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Compulsory Education in the Southern States.A. vigorous plea for compulsory school attendance laws in the Southern States is made by William H. Hand, State High School Inspector for South Carolina, in a bulletin just issued by the United States Bureau ot Education. After pointing out that the six states still without compulsory laws—South Carolina, Ceor-giu, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, and the lour states with compulsory laws that apfdy only partially --Maryland, Virginia, Arkansas and Louisiana—are all Southern States, Mr. Hand presents statistics showing that although illiteracy has been reduced rapid.y in these States within the last two decades, they still have the highest pccentage of illiteracy among the white population.“The figures can have but one meaning,” declares Mr. Hand. “They show that compulsory education reduces illiteracy.“The opponents of compulsory education insifts that tho people will send their childron to school without being obliged to do so, it only they aro Bhown their duty and their obligation to tbeir children. These opponents declare tjiat the younger generation of white children are already in school. Neither contention is true. In 11)10 the 12 Southern States had 788,699 native white children between the ages of 6 and 14 not in school.“Who are these illiterate white children, and why are they not in school? Some ol them are the sons and daughters of paronls themselves ignorant and unable to appreciate or to understand what an education means to their children and to the State, Some aro the children of sordid fathers and mothers who aro more than willing to make wage earners and breadwinners of their untaught offspring at tho expense of their future manhood and womanhood. Many are at work on tho farms, sacrificed to the monotonious round ot planting crops, cultivating crops, harvesting crops,and again planting crops. Some arc at vvcrk in stores and shops or engaged as messenger boys, all at a saw mill wage. Many are employed iu the nerve dulling and blood sapping environment of the mills, receiving good wages as children in exchange for vigor of body and training of mind as men and women; while thousands of olhsrs are roaming the streets and country lanes, tho training ground for idlers, vagrants, and enemies to law, order, and decency.“When the Stato has provided schools for all its chiMrep, it has performed only a portion of its duty, If a univerral school tax is justifiable on the ground that popular education is a nec'ssity, compulsory attendance by the State is also justifiable. The Stale has no right to levy aud collect taxes for a specific purpose and then permit that purpose to be defeated at the hand of indifferent or selfish parents.“Objection is often made th.it com-
Newspaper Details
Perry Home Journal
Perry, Georgia, US
Thu, Jun 25, 1914
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 02 Aug 2023
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