Pocahontas star herald., 1922-04-07

ing OF Lone Rock camp al Raven
den Springs few weeks ago. He
heads tue article "Down la AK.
ansas."
alt is another and a new world to a
conner from the pralrielsnd. Often
have regretted the policy OF our put :
llc education in NebTasks-a policy
which fOrbids The children TO study
geography beyond the eigth grade,
and particularly iorbldding the chill
dren to acquire knowledge of the
geography of our own America. The
average high school graduate in Ne
braska has little more kno wledge of
the physical geography Of Arkansas
than blue ribbon red hog in Ne
braska has about the far famed razor
backs of Arkansas, and the average
high school graduate In Arkansas is
shockingly ignerant regar ding the
earth's surface or the people in Ne
braska. 1t should not be so. Madly
intent is our present day educator in
efforts TO compel the school children
TO know all about the Greece of
Aristotle and the Rome of Julius
Caesar, but wholly indifferent as to
the knowledge of the children re-
| gardIDg the physical geography and
the characteristics of the people Of
the several American states. Perhaps
/ cannot perform better service to
my home people, and particularly
to the boys and girls of Nebraska,
than by making them little better
acquainted with the facts of Ark
ansas by dispelling from their young
minds a little of the false knowledge
their elders have conveyed to them
Ask the average Nebraska high
school boy or girl to tell you some.
thing this morning about the geog-
raphy of Arkansas, Its products aud
the character OF the people in this
Southern state, and the average re-
ply would be: "Arkansas is about
evenly divided between barren hills
and swamps; its chief products are
razorback hogs, contrabsnd whiskey
and malarisl fevers; the chief char
acteristics of the Arkansas people
are their laziness, their ignorance,
their love of coon dogs and their
hatred of the people in the Northern
states; some of the Arkansas people
are Methodis;s and Bsptists, a few
Presbyterians, an occasional Eplsco-
palisn UT Catholic, but most of them
worship the democratic party"
"Let my first tribute to Arkansas
be tribute to the men of Arkansas.
/ know 1t Is true that we of Nebras-
ka have been regarding the men OF
Arkansas as eaters of dog leg tobacco
asd experts In the science of splitting
at a crack. We of the North country
have been estimating the men OF
Arkansas as unshaven and unshorn,
with cookie burrs In their whiskers
and oat straw IN their hair, and the
story tellers have made US believe
that the average among them would
not let the devil himself win second
money IN a two handed game of
swearing.
al arrived In Arkansas one week
ago. have visited all sections of
;he state. have yet TO hear from
the mouth OF any white man In
Arkansas an unclean or profane
word. And have been thinking the
average public school district in Ne
braska might with profit send del-
egstion of school boys down here
every year for the one purpose of
discovering the speech purity of
Arkansas men and boys. | love Ne.
braska and Nebraska men, but often
l am wishing they might put gold
dust twins on their tongues. And
the error of our Northern FOLKS re-
gsrding the people Of Arkansas is
not more erroneous than the average
Northern estimate of the material
worth of this commonwealth. Quick.
ly l place Arkansas as the most self.
supporting among all the American
states, meaning that within the con-
fines of this state all things neces-
sary for the welfare of humanity are
produced. In mineral wealth Ark
ansas Is a nsbob Gold, silver, zinc
lead and coal are here IN volume be-
You'd the power of estimate. Near
Murfreesboro, Arkansas, Is dia-
mond mine, from which some of the
most valuable stones are taken-not
imitation diamonds, but the real
thing i have special message to ali
Northern girls who are playing with
domestic science" Next time you
shall pick up piece of aluminium
ware, preparatory, TO concoctIng a
plate of fudge, Just pause long en-
ough to ask a question: "what Is
aluminium? Where does the world get
the mineral from which the wonder
]