Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-02-17
MIR. WERNER ON EDUCATION
And Other Matters-Receives Many
Words Of Commentator.

editorial or last week. Yol say, 1--WE
always feel glad when such i4eas as
Mr.. Werner has lately been advancing
in the Senate are put forth, not be-
cause we agree with those ideas, but
because their being put forward
serves the purpose Of pointing bold
ly to their unsoundness." That is
without doubt a grand sentiment
publish things; If sound they will
stand; If not, the light will destroy
them. Your trouble, however, is
that you do not publish the ideas Mr.
Werner has been putting forth in
the Senate" You begin with a mis-
statement: Senator Werner said the
demand for compulsion comes only
from ignorant newspapers and gnat-
heel school teachers" | said: "The
demand, as far as | know, comes
mostly from certain gnat-voiced, bat
winged school teachers and a few ig-
norant newspapers" Note the dif-
ference. "Gnat-voiced" is classic
and fits certain so-called teachers
who are eternally whining about
something. "Bat-winged" is my
own designation Of class who flap
about the State, only remaining a
few months at a place, and OCCASION
ally roosting at the State House, lob
bying with the aw-makers, trying to
attend to the business OF other peo-
pie to the neglect Of their own.
These remarks have no reference to
the quiet, orderly, sensible, conse-
Grated teachers who realize their OBJ
legations and are in all good con-
science trying to fulfil them.
"A few ignorant newspapers" Is
The Courier in that class? Let those
VINO follow this examination of your
writings decide. Pray, what ideas"
of mine have you ever given your
readers that you may "holdly point
out their unsoundness." In q half
column you do not give correctly one
single statement, fact or contention
made. by me in this discussion.
For two hours | stood on the floor
OF the Senate, giving figures and
facts, contrasting the States that have
such laws with those that have no
such laws, to the entire advantage of
those States that do not have such
laws, .ogcther with legitimate argu-
ment after argument against the bill,
and vet YOU only publish a little
p!ea~>n,rr toat puSsod aud diu pJr
an g@i THAT hall way correct.
'ta"j-te"I teach''s'" IN heaven 5
ninv. What ki0G O., o teacher is chat
any way? Certainty ne,eI said nor
thought Of such a thing. This is
more evidence OF ignorance in GER
tain newspapers. The reporter
who wrote that libel on my feeble
powers Of pyrOtechnics writes for
two newspapers. He could not tell
to save his life what | did say. He
knew II was something about gnat:
the balance he tried to supply. His
creative or imaginative powers ap-
pear to have failed him.
1T is safe to say that the real i'm
preston made here is not always re-
hected in the newspapers. If you
advocate thei" views you get your
picture in the paper, you have made
a most "ahln q or0up,on+, -, tI,> ,,....-...
eloquent speech of the session." If
you oppose their views you "also
spoke. You print one impression
formed from a direct misstatement
or what | did say. Now, why not
publish a few remarks that were
made, on the same subject, to my
face: One big, fat man who heard
me talk that day, said: "The devil in
nell cant get around the argument
you made against that bill" Ano-
th@r called to me Oh the street and
said: "You are exactly right. In the
big cities North they pay no atten-
tiOn at all to that law" Gle said
he had lived in BostOn). Another, a
Senator, said: Il feel like contribute
ing to raise a monument to YOU if
you die before | do" and so on. Evi-
IDENTIFY | must have been talking part
or those two hours about something
beside "gnat-heel teachers"
Mr.. Werner has bill against the
degradation of public morals" That
is true, but Mr.. Werner is not fool
enough to think he can legislate
Wickedness out Of the people any
more than he can legislate goodness
into them. You appear to advocate
compulsory virtue" The poverty