Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-10

Aweek or ten days ago, while Boston
was wild with excitement over foreign
bands and native singing; while the Won
ders and delights of the Jubilee were the
theme of universal comment, the Trustees
of the Peabody Educational Fund met
quietly in that city and transacted their
business. This was of highly interesting
and instructive character. The report was
read by DR.. Sears, the General Agent of
the Board, and demolishes the assertions of
Radical newspapers and Radical brawlers,
that whenever the native whites ofthe South,
whose political feelings and sympathies were
Democratic, got control Of the States, they
threw obstacles in the way of educating the
rising generation. Exactly the reverse is
the truth, as the following facts collated
from the report of DR.. Sears, by the New
York journal Of Commerce, abundantly
prove. "Those States which have put the
greatest difficulties in the path of DR.. Sears"
says that paper, "are South Carolina, Flor
ida, Texas and Arkansas, where carpet-bag-
gers and negroes held the ascendency in
the Legislatures. In South Carolina, COM
plants are made and reiterated of the I'M
faithfulneSs of State officials in the use
Of school funds, and of the incompetence
and indifference Of many of the school
officers. So Enthusiastically are those Off
GERS that the General Agent deemed it safe
to render aid to only two schools in the
State. Florida failed to pay the interest on
the school fund in currency, and there were
irregularities ID several counties connect
ed with assessing and collecting the school
tax. The school fund in Texas, says DR..
Sears, has been sadly plundered.' Educa-
ton in Arkansas is on the retrograde. The
Legislature passed an act authorizing
the issue of Treasurer's certificates,
and making them receivable for
school taxes. The result was that
little else than the certificates was paid
into the School-Fund, and they ranged at a
discount of from fifty to twenty-five cents
on the dollar, and in country places were
difficult to convert into money at any price.
The teachers were paid with these shin
plasters. DR.. Sears appealed to the Legis-
lature to DO the decent thing, but they
would not heed him. The State which has
done the best in all the South is that State
where carpet baggism has been hurled from
There are some educa-
tional provisions in the new State Consti
tuition which the Conservatives do not
fully approve, but Immediately upon COM
ing into power they passed laws to effectu-
ate them. An able State Superintendent
was chosen, and more than 5000 school Of
ficers were appointed and commissioned.
The public school system is at this time In
= moro fourishing condition in Virginia
thanSn any other State, and the whole WORK
has been done during time Of great fl
nancial embarrassment. In the cities
and districts where the General Agent
Of the Peabody Fund expended
SIG 600 this year, the local au-
.horities raised and paid for schools and
school-houses $3.50, 900, or more than half
as much as was paid last year by all the
places receiving aid from the Fund in !
Twelve States" This report from DR.. Sears |
Is a severe condemnation upon the Grant |
system of governing the South, system
which keeps thieves and plunderers in