The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1915-09-10
ELLISON COMMUNITY,


nearly all the white schools, rural and
city, of state and country.
We hope all children of school age
Will embrace the golden opportunity of
adding to their mental equipment, with
greater enthusiasm than ever before,
and that all parents will encourage
and help them to make every day count,
The human brain is the masterpiece
Of marvellous creator, but God can
only endow us with brain. He can
not cultivate it for us, and whether we
use it and broaden and develop it or
let 1t rust from disease is altogether
up to us. Those of us who are familiar
with the science of physiology under
stand that disease affects the brain in
exactly the same way that it affects
the muscles of our body. Our brains
develop in proportion to the exercise
we give them.
A trained mind is a source of very
great satisfaction to its possess0r and
the parents who permit their children
| to grow up without attempting to
give them the foundation for a fair
education have failed in the most inn
por ant duty a parent owes ehlld
| do not pretend to think that eduCa-
tion ends with the completion of a So
called educational course. That ena-
bles us to realize how little we really
know and inspires US. to greater effort.
| We can readily forget the knowledge
we have acquired unless we constantly
read and study and improve. Parents
are hardly tit associates for their grow.
ing and developing children unless
they are reading people who are con.
stantly improving themselves and pre-
pairing to give their children the help
they need. The South is far and
away behind every other section of the
I country in matters of education, but
we are looking up. There are men and
women of energy and enthusiasm be-
hind the movement for better education
in the South, but as individuals we can
all do something to help. The school
boys Of today are the citizens of to.
morrow. The school girls. mothers of
a future race. Are we doing our duty
by these young people?
The parents who needlessIy, and use,
lessly, permit their children to remain
out Of school entirely, or to attend
when they feel inclined, or who do not
make every effort and sacrifice to do
without the assistance of those chill
dren in the home during the school term
are guilty of neglect that is almost
criminal.
Mississippi is one of the very few
states of the union having no compul-
sorry education law, and of the states
of the union our state ranks forty fifth
IN all matters pertaining to education
A fine record for great state, is it
not
Senator H. II. Casteel has promised
to use his very best efforts and all the
influence which he may possess in pro.
noting consolidation of sch0os Wherev.
er possible and advisable over the
state.
This ls a factor in progressive edu.
cation which Is meeting with more op-
position from unthinking people at the
present time than any thing else.
do not understand this opposition.
The advantages Of such schools, over
the isolated, poorly equipped, one.
room, one teacher school is SO obvious
fail to see how any intelligent person
could oppose them.
OF course there are consolidated
schools which are failures. The co.
operative effort of all teachers and all
patrons of all the communities inter.
ested would be necessary 10 insure
success,
The average one teacher school in
the average rural community offers
few Inducements to the progressive
teacher Of brains and ability and, now.
that the schools are about to begin
operations, have we planned to do any
thing for the stranger within our
gates the teacher? She touches
our lives very closely during the scho-
IastIc year. She is I'm loco PARENTS
to our children. Is it not our duty to
visit the school and encourage her
occasionally? There are great many
little things we might do for her com.
fort and pleasure. The life of teach.
er is not exactly a bed of roses, the
opinion Of the unIntated to the con.
trary Notwithstanding, being parent
to somebody else s children, is not 80
much easier than being a parent 10
your own, and think prematureIy
aging people throughout the length and
breadth of the land will testify to the
difficulties which beset their pathway.
| am loyal SOutherner but | wish
to say TO our Northern friend Mr. Ed
J. BeaIe, that | enjoy his criticisms of
our Southland and it's methods Of
farming. | think we deserve them.
really need them
The ideals and traditions Of theSouth
are lovely heritage and very sacred.
The old South. devastated by terrible
war for which neither we or MIR.
Beale were in the least responsible.
was a great section Of great country,
We may have our own ideas Of whe-
ther or not the life led by the old
South was the best life for the greater
development of its people but we will
not force our opinions Of this subject
upon public. which we feel will be-
largely antagonlstlc to them, that be-
ing aside from the question However
great the old South NAV have been,
we cannot IOoksabOut us and believe