New-York tribune., 1867-10-18

In England or on the continent of Europe
Many sent their sons to our Northern colleges
Harvard used to be disfavOred with their Wis
itatiOns. But there was no lack OF schooling
at home for those who would pay for it. Free
schools were scarce at the South, but costly
private schools were plenty. Common schools
were hard to find but colleges, seminaries, in
stitutes, and academies were in abundance. 1t
has been stated that lthe South, which more
than neglected its public schools, maintained
these costly superior schools more generously
than the Northern people did theirs; for the
reason that they wanted schools for superior
and wealthy class, while we wanted schools for
the people. Virginia had 421 private schools
and colleges, literally endowed, to S27 in Mas
sachusetts Alabama opposed her 2l3 to Con-
nccticut's 2O2. Alabama laid no tax on these
high-class schools, but made no Appropriation
for common schools. Rhode Island educated
on the cheap free system $3.50 pupils South
Carolina with four times her population, ed
ucated 2O,716; but South. Carolina had 24O high
priced colleges" for the aristOcracy, all un-
taxed, while Rhode Island could count but 81.
The Southern gentry were largely cultivated,
accomplished people. They had the best Oh
teachers, professors, tutors, and governesses.
Some of them had fine private libraries Their
tables were covered with elegant literature.
Cultivation was one of their marks of distinc-
ton They used it for political influence and
social prestige. 1t was a badge and luxury.
Between the educated and the uneducated
classes of the South there was this great gull
fixed The slaveholding caste were the edu-
Gated the non -slaveholdng classes, white or
black were the illiterate; and because these
last were so numerous and might be so formld-
able the aristOcracy played them off against
each other, for its own advantage, making the
whites despise the blacks, and the blacks hate
the whites In this view of the case, it is
plainly mistake to devote ourselves exclll-
sivcly, or even disproportionately, to the ne
groes Important as education is for them, for
the whites it is even more important. Ihe
blacks, though iiterate, have had their intelli-
gence quickened and turned in the right direc-
ton by the experience Of the war. They are
eager to learn, and they have an instinct that
teaches them what they should learn. They
are ready to receive liberal instruction in lib
eral ideas They know in what quarter to look
for light. Their former masters have little or
pie about them they have been compelled to
distrust; what the Yankee tells them they be-
lieve, and not much else. They need educa-
tion less for their general enlightenment III
national opinions and loyalty than for their
personal advantage and social Improvement.
The uncducated whites need education for this
too, but they need it for a great deal more
than this Their intelligence is clouded by
malignity as much as by ignorance. Their
minds are set against the light. In
structon must do for them the work
of opening eyes that are blind, and furnishing
new set of ideas. They have been fighting
stupidity against their friends and are still per-
suaded that their ruin is due to the triumph
of a power which was in arms for their deliv-
erance Northern education is as unpalatable
to them rs it ever was, because 1t means
Northern ideas and civilization. The efforts of
our Educational Societies scarcely touch these
people Until recently they burned our school
houses, broke up the classes, insuted and drove
away the teachers. Then and there they
availcd themselves Of the benefits supplied by
the Freedman's Aid Associations, but their
numbers were inconsideIable, and up to this
time are not large. The better portion of
them are gradually finding out what is going
on, and are trying to secure for themselves a
share of the advantages which the blacks are
so eagerly approprating. But the great work
among them remains uninterrupted as yet-on
any large scale. This must be looked after
The intelligence, and consequently, as we be-
lievc, the goodwill of these people, is of vast
social and political Importance. They are as
we'll worth saving as the negroes are; ms an
element in society they are perplexity, a
trouble and danger, as the negroes are not.
Education would elevate them as individuals,
and improve them as citizens; it would also
tend TO heal the ancient feud between them
and the negroes, and would give the requisite
balance to the two elements in society. The
education of both races is necessary to create
q strong middle class, able to establish repub-
I;con institutions on n nODular basis