The northwestern bulletin., 1923-12-01
Timely Topics
NATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK
dallas ENpressl

NDdlidS EApTcSSI
One of the most significant quota
tions from the late President Hard
ing is that The strength and securi-
ty of the Nation will always rest in
the intelligent body of its people"
Certainly it is true that criminali-
ty, disease and many of the internal
disorders of all governments both
state and national take their rise and
gain their firmest foothold in ignor-
ant minds.
1t is particularly fitting then that
America observe among all of its host
of other weeks" an education"
week in which it pays more than pass
ing attention to its educational needs
and takes stock of its progress or
failure in the education of its youth.
The Southern states in particular
need to take such an inventory with
view to Systematically re-arrang-
ing their educational program. For
it is true that they as a group are
woefully behind in their provision for
the education of their masses. In
them the greatest and most damning
vestige of slavery days and the slave
driving mind is to be found in the
fact that they have been reluctant to
provide adequate educational facili-
ties for their black masses with the
result that they have suffered and
still suffer because of this mass of
ignorant members of their body
polite.
And, while the past three or four
years have witnessed marked bit of
progress in this regard on the part
of many of these states, the sum total
of their accomplishment when COM
pared with their needs is pitifully
small.
Take the state of South Carolina,
for instance. In South Carolina the
U. S. census of 1920 lists S1S,53S
whites and S64,719 Negroes. The to-
tai educational expenditure for whites
was $10,034,049.96 while that for Ne
groes who were more numerous was
only s1,119,142.62. The salaries for
white men teachers was 1885,
276.71 as compared to $211,195.27
for Negro men teachers; the salaries
of white women teachers was $4,S5O,-
630.51 as compared to s634,713.91
for Negro women teachers. The
amount spent for grounds, buildings,
repairs, rent, etc, for white schools
was $1,970,944.24 as compared to
$1S7,053.63 spent for Negro schools.
And it is true that South Carolina
in this regard is far ahead of many
of her sister states.
1t has long since been accepted as
a fact that Ignorance is slave-driver.
1t wields its tyrannical sway over
larger army of serfs than were ever
oppressed by any earthly monarch.
He who is unenlightened may never
realize his servitude, but to the ex-
tent of his ignorance he Is in bond
age. Abraham Lincoln said he did
not believe the government could en-
dure half slave and half free" He
allied to physical slavery, but it may
well be said that a Nation is men
aced to the extent of the Ignorance of
its citizens.
The educated man is easily gov
erned. He knows what government
is for.
Despotism and autocracy find their
support in the ignorance of those
whom they oppress.
Freedom and enlightenment are in
separable companions.
Those who really think are invari-
ably advocates of education and pro-
moters of it's dissemination. Educa-
tion is capacity to think-right And
he who thinks right will do right, for.
"as he thinketh in his heart, so is
he"
There is nothing SO destructive of
human welfare as active ignorance.
National education week, which is
being observed from November IS to
November "a, II observed at all by
the Southern states, should lead to
careful consideration OF their status
in the general educational scheme of
the nation and on effort to remedy
their lack by a reorganization OF
their thinking to the extent that they
will work more consistently for the
creation of larger Intelligent body
of their people," regardless of race
or color. For it is also true that an
ignorant citizenry serves as an i'm
pediment to the progress of the more
intelligent. Chains are no stronger
than their weakest links and govern
ments, so to speak, are chains of hu-
man beings.
THIS BOY GIVES TURKEY
TO BOOST THE RED CROSS