Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-07-02
COLORED COLUMN
(W.s,B- Chenault,

Richmond, who is now bookkeep
/, er, for the Quality Broom Co.. a
! Evansville, Ind, and it will be
read with interest by her many
i friends at here old home here:
! Now that the school year has
! just closed, and thousands of boys
and girls who have finished their
grammar courses are asking them
selves will it pay to go to high
school or upon leaving high
school will it pay to enter Uni
versity? The answer is yes i'll
both cases. Just a smattering
of knowledge is of a little value.
The world today, calls for brains
not Drawn and the one who does
not grasp the opportunity while
young Of filling their storehouse
with-suseful knowledge will as
age creeps on have occasion to
deeply regret it.
/ We are prone to- say: What's
the use? Here i'll this country
the higher and better things in
life are barred to us on account
OF our color. Our young college
men are found in the ranks OF tire
Railroad Porterss Association, of
the Janitor's Union; our young
college women occupy the exalted
positions of ladies maids or nurse
girls, what mistaken idea? The
heights to which any man or
woman, white or black. can climb
depends solely upon the will pow
er of the individual If this were
not true, we would not today
have thousands OF Enthusiastically
black people sharing the same
measure of success as that &C
corded the most energetic OF the:
white brothers.
Our greatest drawback is ig-
norance. In the past there was
some excuse for it; education was
denied us. Now that it is as free
as water. we should take large
qraff of it. The fact that some
with only a limited education
have Won notable success should
not 1nislead anyone They are
the pick of millions and have won
in spite Of their handicap. Ac-
cording, to statistics based upon a
careful investigation Of the earn
. ing power of Is per cent Of a
number OF boys from various
schools recently gathered by :le
L. S. Bureau of Education it was
found at the age Of Is the boys
who went 10 work at "A were re-
ceiving on an average less than
one-half as much as the boys who
took a high school course.
1t is universally admitted that
a common school education is
necessary and gives the person
who possesses it great advan-
age over the one who is illiterate.
That high school course gives
an almost equal advantage is not
SO generally recognized but is
none the less true. To keep up
with the specialization and sys-
tematizing which are now SO inn
portant in the business world. d
broad liberal education is para
mount. Without this schooling
it is we'll nigh impossible to pre-
pare for profession. Standards
are being SO raised 50 that high
school or college education is eN-
pected of the one who aims to
hold a responsible position
Parents are largely to blame
for their children leaving school
when they have passed their
grammar grades. They are too
eager for the dollar the child can
make to think about the future.
They seem blinded to the fact
that their impoverished condition
is due to the fact that they must
use Drawn and not BRAN to make
Ia living and they are paving for
their offspring to do likewise
!, Realizing that large proportion
Of our people need to be awak
ened on this vital subject the
| Alpha Phi Alpha. a national or
ganization of college-bred men.
inaugurated a go to High School
and Go to College" drive two
thousand strong and located III alt
parts OF the country. Last year
they carried the gospel of ''Stav1
in High School" and go to Col
lege" to 500 schools, 700 churches
and to half million parents am
pupils: their slogan being Don't
stare up the steps but step up the
stairs Not one-half of the
children are in school that ough'
ito be in school. Are you moth
crs and fathers letting your chill
dren drop out at IA years of age!
IA wear lost is never regained.
Education pays. There is no