Mr. Editor:--The Hon. Smith Hagaman made a speech last
spring at the close of the Cove Creek school and chose for his subject “A new
phase of country life.” Mr. Hagaman showed in a very practical and common sense
way the importance of the country people, the farmers, going forward.
First, of course, he emphasized education—education in
agriculture, in scientific farming, as well as in a literary way, and advocated
strongly as a means of education the betterment of the public schools. This
writer wants to say here that he is awfully sorry that there is a backward step
in Watauga regarding the local tax. One district has voted it out and another
will, perhaps, very soon. Is this, my country brother, going forward? I think
not. Counties east of the Blue Ridge, many of them, such as Mecklenburg and
Guilford, that are in easy touch with Charlotte and Greensboro, whose
educational facilities are hardly surpassed in the South, have a large number
of local tax districts, believing the public school the most effective way of
educating because it reaches all classes of people. And if I had it in my power
I would convince every tax-payer in Watauga that the best money he has ever
spent in his life would be in educating the children—the youths upon whose
shoulders the affairs of state and country will soon fall and, as I see it, it
is eminently our duty as parents to prepare the next generation for usefulness.
Useful! Reader, tax-payer, have you ever tried or had a desire to be useful,
and do you want your children to be broad-minded, liberal-hearted,
noble-thinking men and women? Then go out of your way to bring them in touch
with good literature and lives of great and good men—educate them and do it by
voting a special tax on yourself for that purpose, as it is the best thing we
can do at present.
Again, Mr. Hagaman said the country folk should beautify
their homes—make them attractive, so that our children would not want to go to
town. Now we are up against it; we must tax ourselves to educate and then spend
money to keep these educated boys and girls from going to town. Yes, pretty
touch, but if we do it they will bring things to pass and we will be proud of
them and they will call us blessed. Of course we must have money with which to
do these things. Where shall we get it? First, by increasing or earnings by
close application of our time to business and organization. Organization is
highly important. We let the manufacturer do all the pricing, that of the raw
material and also the manufactured article. Take for an example wool. We are
getting this year 23 cents the pound for wool and if we buy any yarn it costs
us 60 cents the pound. Here there is too much difference in the raw material
and the manufactured goods. Let every man who has the wool off of one sheep and
up, not in Watauga alone, but throughout the country, enter and be governed by
an organization and we can get what we ought to have for our wool. Let us
organize in Watauga for a forward movement in everything that helps us and our
children to be more useful.
--D.C.
Mast, Sugar Grove, June 17
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