The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-28
he Great Work of Southern Education.

The Great Work of Southern Education.
WE know of no subject of more importance to
fbe country than that of education in the
South. Accustomed as we of the North have
been to our systems of public schools, afford
inc the blessings OF education to the masses
almost without money and without price,
and securing general diffusion of knowledge
among the great body of the people, we can
hardly imagine the true state Of the case at
the South.
Under the slave dispensation there were no
nublio schools such as prevail at the North.
In the first place, it was not desirable that the
black people should be educated. The slave
who could read or write was looked upon as
dangerous piece of property. Hence, to teach
him TO do SO was a criminal offense under the
slave laws. And, in the second place, the
constitution of Southern society, with its vast
plantations and scattered inhabitants, made it
impossible to sustain any system OF general
nublic education even for the whites. The
result was, that while the children of wealthy
planters were taught by tutors or in private
schools, or sent to the North and while in the
cities and larger villages something was done
for public education in the way of select
schools or academies, the great mass of the
people, both white and black, grew up in
almost unrelieved ignorance. That large class
of the Southern population known as poor
white trash" were as illiterate and degraded
as the lowest black slaves.
1t is a state of things growing out of such
facts as these that we are now called upon to
confront The mighty pIOughshare of revolu-
ton has overturned everything in the South
There are no longer masters and slaves there
but only people. To these people the great
work of reoonstructing State Governments has
been assigned by Congress. Every vestige of
the old aristocracy is to be swept away. The
former master is to deposit his ballot by the
side of his late slaves, his vote counting for no
more than that of the humblest of his late
chattels. Not only so, but these people are
soon to become equal participants, under the
Constitution, with us, of political power in
the general Government. The two Senators
from South Carolina, with her 29l, 900 whites
and her Az, 900 blacks, will count for just as
three millions of inhabitants. We are trying
the democratic experiment on vast scale.
Shall it succeedH
Now it must be evident that in the educa-
tiOn of these Southern millions, white and
black, there is a field for the noblest exertions
of philanthropy and craftsmanship. And it
is a asource of great cOngratulatiOn that, just at
this juncture, Mr. Peabody has stepped in with
his munifcent gift to lead the way, and call
the attention of the people to this great sub
jeCt. We are rejoiced to see that the Trustees
Ofthe Peabody Fund have wisely concluded to
make Primary or Common School education
the leading object in the efforts they are abou
to put forth. This is commencing in the right
way. Take care of the education of the masses
in Common Schools, and the Academies Col.
leges, and Universities will follow in due time
What we want now is to reach the great BODY
of the people with the elements of usefu
knowledge. And in this connection, we mus
not omit to commend the wise liberality of the
Appletons, publishers in New York, in tn,
gift to the Trustees of the Peabody Fund 0
one hundred thousand volumes of schoo
books, adapted to the use of Common Schools
Other publishers might well emulate tbei
example. Indeed, why may not this Peabod
fund be made the nucleus of a great nationa
movement for Southern education The Boar
of Trustees of that Fund have already ofFere
the position of General Agent, under who's
supervision the work is to be carried on I
one of the most able educators in the countr,
the Rev. DR.. Sears, President of Brown I'm
versity. He will probably accept of the ofic
and we shall shortly behold the good work
full operation. At the same time those 9th,
agencies through which Northern philanthror
has already commenced the work of educati,
among the Southern masses, and which ha
already done a noble work, should be e
couraged and upheld. The field is bro
enough to absorb all the labor that can be e
pended on it. The work is vast enough to t
the energies of all who love their country, a
desire to see the blessings Of education ditfui
throughout all its borders.
SHERIDAN PUTS HIS FooT DowN.-Gene
Sheridan's prompt removal of those three
famous men, Mayor Monroe, of New Orlea