Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1867-06-06
Educational-The Peabody Fund,


Educational-The Peabody Fund.
The following letter from the Rev. B.
Sears, General agent of the peabody Ed
ucational Fund.- which was called forth
by the last report Of the Hon. Robert M.
Lusher. superintendent of Public Educa-
ton for our State, will prove interesting
to every citizen, aud is highly compli-
mentary to the good sense and capacity of
Mr.. Lusher. Mr.. Lusher was elected to
oil an office which had been rendered
nothing more than d sinecure, and by his
deep interest in the mental and moral
culture of the youth Of our State, and his
untiring energy In seeking to make his
labor and the effect thereof commensurate
with the Importance of his position, has
rendered it indeed a position of heavy re-
sponsibility and application.
This Office of State Superintendent was
especially created for one of Louisiana's
brightest ornaments, Alexander Dimity,
who organized and established the m ost
perfect system of public education which
the people and the latitude of the laws
would permit, and made it so com pletely
his own; SO absorbed the position of State
Superintendent in the vastness OF his own
individuality, that every boy who went to
Il public school during his administration
OF The duties of his office claimed j., and as a
man, now claims to have gone to school
TO Professor Dimltry.
Mr.. Lusher was the favorite and cher
ished pupil of Professor Dimtry, and he
does credit to his teacher, in his faithful
and unnrng efforts in behalf of our
youth and in the manner in which he
fills the chair of State perintendent.
The Rev. B. Sears-who has, from his
eminent capacities. mental aud moral,
been selected as the controlling agent of
the "Peabody Fundn-has, in his letter,
touched upon one point which is of vast
importance to our people, and we concur in
his views. Mr. Lusher IS anxious to have
the black children educated, aud is honest
in his convictions, but does hot see any
feasible method of educating both black
and white, unless they have separate
schools, and we hope that our citizens, of
all classes, will look at this matter, aside
from any political animosities or parties.
If left alone, the Southern whites will
educate the backs, and, in time, for who
knows what changes in sentiment time
may bring about possibly blacks and
whites may be seen going to the same
schools. But we cannot press this matter
now upon the people; it is all sufficient
the blacks should be educated.
This Peabody fund will be of great as
sIstance to aIi Of our States, if it IS admin
istered in accordance with the spirit of this
letter ana cttcuiar Of Mr.. Sears; but if bad
men WHO viii to use the educational funds
and the teachers ~ political machinery for
tho tuTthcrance ri selfish designs, get the
power direct the education of the you tn
of the South black and white they will
retnrG the efforts of good and single
minded men like the Rev. B. Sears and
Mr., Robert Lusher.
"Phov1DENoR RI, May %, 1857.
Hon. R. NJ. Lusher:
"Dear &r-Nothing that has reached |
me from the various Southern States, has |
given me such unmingled satisfaction as
the perusal of your report, just received. |
II is, in most respects, just such docu-
ment az the Trustees of the Peabody Edu- |
Fund, in like circumstances would |
have written. We have already deter
mined that all our efforts shall be be to
secure the objects you advocate.
"We propose to limit our aid to such
modes as shall tend to the establishment
of sys EN- of public schools. We desire
that the whole system and it's administra-
ton be in the hands of the people. The
only conditions that we shall insist on
will be that the schools shall be, or tend
to become, public free schools. BY free
schools | do not mean schools equally
open to whites and blacks. All such mat
tiers we propose 10 leave to the people
themselves.
IL intend to visit your State next winter,
and confer with you about the best way Of
];,tr ~; b,t |