Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-01-29


TO- s26; attending school during the year,
as returned by families, 1927 native
white adults Of the State who cannot read
or write, 75,S6S. Public libraries, 54:
volumes 1874 Value of churches, So.
9O2, go lCompend, Of Census Of So !
BY table 1856, came compend, the per cent.
age Of native free population in Virginia
over twenty years OF age who cannot read
or write is 1890, and in York, 1877; in
North Carolina. &c. "a; in Maryland, II. 10;
in Massachusetts,, 0,32, or less than one.
third OF one per cent.
In New England, the per centage of ma.
tive whites who cannot read or write is
0,42, or less than one-half Of one per cent;
and IN the Southern States 20. 30, or fifty ia
one in favor of New England. (Compend
table l57.) But, if We take the whole adult
population of Virginia, including whites
Tree blacks, and slaves, 1906 per cent, OF
nearly one-half, cannot read or write; and
in North Corolino, more than one half can
not read or write.
We have seen by the above official table.
of the census of 1861, that New York,
compared with Virginia, had nearly ten
times as many pupils at schools, colleges
and academies, twenty times as many books
times the value of churches while the ra-
ito Of native white adults who cannot read
or write was more than ten to one in Viri
ginis, compared with New York. We
have seen, also, that in North Carolina
ne.rly one third Of the native white adults.
and in Virginia nearly one fifth cannot read
or write, and in New England | ID 400, in
New York in every l3l, in the South and
Southwest in every II Of the native white
adults, Comp. p. l53.)
These official statistics enable me, then,
again to say that slavery is hostile to tho
progress of wealth and education: to science
and literature; to schools, colleges and
universities; to books and libraries, to
churches and religion; to the press; and,
therefore, to free government; hostile to
the poor, keeping them in want and gnor-
ance; hostile to labor, reducing it to seryi-
tuIe, and decreasing e6o thirds the value
of its produce: hostile to morals, repudiating
among slaves the marital and parental con-
dition, classifying them by law as goods
and chattels, darkening the immortal soul,
and making it crime to teach millions Of
human beings to read and write.
Surely such a system is hostile to civili-
cation, which consists in the education of
the masses Of the people Of country, and
not of the few only. A State, one third of
whose population are slaves, classified by
law as chattels, and forbidden all instruction,
and nearly one.ffth Of whose aduln whites
cannot read or write, il semi civilized, how
ever enlightened may be the ruling classes.
If highly educated chief or parliament
governed China or Dihomey,i they
would still be semi civilized or barbarnus
countries, however enlightened their rulers
might be.
The real discord between the North and
the South is not only the difference be-
tween freedom and slavery, but between
civilization and barbarism caused BY slav.
cry. When we speak Of civilized nation,
we mean the masses Of the people, aud not
the government or rulers only. The en-
lightenment OF the people is tho true critic.
rion OF civilization, and any community
that falls below this standard is barbarous
or semi civilized.
In countries where kings or oligarchies
rule, the government may be maintained.
however unjustly, without educating the
masses; and, in q Republic or popular gov
ernment, this is an impossibly; and the delu.
ped masses Of the South never could have
been driven into this rebellion, but for the
ignorance into which they had been ,pluug-
cd by slavery, nor is there any remedy for
the evil but emancipation. Ii, then, we
would give stability aud wisdom to the
Government, and perpetuity to the Union,
we must abolish slavery, which wiLhholds
education II enlightenment from the mass.
es OF the people, who, with US, control the
policy OF the nation.
With our only cause Of ignorance and
poverty among the people, and only els
ment OF discord among the States, extrpated
by the gradual removal Of slavery and
negroism, we would bound forward in
new and wonderful career of power aud
prosperity. Our noble vessel Of State, the
great Republic, freighted with the hopes Of
humanity, and the liberties of our country
and of mankind, still bearing alott the flag
Of our mighty Union, indissoluble by do.
nestle traitors or conspiring Oligarchs,
will under Divine guidance, pass over he
troubled waters, re-assuring u desp0nding
world, as she glides into the blessed haven
of safety and repose.
All the miracles of our past career would
be eclp41by the glories OF the future
WeRight Then laugh to scorn this impo.
tentmaice of foreign foes. Without force
or fraud, without scsptre or bayonet. our
marel influence and example, for their own
good, and by their own fre6 choice, would
control the institutions, aud destiny Of ma