The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1940-06-06
Our Reel Wealth

The real wealth of a country is found in its people
and the products of their brains and physlcai strength'
1t follows then that in order to enjoy general pros
perity and ~wellbeing it is necessary that the vast ma,
jority of our population be properly fed, clothed ana
educated in order to achieve the highest possible devel-
opment and hence wealth for our country.
In the south and especially in Mississippi we do
not have a standard of living as high as other sections.
We are never going to have a higher standard OF living
until we can get jobs for all our people, nave our
population busy at work producing necessary products
and services.
Mississippi is a small state with two million popula-
ton. The great city of New York alone Is almost 1our
times as large as our entire state.
About three-fourths of our entire population in
Mississippi is colored.
If Mississippi is ever to achieve the highest possible
development for herself and her citizenry it is gong TO
ton. A better way of expressing It is making it possible
for them to do something for themselves.
In order for a colored person to earn his own way
and be selfrespecting he must be able to do something
later, the white leadership of our state is going to have
to take a greater interest in our colored citizenry, see to
it that they are educated and trained for some KIND
Of useful life. Only then will our whole state enjoy
to the fullest extent a measure of prosperity.
Pains should be taken to see that our good col Trsd
means trained, educated leadership.
In connection with this the comment made by Oliver
Emmerich, editor of the McComb Enterprise, and one
of Mississippi's outstanding editors, is very interesting
and too true. We quote:
ophS NhhNH "'S fNFN
prejudice that they become infamed at every thought of pro-
pery educating the Negroes of Mississippi They blindy
stumble along forgetting completely that the progress and
advancement of Mississippi is predicated upon the wisdom
and knowledge of the people. They ignore the fact educa-
ton of all people is a matter of economic necessity.
egegro teachers are not properly paid. II a white teacher
is paid one hundred dollars per month, the colored teacher
gets from twenty-five to thirty dollars for the same work
Progress will be restrained 10 long a this situation is
permitted to exist.
Rural school terms for most Negro children are from
four to six months. The term for white children is eight %
nine months.
In some Mississippi counties $500 a year is spent to
educate a Negro child. The allotment FOR white children is
forty dollars each in these san count es.
The average pay of Negro school teachers "a Mississippi
has increased forty cents during the past forty years Negro
teaching training is s. inadequate a s to be ridiculous.
Pigheaded people may try to measure this problem
strictly a a social one, using the word social $ applied
to pink teas and sewing circles =. But the problem Is also
economic and men and women in Mississippi will fail
to enjoy the full measure of wealth 81 long as our people
ar motivated by selfish, provincial blindness o the subject.
We can never solve our economic problems until
we look facts squarely in the face and recognize existing
situations. When we get honest enough with ourselves
to recognize our problems maybe we will have vision
and wisdom enough to solve them.
Duront Logs Behind
At this writing the drive for funds to aid over
five million refugees in Europe is Tagging considerably
in Durant.
Holmes county has forged ahead in a splendid drive
headed by Joe Berman. Every community in the county
is said to be doubling the quotas set for it by the Red
Cross.