The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-01-22

| xecutlon of a program of preparedness
which should have been carried out
years ago.
During the canvass of the state last !
summer I stated repeatedly that South |
Carolina could not longer postpone the
, adoption of an educational program
which meets the demands of the pres
ent, and adequately provides for the
future. This I regard as the one es-
sential thing for this General Assembly
to do. l am aware that this has been
| the favorite theme Of politicians in all
OF our campaigns in the past, and that
| 1t is expected Of the Governor in his
inaugural address to have quite good
deal to say on this important sub
ject." But gentlemen, beg you to be-
| lieve that | am not approaching the
subject as matter of form, or as fol- |
lowing a custom. l wish to submit to
you, some very definite propositions,
and urge your most serious and
thoughtful consideration.
| recommend the passage Of an act
providing for minimum school term
of seven months for every school dis |
trict in the state, and an amendment
of the present compulsory attendance
law SO as to require the attendance at |
school of all children between the ages
OF eight and fourteen years during the |
minimum school term. This age limit |
! should be raised to sixteen years with
| in the near future. 1t is useless, how
ever, TO provide for minimum school
| term and n compulsory attendance law
without adequate provision for en-
| fOrcement 1t must be made the duty |
of somebody in each county to see that
the compulsory attendance provision
| is enforced. 1t isn't necessary for me
IN, ne
tendance. A parent, guardian, or 9TH |
er person having the custody and con-
troll Of children who neglects or refus- |
es to give to such children the educa-
| tional advantages offered by the state, |
| is not exercising parental authority, |
but denying to the children who are to |
constitute the future citizenship Of this |
state that light and knowledge which |
is essentially necessary for the future
well being Of the state, as well as the |
best interest of the child. Military
training was compulsory in time of
war If you would avoid conditions
that lead to war, make school attend
ance compulsory in time Of peace. The
Confederate Government from 1861 to
| 1863 laid its hand upon the sixteen
year old boy and compelled him to put
on gray uniform, shoulder his musket
and fight for Southern independence.
Was not this interference with paren-
III authority? A public necessity exist
ed, and parental authority yielded to
the superior right Of the state But it |
is useless to enact and enforce a COM
pulsOry attendance law unless ade-
quate facilities are provided IL is not |
sufficient that We provide seven |
months minimum term but we need |
and must have a better organization of |
our entire educational system. We
must have the best talent in charge |
OF our educational work. Now, gentle
men, promised you in the outset that |
would deal with you in perfect can
dor. II you adopt my recommendations |
as 'to our educational program 1t |
means the expenditure of more money |
for the education of the youth of our
state then has been heretofore eXpcnd- |
cd. We cannot hope to have the best |
talent in our schools with the present |
scale Of salaries for school officers, and |
the present standard of pay for teach
crs. The question may be asked can
we afford to make the necessary invest
ment in our educational institutional
use the word Investment" advisedly,
because money properly expended in
the development Of an educational sys-
TN suited to our needs will prove q
$plCndld investment.
The South Carolina Council of De-
fcnsc recently issued phamplct which
should be read by every taxpayer in
South Carolina. It's title is Does 1t
Pay?H From this pamphlet I quote the
following:
You prosper just in proportion to
the prosperity Of the average man with
whom you are brought into business
contact. If the masses OF the people
are poor and ignorant. every individ-
ual every interest, every industry in
the community will feel and register
The pulling down power Of their back
WardncSs as inevitably as the thcr-
Imomctcr records the temperature Of
the air. The merchant will have poor
CT trade, the doctor and lawyer smaller
fees, the railroad diminished traffic, the
banks smaller deposits, the preacher
end teacher smaller salaries, and so OH.
every man who through ignorance,
lack Of training, or by reason of any
other hindcring cause, Is producing or
earning only half as much as he ought,
by his incfilcicncy is making everybody
else in the community poorer"
An educational system that Is mad
cquate is burdensome to the tax payer
because he gets a poor return for the |
money expended, but an adequate pro-
vision is the best investment the state
or individual can make. In consider
| ing this part of our work ! most earn
estly urge upon you provision for |
teaching agriculture, home economies, |
Vocational and industrial training, etc, |
| as a part of our school work In other |