The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1866-09-27
Fer the Clarion,
Thoughts for Thinking Men.
TERRY. Miss. Sent. ed, Is6f

prosperity, etc, of individuals or commune
ties Then, consider me not presumptuous
in offering To the thinking men OF our
country few original thoughts upon sub
iect of vital importance TO our situation
and if | but elicit thought and discussion
viii, to very great extent, have accolhp-
lshed my purpose.
But to the point: All thinking men feel
that something must be done to elevate the
moral and intellectual capacities OF the
freedman, or he viii Fetrograde TO his prs
tine state of baFbarism and become worse
than "A curse to the country he lhhaDits-
Man Is a progressive being Goa mas
given him capacities for Improvement, or
for assinilating himself fOtrards the charae-
ter of his Creator; and he who does not
move up, morally aud intellectually, IS sure
to move dOWH. The brain, muscle, ana al
fections of the deniZens of a country belong
(for good) to that country; and that country
which fails to develope these, not only falls
to protect and support the happiness ana
prosperity of its people, but grossly negIects
It's duty to God and can, in thus violating
the laws OF God, but expect to reap the legl-
innate fruits of ignorance, sin and laziness,
in misery crime and poverty. Then look ut
our country. More than One-thiTd of ITS IN
habitants are unable to read Gods word,
and our knowledge of them conyinces us
that not only they but their descendants
ever will be, unless some imoral or physical
incentive can be brought 10 bear upon them,
which will have 4 better effect IN arouslnS
their dormant energies than any yet known
to us. Can we find the incentive ! think
we can. They love their offspring; but
manifest it according to their dispositions,
or rather according to their moral and
mental capacities, III desiring to have them
with themselves whether to their advan-
tage or otherwise, and free from any manner
of restraint or control, except peradventuIe
when their anger becomes aroused against
them, when they beat them numerically. /
have often, this year, seen parents fail their
children more than twice as severely as l
ever saw it done by even the most unreason-
able master in the days of slavery.
Then let our Legislature soon to convene,
begin the work Of reform boldly aud eneTget-
ically Let them begin it upon the basis
that erag child (having the capacity and
l can see no good reason for making a dis
tinction III color, must be taught to read
Gods word, to do sums sin simple business
calculation and to write or in other words
mnst be given a simple elementary education.
And how. YOU ask, is this to be done
Tax us The resources of the country have
been So drained by contributions, taxes and
vandalism, that those among us who are best
of arc dependent upon their energies and
not their estates for means 10 educate their
own children, and hence are unable to pay
taxes. There is but little difference or rath-
Ell inequality among us now 50 far our
estates are concerned. Our wealth consists
in our energies and industry, and not in our
means or money. But | hold hat, that man
who brings into existence Il human intellect
is responsible not only to God but to the
country for the proper training of that i'll
tellect or for the education of its head, its
hands and its heart. and that parent who
i I
not proper custodian for his offspring, and
ought not to be allowed to cumber it with
his own misfOrtunes or sins.
The State, the country, society, is benefit
ed or injured when a child is born ! care
not how high or how lowly its origin, every
intellect cXertS an influence upon these sew
orally and collectively and these are the
moral guardians of every child that is born
into them and if the teachings of the nat
ural guardian are preiudicial to the welfare
of these, they ought to seize upon it and
transfer its custody to some one who will
train it that it will become a blessing and
not curse to them. And pray who is in
iured by this rule not the parent, for if lie
is unable but willing to rear his child Alright,
he would be grateful to some one to take il
and perform that duty for him; but if able
and not willing 10 make the necessary sacri-
fee and effort, then Is he not worthy to be
consulted Not the child, for instead of be-
ing raised in ignorcnce and viciousness to
become the companion OF the degraded and
unhappy, he is prepared for usefulness and
prosperity.
Then You ask what do propose / would
take ereyy child who has arrived at the age
of seven years, and whose parent or guar
dian does not give evidence of sufficient
e1,crgy and ability to give it an elementary
4
bind IL ont to some one who could give suifi-
cient guarantees for the performance of
these duties BY this means many, very
many parents who have now herded them
selves together around the towns and vii
lagos and are depending upon predatory
or at least uncertain eristcnce would be inn
PEELED to seek honorable and profitable EN-
plOynent; others who have gone to work -
plantations would cease to be both jew and
Gentle, having two holidays and no Holy
Day iii each seven. In a few words, those
v no ought I" bc trusted with the custody OF
their own offspring would he stimulated to
action seeing the necessity for providing for
the future. 1t is notorious to all that the
greatest difficulty i'll the development of the
present labor system is, that the labOTng
class take no thought for the FUTURE
sufficient for the day is the evil thereof ."
We cannot inspire III them that greatest
Yankee incentive to energy, viz: a love OF
filthy lucre." Could we get them to lore
money for itself they would labor enpTgeti-
caliy and faithfully; but loving their ease
more, only providing for their Immediate
wants and above all, feeling no moral slim
illus to be ''diligcnt i'll business" they must
i'll the very nature of things ever while
thus, be a worse than curse to the country
that has to bear their presence, much more
feed, clothe, and perform the other kind
Offices required by human nature. Such is
the "our own interest view OF the case; but
1t VIII well become us TO look to Our re-
sponsibilItIes before High Heaven in dealing
with this subject aud to cease to give the
sullen answer to every effort toward clevat-
ing the moral and intellectual nature of the
treedmen-that the Puritans have placed
them in their present unhappy situation
and they, and not we, are responsible before
God; when the quarter of a whole race
have sunk to the tomb in the space of four
years. That they, and not we, are RESPONSE
bic, when our prisons are filled to overflow
ing-when rape and arson and all the other
crimes of the ignorant and degraded stalk
madly through our country even in the
very light of nOon-day, let God, who will
be ours, be their judge. But let us remem-
Der that we are as much responsible before
Him for the good that we might and fail to
do; for the evil that we might prevent but
neglect to remedy, as for the crjI ace
10. That He has given us talents
which are not to be buried in a napkin
That He holds Us responsible in proportion
as He has given us the ability to do good and
prevent wrong. That that nation wl6ch
takes the Law Of the Land" for their rule
and lives by it, is happy and prosperous, and
that though wicked nation, like a wicked
individual, may flourish for season. and
spread itself like a green bay tree" yet
the end OF it is destruction. Then let us
arise in our might and energy--do our duty
like men, and if the Yankees undo what we
do, let the responsibility of the deed, before
High Heaven and enlighted nations, fall up
ON them and not upon us.
| have written long, but | have hardly
touched the points in this subject / am no
newspaper scribler, nor seek the honor
had hoped to see this subject brought before
the public by an ADLER pen-that il might
lie discussed by the press generally before
the session of the Legislature, and / trust
that yet, ere the meeting of that importap+
assembly, some better. ADLER person Will re-.
Vl@w and throw more light upon the points
have so teebly made, and especially snggeSt
strong safeguards to he thrown around the
apprentices. moral improvements, when this
system. or one like it shall be adopted.
which certainly viii take place, and the
sooner the better But few more words
and am done. The opponents of negro
education say: "He has not capacity" The