The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1919-05-22
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
BY Meddie l.. Robinson

At three of MississlpplS edu-
cational institutions tonight
joint debates will be held on the
question of compulsory educa-
ton.
In the minds of most think
ing people this is not debata-
BILE question. All Of the argu-
ments worth listening to are on
the side of the affirmative.
However, if the young gentle
men who are to uphold the af-
firmative in these debates need
any strengthening of their cause
we would respectfully call their
attention to the following letter
from an illiterate American SOL
der boy now serving in France.
81 have seen enough to know
that the man in the army with
out an education don't stand
much chance for promotion!"
'Ain't it a shame that a man
like me, that can't even set
sight on his rifle, must stand up
and face the I educated Cdr
mans?"
Some one ought to tell the
boys back home the value of an
education before they come here.
| didn't feel the need of an edu-
cation until | got in the army,
but now l feel it every hour"
''If that compulsory law had
been the law when l was boy,
l wouldn't have to be learning
to read and write now"
The truth of the matter is,
lack of education is the great
est handicap any human being
can suffer.
1t units the soldier no less for
his work than it units citizens
of other callings: 1t makes i'm
possible success in millions of
instances that otherwise might
not be so. 1t makes for sorrow
and shame unspeakable in mil
lions of minds that deserve
better and a kinder fate.
But who is responsible for
lack of education in any given
person?
Ninety-nine times in a humid
red the responsibility is not to
be fixed upon the illiterate one.
He is victim Of circumstances,
fixed upon him utterly without
his consent or power to prevent.
Unless we-the adults of the
citizenship, the men and women
who make for today's condi-
tions, material and otherwise
provide ample means for spread
ing education, education will not
be spread.
The children can not spread it
among themselves
We are not doing the fair and
square thing by our children in
Mississippi; we know we are
not.
We have not yet summoned
the courage to meet the prob
lens of our public schools,
frankly and in the open-and
above all things, unselishly.
We are paying our teachers
in the public schools, from the
highest to the lowest all of |
them, in all of the schools, an
average of wage that is shame
fully low-and emphatically
dangerous.
If child in Mississippi fails |
to get substantial and solid |
foundation of education, it will |
not be the child's fault. It will |
be the fault of the grown-ups.
NO sort of sophistry is going to
get us away from that vital and
tremendous fact, in the great
afterwhile.
Every week we delay endanp-
ers the future Of some child
many children, indeed.
We have responsibility upon
us that we can not j evade or
shirk; either we will meet it Or
dodge it,; either we will be
brave, unselfish and truly CON
stfuctive of the futuFe, or we
will be cowaldly and tneakino
and unworthy Of our citizenship. 1
We cannot fool ourselves q
bout this matter. We may pre-
tend that the time is not ripe I
for compulsory education. and /
al that sort Of thing, but W.
know ia our hearts that We sre