Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-08-28

we do about it? Do not think of the
school attendance law. 1t is sad that q
law is needed in an enlightened community
to induce parents to send their children
to the free public schools.
And yet with the compulsory attend
ance law and all its working, many chill
dren of Thurmont and vicinity under the
age of IA were out of school last year.
This with poor attendance and habitual
hardness shows lack of parental interest
in the children. This should improve the
coming year because the need of an edu-
cation has never been SO insistent from
all quarters as it is today.
Those of US who have little of this
worlds goods with which to endow our
children should use to the limit the ad-
vantages which an education gives. The
public school is the great social evener
in democracy. 1t levels up the social
depressions caused by lack of wealth.
The poor boy with high school educa-
ton is more than match in life's bat
tie for success for the rich mans son
who was permitted to quit school in the
grades
We have habit of saying that any
farm boy may some day be president,
which is a way of saying that he may be
anything he wants to be. This is gen.
orally qualified by. 'it all depends upon
the boy" which statement is not nearly
80 true as, lit all depends upon his
daddy" How many successful careers
have been nipped in the bud by greedy
or over indulgent fathers and mothers.
True 26 of the 81 presidents of the United
States were country boys, as were five
sixths of the ministers, doctors and other
influential men of the country. But
please note that practically all of these
had the equivalent of high school edu-
cation and 55 per cent. of them were
college trained.
We frequently have pointed out some
emirently successful men who have had
little schooling, but let US see how few
they are.
who's Who in America" is a Volume
published every few years containing the
names and brief sketches of the leading
men and wo men of the country. A re-
cent number of the "Who's Who" con-
tanned 10000 names. There are some TO-,
600, 600 uneducated persons in the United
States and of this 10, OOO, 600 only 60 were
sufficiently successful in life to be men,
toned among the 10000. That is, only
one in 100000 uneducated persons win
success. There were some $4,000, 900
people with common school education
and of these 1900 were mentioned among
the leaders of that year, which is one
in 10000. That Is, good common school
education multiplies your child's chance
of success by four. Of five million high
school graduates of the country nearly
5000 are mentioned in "Who's Who,"
which is one person in 1000, and shows
that high school education multiplies
your child's chance of success by 100; or
boy with high school education has
25 times the chance of success in life
that the boy has who quits in the ele-
mentary school. Going on, we find that
there are fewer than two million college
or university trained men and women in
the country. but of these, 1900 are
mentioned among the eminent Who's
Who, which is one in every 80, or twenty
times as many in proportion as Of the
high school educated.
Let US repeat.
Of the Educat ed, one person in 160, 900
attains success.
Of the Educated, Elem entary, one!per-
son in 80, 900 attains success.
Of the Educated, High Soho oil, one per-
son in 1000 attains success.
Of the Educated, College, one person in
IS attains success.
What chance of success are you going
to give to your child?
Now, dear parent, the least that you
can do for the child in which you are or
ought to be so much interested in is to
see that, health permitting, he starts to
school promptly at 6 years of age or be-
fore, and to see that he goes to school,
health, weather and other unavoidable
obstacles permitting, every day of every
week that school is open until he is Ia
years of age. You do not need the school
register to tell you how far short you
have fallen in the past. 1t is burned on
your conscienence if you have one of the
right sort, and registers new pang
every time you look at the child who
does not want to go to school because it
is years too old for the class or grade in
which it will have to enter because it has
attended school so poorly that it could
not possibly be promoted annually. If
you, the teacher and the child have done
well, the age of Ia will find the child
ready to enter, or in the first year high
school. If, however, the pupil enters
school at 7 or years of age and stays
out washdays, housekeeping days. butch
ering days, visiting days, gala days and
all days on which pa, ma or the child can
i find excuse for his staying out, the age
of Ia will catch him in the 9th. 9Th or
even lower in the grades, and discouraged
the child quits school and Is handicapped
in life's race in a way that all the wealth
you may bequeath to him will never COM