Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1857-04-18

EDUCATION IN THE SourH.-A great deal has been
said by northern journals anti-slavery Journals
proper making the loudest comments-uPoh tue
supposed fact that education was neglected matter
in those States where slavery was recognized IN
stitution, and that of necessity, the bighung mhu-
ence of the so-called "plague spot ehaced all at-
tempts to establish high degree OF interest IN the
superior cultivation of the mind, and that, IN truth,
the central fire of intellectually burned Win h'en
sity in or about the capitol of old Massachusetts on
lv-tbe farther one gets from that focus-Eas est,
North or South, and particularly South-the colder,
the more non intellectual the more barbarian-like
he is found Like all northern anti-savery fallacies,
this has no foundation, it never had 1t was an at
ON of the huge mountain OF base fabrlcatons wmcn
inscriptions journals and loud-mouthed, Ignorant
fanatics, have piled up by busy and mischievous
labor of twenty years. and which has stood for the
superficial observer to gaze upon and believe IN, TIL
the past great political warfare7 when the engnery
of truth and right, the principles of pure Democra
cy and the journals of that doctrine, have began to
undermine this pile of freesoil rotenness, and ere
long it will tumble to pieces with but little effort on
the part of those who labor to pull it down.
It is to be hoped the ATHENS of America" the
very atmosphere of (which, is supposed by those who
daily breathe it. to be little less than the submty
of intellectually, the very essence of intense men,
talty redoent of poesy and the classics so refined
that sOutherner could not make single respIra-
ton within half a mile Of Cambridge or Bunker
Hil-it is to be hoped that the Emmersonans Of
that locality will make note of the following facts !:
The six New England States have white popu-
lation of 2 705 09S, and out Of that number there
are 1850 college and university students, or to
946. Massachusetts, the casket itself intellectually
rich, which holds that valuable Athenian jewel, Bos
ton shows student of this character in every 944
of her population.
Now we will place against this the extreme South,
the 'demorazed and grovelling slave States"
In the four Southern States of Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, we find
white population of 2,243, $50. Florida is not re-
ported The number of college and university stu
dents is /, 111-or l to 545-showing almost twice
the amount of Educational interest" Of the same
high character the New England States in body,
as Boosting Massachusetts, as State. What have
the "Athenians" to say to this show of figures and
the poor comparison they make in the display
Taking the States of Massachusetts,, kentucy, Ohio
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan Wisconsin and Iowa, we
find 1888, III, white population, and the college
and university students, s,497, or l in 6s7. Here
again the New England States behind, and so is
the casket, which holds the jewel, Boston
We now take the States of Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee, and find there
2,ll6, lO1 white population and the number of the
students of States named 5000 this gives one to
4SO. Again is New England and also the State Of
Massachusetts, in the back ground. The summing
up of the matter is just this:-the six New England
States, which have Dragged not only Of their great
educational advantages, and the many scholars who
avail themselves of the means of education over and
above the like number in the slave States, but over
the free States also, have been guilty of silly boast
which had not the slightest foundations in truth
This hot bed of fanatics is beaten in this comparison
of educational capital by sixteen out of the twenty
two States outside of this galaxy Of mental brian
cy and we trust to hear no more about New Eng
land intellectually, read any more sneerng com.
ments upon Southern or Western schools schol.
ars.
We find in the Southern Literary Messenger, facts
in accordance with the above statistics, and copous
comments of character so telling amongst the free
soil portion of the North, that we should hardly
like to mortify the New Enganders to the degree
they must suffer, should we extend this sort of in
telligence among them We hope that no more silly
braggadocio spirit will be manifested in that locality,
but that, with all their devotion in the pursuit of
knowledge, they will prosecute spirit of enquiry
beyond the Chinese wall they have sought to build
up, and rather think they will find the outside
barbarians quite as far advanced in knowledge and
morals as themselves, and probably, as these facts
show, little farther ~ \. Day Book.