The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-10-11
Plight
Of Our
Schools

AA1A NOA1s AhG A0A-
lowing thought-provoking ar
ticle was released this week by
the Mississippi Educational
Association and is in complete
accord with the editorial stand
of this newspaper.
Everything is high in price
and going higher except edu-
cation. We have fallen into the
habit Of buying education at
bargain prices, and we do not
want to break the habit. TAX
ing advantage of the mission
airy zeal that is a part of the
very nature of every real
teacher-an individual who by
training and character has a
revulsion for strongarm me-
thods of organized pressure
groups - we have put our
whole educational structure on
bargain basement" standards.
Teacher income for the nation
as a whole increased from 1910
to 1914 by 20 per cent. The
corresponding increase in av-
erage annual earnings in pri-
vate employment inc eased SO
per cent during the same Pc
riod. According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics release, I'M
der date of August 9, 1916,
Retail food prices rose from
June is to July Is by 1873 per
cent, the greatest monthly
change ever recorded" by the
agency. In relation to teacher
income, price rises have n re-
cent weeks been unreasonable
and SO heavy as to draw tight
er rather than loosen eeenom-
ic restrictions imposed upon
teachers during the war; and,
since the end of the war, these
restrictions have operated with
such force as to threaten the
depopulation of the teaching
profession.
What is this thing we are
trying to buy at bargain"
prices? Whose welfare are We
trafficking in? Is it the teach
er's well-being that is leopard
lied? Let us examine these
questions for a moment.
First. What is this thing we
are trying to buy at bargain
prices?" The answer to this is
Simple. This thing is the educa-
tional opportunities of the $780,
cational opportunities the 1885,
246 white and 27o.6l5 colored
children of Mississippi. The
span of years in which a child
is scheduled to get his educa-
ton is short. With him ii is
now or never. in most instanc-
es. The building of a bridge or
a highway can be deferred
without serious damage to
anybody. but not so with. a
child's educational opportuni-
ties. If he misses out now. his
opportunity is gone. All of our
good intentions for the future
all of our professed concern
for his welfare-are of no value
to him If we fail to make pro-
vision for his education now.
The statistics on enrolment in
the schools of Mississippi for
the ls45-4e session show that
232.l35 white children were en-
rolled in the elementary
schools but only 56.o6l in the
high schools. To follow these
elementary enrollments
through the high school grades
reveals a heavy casually list"
of potential high school stu
dents. This is a sad commen-
tarY upon the holding pow
er" of the secondary schools of
our state. which situation pre-
walls in a great measure over
the nation.
Second, Whose welfare are
we trafficking in? The answer
to this is likewise obvious. We
are trying to buy real education
for our children at bargain
prices-this with its eonse-
quent disaster to our nation.
AS Jefferson pointed out years
ago, That nation which ex-
poets to remain free and ig-
norant at the same time ex-
poets that which has never and
never win be-. The best assur-
ance we have that our country
will remain free-that il indeed
will remains democracy at all
found in our willingness to
support general education. be-
cause an intelligent citizenry
is our only hope for the pre-
servation of a government such
as ours, Truly, education is