Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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I EDITOR WILLIAM E. GONZALES 1 I FOR COMPULSORY EDUCATION. \ Written for The Advertiser. In undertaking to write .in article on compulsory oducatlon I do not hope to advance new thoughts or to present this question from an orig inal viewpoint. Hut while it is Inn thal the argumentative Held has been plowed and harrowed so thoroughly that to those who have followed the discussions in this and other stales, the main arguments appear I rite, there are very many who have not given serious si inly to a subject of pressing interest, not alone in edu cational circles, but from the moral, the political and the industrial point of view, It was understood, when 1 was in vited to discuss ibis subject, that the method of compulsion would he ad vocated, hut at the same time | hope to present, at least in outline, every serious argument advanced by per sons opposed to Compulsion. Those supporting the affirmation of compul sion should he free, at least, of sus picion of personal interest or ulterior motive. Sonn- of them have given years of study to this feature of uni versal education; they have traced its history and watched hu spread in Europe and America. They have .-?<en iho light of development follow its course, and they believe with a great faith thai it Is 1.led In the South to emancipate the "common People" from a bondage of Ignorance more pitiful, more depressing, more degrading to morals, more burden ?tonn to industrial advancement, than thai which Lincoln's proclamation ended for ih>- negroes. Compulsory education is not an ex periment. II any system has been tried and provad, ami Jus tilled by Its Unquestioned results, compulsion i so .Instilled. A Herman king appear: (in have boon the lirsi admitting the truth thai knowledge is strength to dren to iheui tinder penalty for feil lire ami should pay tuition of f I i penco per Wuok lor each club!. I mi III mind, please, thai this wise ruler did not wail lor good schools with long terms, or for schools for all the children. He inaugurated Compulsion with the inadequate tools at hand, and from thai has developed the mos! ningnlllcenl system of education on earth. "Made in flermany" is a fa miliar brand in every civilized or senii-clvillzed corner of the earth; Herman scientists are in tin- fori front; Europe trembles when the (Seriniin army, the greatest lighting Krahco, whose farmers are ihn rich est i has coinpulslon. Every ad vanced country of Europe has adopt ed thai system; overy backward country?-Spain, Italy, Turkey, Hun gary, tlreoce, lloumuuln, Russin are Without it. What has developed New England, with a hard climate and poor soil? I'uivorSnl education en forced for generations, has liicrenseo the strength of millions of units, win. have each contributed to the whole. And compulsion followed emigration westward from tin- states of the East, and from Hcrmany ami Scotland, to the West, so th.al. except in the South, every stale of this union is under its strengthening Influence, Our people know little of the achievements of those people, but their works are marvelous. There is compulsion in Cold Canada Japan, whose specialty is in sifting Hi.- wheat from the chaff in tiie economic ami governmental plans of other nations, has adopted coi puislon. The other day an ac complished Hast Indian told me that Iho dnlkwni', prince of Ills native ?state, liaroda. bad begun to In force compulsory education In ins state. Thai is a sign pointing to India's In ndence of (treat Hrltnln. \Vhon Iho torch-bearers are advancing in India, should South Carolinians be afraid to move? The most general and the earliest objection to compulsion is from the parent whose conception of his "rights" over the destiny of his child Increases in ratio with his descent in the social scale. That opposition was manifested in Europe, then in New England, ami it is now felt in South Carolina, it is a condition of the nubile mind before It grasps the larger conception of the Idea. The rights of the parent must be Consid ered together with the rights of the child and the rights of society, which Is h'*re the common wealth. In our civilization, particularly where we have an educational qualification for Citizenship, the claim of Hie state upon the chlli| comes first The State of South Carolina requires nu edu cational or property qunllhi ntlon for I suffrage, and that the child mby se ???in* tin* necessary literacy, ti ? state lias established ;',. >- hools, (Hid for tin- Btipporl of those schools lays, by constitutional decree, a tax upon a.; 1 proporty. real, personal and corpo rate. Tiii' commonwealth taxes all the people with and without children, anil all corporations, tor public edu cation. The taxpayers support the schools upon the moral understand ing that the children will there get primary education, and he enabled t?> tit themselves tor Intelligent ami pro ductive citizenship. If the state for cibly takes money from its citizens for the education of the Child.en, and leaves it optional with the children whether they will take th" primary education offered them, and if from twenty to thirty thousand do not take it. then the taxpayers' money is forced from I hem under false pretenses. They are charged for the conduct of a plant (hill is only half utilized. They lake on these burdens for edu cation because they believe la the dividond-bcnrlng power of general the development followed as the need dictated. With a common s Mise law, having regard for conditions and hav ing reliance In the common sense of teachers and Bchool ofllclch; a com pulsory system can be inaugurated without additional appropriation. When the demand is for tuoro schools and teachers it will be tn ;. Addi tional expense will come only lb give a rudimentary Instruction r-> the ut tle sons -u. ? daughters of so lib Caro lina who come caking jusi a little bread?the fruit of the tree of knowl edge -ar.il shame on 1 who would deny the least of thet:*. that opportu nity. If hot new '?rent'.;." for compulsion, i when wili we bo reedy? '.lave we anything to gain by postponing laying the foundation for a real system of education? Wo have not such a sys tem now; why not begin building? Do our !? glslators realize there are more white in ah1 Illiterates of voting a .e In this stab- i.uhi) than thej were in 18*1)1 in '.v7o the c?nsus showed 12,490 white males of voting ngo who could not read and write. The census of 1900 revealed thai the number of white llllteratrs of voting age had in creased to 15,0151?a'.', average of 872 white adult male llliterat s to the county. ! have no expectation thai the ID 10 census will Indicate n change for the bett sr. v.'e are bound to go from bad to worse becaust the system is wrong, universally Conceded to be wrong. How do I know it is wrong? Be cause it has home good fruit no where; because it Is recognized ns efficient nowhere; because it is not Editor V? Ettintn \\. Gonzales, ? . . . : expectation w : the children n.o permitted to i ?.. ida school attend*! auCe. \ ? : . l ? . ? ol tho i .- ' lui ?? no other spokesman a parent) > would yoke " ? > the ground for*! evi by denying Ij literacy? There Is thuch uaid oi ' .'; .:?'. i portuhity"; ? w'na: ''opportunity'' litis tho Illlterata , in this on-rushing age? What hoy' should not have the chtince to g<; bCr yond tin' st ittis 0? til ? et hinion ist Iti- : boror? Wl ht womr.n should I ? de?' iiiod the resonre? Und the Influence of hooks, an l the prlvll u > of reading : to Children? Does tl 0 'right" <?; the | parent to exact tabor from his infant; child teke precedence, i ?er the right of the child to ;i fair chance in the j battle of Ii:.-, and bve'f the right Of! . oclety tu tuciul :? callable of tic* ? ? ? ? enough school houses; hot enough teachers: no! enough m?ne}'. Chll* 'lion, they declare, would be forced : to go to school whon tl ?? s diools can J not hold them, or when there are no schools Within reasonable reach. These persons, by picturing such a contingency certainly advance tho strongest argument f?ir force for edu? cation. These protests against com* pUlslon flatly cbn radiCt thOSS other ObJSCtOrs WhO ins:.-; WS are doing so well that no ohango Is needed. There Will b>' no better time to be gin compulsion than now; five y?ars ago would have been better. We can not err by following the precedent of Germany and of our own states where the method of compulsion was Inau gurated with u skeleton system, nnl Tin- c tiisus in 1900 show ?? i 217.972 white cltlldn n between ."? nil I years ohl in South Carolina. it i- conser vative to estimate the nun? ?er In 1908 a* -'?/.?? 0. r.iit in 1908 our school enrolment of whito children wns l 16, 617, an '. the a tenure attendance, which i- the real Criterion of the number taking advantage of the school facil ities, was I07.ir>4i About 4(5 per centum of tri' whites between ?'> and 20 are in average attendance -even on the pitifully Short sessions in many of the counties! Is it intelligent to hope for good results front a system which is thus repudiated? Another element i.? not Opposed to compulsion, per se, out wish b sanc tioned by "local option." Why? Do we ask that a law prohibiting chief treatment of children by their parents shnll have ''local" sanction Do we tiak that prohibit! hi of child labor shall h" indorsed by county or coin- j munlty vote? Do vv? ask local con ? Itia'.i! re ? ulremenl of liloraty? We now 'nave "local option" for the fnuiily. That ir has fall id Is proved by the number of il?t >ratos and the number of chil dren in "avorago" attendance at school, Nowhere has local option by counties succeeded. A county systeni and a state system under state supervision would be Incongru ous, inharmonious, and Impractical in operation, as it would he unsatis factory In results, but the most se rious drawback would be that where there Is the greatest need for com pulsion the local sentiment is natural ly more opposed to compulsion; the Influences to create a progressive public sentiment are weakest in those counties standing In most need of progress. Det us not. for policy or politics, uvoii (its (saue, Lei us not shirk the obligation of the common , wealth. It is tho duty of the state I to now care for its future Citizenship., That Citizenship can be no more cer tainly strengthened than through the influence of education. Thomas Jef ferson saw the hope of the republic, the permanence of free institutions, in the voters who could tea I. Our state rocognizes the pre-eminent Im portance of'literacy by establishing 1 schools and providing in the consti tution for their support. Therefore, when we permit thousands, t-'tis of thousands, of our white people to grow up in benighted Ignornnce are wo not nullifying our Intelligent pur pose, and burdening the future with a tremendous handicap Filially, I come to the objection to compulsory education because of the presence of the negro in preponder ating numbers. The objection upon this ground is sometimes made open ly, sometimes veiled. is it worth while to discuss seriously such ob jection? Do people with heads raised above tho ground need to be shown where that position is not only un tenable, but is a reflection upon the white race. Implying doubt of its su periority ? The bounds of this article do not permit a discussion of the value of education to the negro, but I chal lenge the truth of the common saying that to make a negro literate spoils a good plow hand. The best plow hands are the most Intelligent plow bands. The negro develops intelli gence in two ways, one through coin in:!; in contact with Intelligent whites, whoso ideas are assimilated and who inspire to activity the mental facul ties of the inferior man, the other by acquiring those ideas through rond Ing. The /iterate negro is a better citizen than the illiterate: He is more law-abiding, more productive, .?'.ore responsible, more self-respect ing, more amenable to reason, more useful in a rhor ami capacities. See them in Charleston, Columbia and other cities; see them as farmers; then contrast with them an oqual number of Illiterates in the same communities, and render a just ver dict. Here i.- another lest, that may be applied by each white man with a 'r.r.iily living beyond police protec ? ..: ..''.ich won id you prefer to ve noon your place In your ab neo, o,- to have walk the road that ? ; : bo traversed by wife and dtiugiil >rs, the negro who through blllty to rend is brought within the moral influence of such lenders of ii" race as Richard Carroll, or the densely Ignorant animal, utterly with out sense of responsibility, and as unreachable by civilizing influences as a brute? South Carolina long ago Conceded that a literate negro was the better, and provided schools lor him. Twen ty-six thousand more negroes than whites are enrolled iu the public schools. Aud whether the enroll ment is to intents and purposes fraudulent, ami a trick of the negro teachers at which white superintend ents wink or connive, as was recently suggested by a county superintendent, the fact is that tens of thousands ate becoming literate, und he who would attempt to stop that movement toward literacy by a division of taxes, or by any othe subterfuge, is wofully blind to conditions, and utterly ignorant of the power of aroused ambit ion. Throw the negro upon his own resources for his schools ami there will be a school in every church, with larger attend ance and longer terms than now. And. yet. men who should know bet ter say, in effect. "Chain that white boy to the bottom rung of the bidder, do not lei him have opportunity to (limb, for ;i negro boy might (limb with him. Do not fore" 50,000 white children, now out of school, to learn to read, because some negroes might also he forced to learn to read, aud our Anglo Saxon supremacy will be thus menaced."' How little is their faith in that supremacy! 1 know the! while man is inherently superior, and has greater capacity for development, I know the degree of superiority be tween the average educated white and the average educated negro is greater than it is lud ween the two races al the lowest stratum. Therefore. I be lieve general education in South Car olina and in the South will widen the Social gulf between the races. Where white women work in the Heids by the side of negro men there is no division, and Hint is the fate today of numbers of illiterate while women in South Carolina, .Mr. Editor, with very f, w excep tions the newspapers of South Caro lina advocate compulsion in educa tion. As the question Is discussed, ii gains converts. Hill suppose (if one of (hose hypothetical questions I ?? permissible) t litt I Instead of advo cating compulsion, those, juipers should advocate keeping ignorant the ignorant? Suppose they should com lueud restricting educational facilities to the children of literates, ami should hold thai Iho grehtcr I he number of Illiterate voters the more readily elec tions might be influenced by corpora tlons. or bought by wealthy candi dates, and that the greater the num ber of people who could not form opinions of their own. the better for powerful men and interests? Mr. Editor, can you imagine the protest that would arise from gentlemen "in politics" who chronically pose as friends of the "common people." and who are tiow found standing burring the way only way of the common people to light and liberty, and en cournging the greatest menace in o republic to good government! it i< not for us cd* today to know what will be a century or live centuries hence. Wo do not rule destiny. Hut if we rulers of this state ami county be lieve that the Almighty made the white race superior, and decreed it should rub-, we must believe that OUC I Consummation was not intended to be achieved through subterfuges, nar rowness or injustice. We must re pudiate the suggestion that our su periority is dependent upon forcibly holding another race In Ignorance. Let us forward bravely, broadly. With boldness and justice, turn on the light, and let the future bear Its fruits. A lump of rock salt should be ke;it lu the manger Of every animal of the horse kind. NOTICE OF ELECTION. State of South Carolina. County of Laurens. Whereas, petitions sinned by mo- ? than one-third of the qualified dec ors and more than one-third of th i free-holders residing 111 School Dis trict No. 7. Dials Township. I.aureus County. S. ('.. asking for nil election upon the question of levying a four lit mill tax Upon properly in Bald School 1 ?ist riet to bo used for school purposes have boon lib d With the County Hoard of Education, an elec tion is hereby ordered*.upon said ques tion, said election to'be held on th - I'.'ih day of .lune. IllOft, ill Dial .-. School House, under the management of the trustees of/said district. Only such electors as return real or personal property for taxation, and who oxhidit their lajx receipts and registration certificates, as required in general election, shall be allow id to vote. Those favoring the tax shall vo ?? a ballot containing the word "Yes" written or printed thereon: those against the (ax shall vote a ballot containing the word "No" written or printed thereon. Coils shall open hi the hour of 7 o'clock in the forenoon and roniii! open until the hour of i In the after noon when (I cy id-all be eh.scd and the ballots counted. The Trustees shall report Cne result of said election to the County Auditor within ten days I hereafter. (1EO. L. PITTS. I i-:'.t. Co. S ipt. of Ed. Choice Styles IN Low Cut Shoes Our low cut Shoos arc correctly made and, if we do the fitting, there will he no slipping at the heel or gaping Everybody will be wantin&sQjcfords and Ties, during the next few months, and we suggest that you make an early selection, while the lines of widths and sizes are full and there is such a choice variety of styles from which to make your selection. Men's Shoes Oxfords, Ties and Pumps in new spring models, black or tan leathers $3.00, $3.50, $1.00, $5.00 and $6.00 Women's Shoes ^Dv?f Oxfords in tie or button style Rib bon Tics. Nc w Ankle strap Pumps. $::.00, $2.50, $3.00 and $3.50 COPELAND The Shoe Man The One Price Shoe Store. Customers Shoe.^ Shined Free.