The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-07-06
ALL TOGETHER THEN FOR THE
ELIMINATION OF nLIIERACY
This, %Joyner's Appeal To The State Press Association
Emancipate Every Man, Woman and Child iron
Thrall of Ignorance, He Urges.

i've means be found and found quickly
for their relief and liberation.
This army of adult illiterates is an
inheritance from former generations,
from slavery, from an aristOcratic in
stead of a democratic civilization,
from civil war and the devastation,
the poverty, and the destruction of our
school system and institutions that
followed. 1t must inevitably handi-
cap the progress Of the State, discour-
age immigration of the desirable sort,
and in the future as in the past, in
vite the sneers Of the ScOrner and
the defamation Of the willing to the
shame and injury Of the State for
the next two or three generations,
unless we find and put n immediate
operation some effective means of re-
ducing. and, if possible, eliminating
adult illiteracy during this genera
ton. 1t is our duty to the State and
to these illiterates who are bone of
our bone m flesh of our flesh, and
who are not responsible for their
illiteracy, to seek n find a way to
reach and teach them without further
delay.
These are the tragic facts about
white illiteracy in North Carolina.
Let them speak for themselves
! speak to the hearts of men to the
love of humanity in men, to the sense
of duty in men, to the judgment and
the patriotism of men, to the desire
for safety and self-preservation in
men!
BY the accident of birth, the for
tune Of environment, the love of our
fellOw-men, expressed in private and
public schools for us, here sit we
snugly in the light, yonder at our
doors are Our brOthers-thousands
Of them, in the shadow Of the world,
in hi O. of o0o ~ y n
bondage of illiteracy-mature men
and women old men and women-but
children still
children crying in the night,
Children crying for the light
And with no language but a cry"
That cry from the depths Of some
divine despair, rising from mountain
top and cOve-from plain and valley
ringing in the ears Of men, ascending
heed it? Duty points the way, con
science lights the path. Shall we not
go down to them, these grown-up
children, these lame ones-lame OF
mind, lame of soul. lame, so many
OF them, from their mothers womb,
lame, most Of them, because in the
language of one of them, they 'hain't
~A Az = 0lAo14 VIC 1lCt
go Town to them, and bid them in
the name Of Jesus Christ Of Nazareth
Rise up and Walk?" Shall we not
take them by the hand and lift them
up, that they may gather strength te
stand alone, to walk alone, to live IL
the light, to dwell in the darkness nc
more forever?
Editors Of North Carolina, you have
!; 1T In your power more thar any other.
! to get these facts before the people
to hammer them into their minds anl
souls until they are aroused to thei
manifest duty to these less f~ortunat,
: brethren of theirs, to help in the pre-
, sentation and the successful execution
l OF the plans for the elimination o
llllteracy in North Carolina.
l do not need to remind you tina
. you would be great gamers in the cir
l culatlOn, the appreciation and the in
. huence OF your papers from the elimi
nation of i~lliteracy and the dissemina
e ton Of intelligence. I make my ap
I peal on higher grounds to this bod
: OF men, confident that now. as in tn
past, they will respond promptly, an
enthusiastically to the high call 70
I the betterment of their fellow-me
e and the honor and safety Of thei
State.
I do not need to say more ther
. than simply ip conclusion to outlin
c in brief, our plan for the eliminate
Of in~iteracy and indicate how you ma
q help, through your papers, in the sue
cessful execution of these plans.
: We have now In press for genera
distribution through the State Dc
a partment Of Public Instruction., a bu
letin Of information giving the fac
:e about illiteracy in the State and j
le each county, containing short argl
le ments and appeals from the heads
l. a number of professional, civic, socia
ID industrial and agricultural organizs
ID lions and orders of the State tn;
re have pledged their enthusiastic c,
t. operation in this work. This bullet
is will be used for carrying on the pull
ne licity campaign for getting the fac
l. before the people and arousing the
to action. It will Of course, b. sci
ed to every newspaper in the State frs
IT, the contents to be used by the edit
tie as he sees fit, supplemented of cour
"a hx editorialS frann rzoni< -oal<