The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-09-09
The Crime Wave
stNewberry, observere


tNewberry, ,obseryer}
The crime wave Is very present
problem in this state. and, judging
from the newspapers, 1t is so every
where. Many causes have been
enumerated, and many remedies
have. been suggested. The usual
cause assigned is ignorance" and
the usual remedy suggested is "ed-
ucation.'' -.
Both the cause and the remedy
are very, very vague. Ignorance
of some things would be- the BEST
thing young man could possess.
Education along wrong lines Is a
! worse curse than ignorance-worse
for the possession and worse for the
community in which he lives fhe
| fact is great many young persons
know a great deal more than is
good for them. sis
The sheltered life is regarded
by many parents as out-of-daAe,
and plastic youths are left to learn
whatever the street and the high
ways and the byways teach them;
| to go their own gait whithersoeysr
| it may lead; to do as they please
Il by any lucky chance they turn
out right. well and good. If they
go wrong, SO much the worse.
! What chance has the uncontrolled
/ boy or girl in his day to make
good?
! All education Isl not book
learning: that is good as far as it
goes: but it does not go far enough.
In this day of many schools and
compulsory attendance and liberal
appropriations it is scarcely posi-
BE for young people TO grow up
signerant" of books. Hliteracy is
| fast disappearing. But neither
! boys nor girls are better than
boys and girls were in the days
when parents had to pay for their
children's education If they couie,
and if they could not, the children
| had to get along ses.as way without
it.
There has been. great improve
ment in education; but along with
the good education children get
from schools, is another sort of ed-
ilscation, or we might say many
| other sorts, that are not good. for
! whichthe young persons ofa fexu-
er generation knew: little of Eeth-
! ing. We would. not disparage
school education; ON the contrary,
we urge it BY all means, and would
! put no limit to it. Z.
When the wise man said, frain
up a; child IN the way he should
go,', we doubtSif he had schools or
/, books or teachers in his mind he
was rhinking of home life and the
parents and horse training. Sad
! to say, there Is where's training as
being neglected and nothing else
| has taken its place: nothing else
will or; can; take its place.
Most children are permitted to go
! where they please, when they please
!! and stay as. long: as they please; to
seexaat they please and hearswhat
they please and read what they
!; please; in short, to follow their
oMn bent- and ED get. that rbent IS
from ANYBODY they may takesssas
I fancy TO. or that may take a fancy
/ to them. :essss }ss..sssss' :.
! Is it any wonder that mary
young persons go astray? Is It any
wonder that there are many
crimese The men and women who
commit the crimes are just grown
up children, trained up" but
! not ..trained up in. the way they
should go'-the way in which only
loving parents can train them.
Train up a child in the way he
should go,"ais a wise exhorfation:
! the reward will be when the child
comes to. be man or woman
and the parents viii have the su-
preme satisfaction of knowing ha
will not depart from ii. 2 -
If there were everywhere the
proper home training and TO this
were added astriet and impartial
enfercemene of law, there would
be a great reduction in crime. and
this would besa much better eoun-
try to live in.