they are sixteen.
will appeal to nature again for a
rule Of guidance. When boys reach
the age OF II or II they enter first in
to the rapids and whlrlpools of life.
] =. It Is not worth while now to enter
into the reasons ,for this; it ie fact
as we'll established by observation and
by science rs the cutting OF teeth or
| the growing OF beard.
| The boy quits school at the very
time he ought most to be there. There
is reason for 1t; he ie not getting
the treatment he ought to have.
The boy then needs to be separat-
ed from the dominance OF women and
the every hour association with
girls. 4
Need for Good High Schools. :
| There ought to be In eveIy coun-
ty In the Ctate one or more high
schools for boys; and by high schools
l mean tepnratc house to be oCcu-
pied by boys alone: and in It traihed
men teacherc, 80 well compensated
that they will dedicate their lives to
the work.
| Schools OF his character have been
undertaken by the churche and by
private agencies; hut in nearly every
instance they have perished for the
want Of stable revenue. :
Fifty schools of this character scat
tered throughout the state would do
more towards genuine education OF
the. people than all our colleges and
they, would furnish to few Colleges
ripe and fit material to be worked into
scholars where - GLARS are needed.
and scholars are needed to lead the
state. ).
In my Judgment this Is now the sor-
est need of orr nnhlic echhol cusforn