It may be news to some folks that county officials and te4achers are taking the liberty to say whether or not a state law made and enacted for the whole state by a legislature in session shall be enforced in this county. And the funny part of it is that they have solemnly decided that the law is not to be enforced n this town, according to the Welfare Officer’s letter.
It may have never occurred to the teachers and the Welfare Officer that it is not their duty to provide houses for the children of the various districts. That is the duty of committeemen. But it is the duty of the teachers and the Welfare Officer to see that the children attend the school, and when did you ever hear of children returning home because there was no room for them in the school building?
There are reasons that are well worth one’s time why this compulsory school law should be enforced in this county. And what is true of this county is true of the whole state, but we are not aware of the fact that the law is being ignored in other counties.
It may not have occurred to every one to what an extent the people of this county are unable to read and write. The man who has canvassed for a newspaper knows something of the facts. Any man who has gone among the people to sell a paper knows that it is very common to hear a citizen say that he does not care to buy the paper for the reason that he is not able to read it. Then if the sale is pressed a bit he will frankly tell you that his wife cannot read and that his children cannot. The man who sells a paper will hear a story of this kind almost daily and sometimes several times during a day.
Any man who has lived here and knows the history of this section knows the reason for all this. In the years that followed the civil war there were practically no schools for the people of the rural districts for 10 or more years. The boys and girls who grew up during those distressing times had no opportunity to get an education and the result is that the country has a very large number of homes where there is no one who can read or write.
A very large number of these unlearned people are not awake to the need of sending their children to school, and they can be reached only by the strong arm of the law. If a man takes the view that he had no opportunity and gets along and that his child must do the same, how can you reach a fellow like this by anything less than the law, and there are plenty of men in this class.
It is no disgrace in this section at this time to be unlearned, for our people know the reasons, but this state of society must not continue for it is for the welfare of all the people that illiteracy be blotted out. And it can be done. But it must be by means of the strong arm of the law in many cases.
It is a fact that some of our most prosperous citizens are not able to read or write, and some homes in this class are as zealous about the education of their children as they could possibly be. We have in mind a citizen who was totally deprived of all school advantages and went through life unable to write his name, but this man saw to it that his children were not so hampered. He sent them to school and to college and managed to accumulate property and gave them one of the best homes in the land. We have in mind a citizen who accumulated much property, lands and money and a big dry goods store, but could not read a line or write his name.
And while this is true of a few men who forged to the front in spite of their hobble, there are a great multitude who are kept down in a large degree by their lack of education. Many of them are not able to get ahead financially and own a home or accumulate something for a rainy day. The struggle with them is to meet the daily needs and they seem to have no interest in their children so far as getting any kind of an education goes. And strange to say these thriftless ones often rear children that are as bright as one can find in any home in the land. And they often rear large families. These are the homes that call for the services of the Welfare Officer and the strong arm of the law.
It is a crime to allow children to go through the winter and remain out of school. It is a violation of the state law to allow this and it is a crime against organized society. Spring is here and the school term is fast nearing an end and no time should be lost in putting the compulsory law into effect in this county and then see that it is forever kept in fine working order.
From the editorial page of The Mount Airy News, Feb. 24, 1921
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