The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-28

tom or third from there at any rate.
While the entire United States as a
whole has made great strides In
stamping out illiteracy among the
children OF school age in the last four
ten years the. South has not kept pace
with the balance of the country; in
fact, the high per centage OF illiteracy
among the Southern States is what
keeps the per cent of ilIiteracy of the
United States from being considerably
lower than 1t is today.
From the latest figures obtainable
from the United States government 1t
is shown that the number OF illiterate
children between the ages of ten and
fourteen. has dropped from forty two
cut of every thousand In 1900, to only
FIFTEEN to the thousand In 1914,
while the number OF iIliterate chill
dren in this State has dropped from
one hundred and fifty to the thousand
in 1900 to an ESTIMATED number of
EIGHTY FIVE per thousand In 1914.
With these figures at hand, further
comment is hardly necessary. They
speak volumes, and In language of
one syllable that all who read may UNI
derstand. How can we advance. or
hope to keep up with the rapid prog
ress of the balance of the country
when we are tagging so far behind
in the very foundation OF all civilian
ton, progress, and advancement? We
owe duty to the illiterate adults and
their illiterate children of this State
which cries out for immediate att n
tion. We, who are more fortunate
than some others should see to It. that
the children Of this State are given
a sufficient education that will enable
them to- earn a bare living; for with
the rapid invention OF machinery with
which to do almost every thing that
has been done with human hands
heretofore, the day is not far distant
when the person who ls dependent
upon his hands fora living will starye
TO death, AS Elbert Hubbard once
said; "A man is worth dollar a
day from his ears down, and from his
ear up he is worth what he can earn j.
this being true what chance viii the
unedncated child Of today have
against the competition of the highly
educated child, when they will have
reached mans estate? s
From commercial point of view
strictly, 1t will be the very best in
ves.naeaatt that South caro1nia can
m make at this time, TO pass a good
workable and enforceable compulsory =
educational law. without any excep-
tions Make It broad, so that ii wiii
cover the entire State. We would sug-
gest that cofnnlssion or q con1it-
tee be appointed selected from leyeJ
headed educators, or men who gee
known TO have the interest os, the
children at heart. for the ppIpose az
framing a bill that viii giye the chill
dren Of this State at least an even
break with the average child OF this
country They could get copies Of the
-
different stete laws which have beer,
and are now - force in q great many
other States, and fashion ours from
the best Of all these
AS South Carolina Is one OF the only.
FIVE States OF. this entire country
which has mot yet embraced the plan
Of compalspry Education, and each OF
these Eve States are high in their
per cent OF iliiteracy, this should be
ssufiicient reason, without another
word to convince any thinking man
that we should have state wide COM
pulsory attendance law, and Ar
ONCE.
9 How are yen going to educate the
child Of illiterate parents, who do nor
appfeeiate the need of an education
or WHO are too eager to gain the.
bsneiit Of the earnings Of their own
children 10 be willing to spare them
TO 80 to school9
\ Only by the aid OF the law.
The awful amount of money neces-
aary to keep law and order: and to
punish she law breakers Of this stats
seonId be cnt In half IL onr people
had been better educated. 4 study d,
this phase Of the situation win con-
vince the most sleptical that at least
seventy-iiye per cent of our criminals
are iliiterates. s. sg 8;
me terrible rayages OF pa1laa I'd,
hoolt-worn. and tahsfcuiosis. and
other diseases conld De diminished to
y. 'sefe