Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-02-28

be as hard to convince them, as the
Bapt-sts, that education among them
sis in worse condition than it has
been for the last 40 years"
Then there is the old Moravlan
School at Salem, with it's several hun
dreds of pupils, the Episcopal School
at Raleigh, the Presbyterian Schools
at Charlotte, Raleigh, Statesville and
Goldsboro', the Luthern School in Ca
barrus, the Friends High School at
New Garden, and the Baptist Schools
at Raleigh, Mrrfreesboro,, founded in
1S47, and LouiBburg, all affording In
struction to the daughters of our State,
aud a large number of preparatory
schools for boys, such as Indian Ridge,
in Currituck; Reynoldson, in Gates;
Selma, in Johnston; East Bend, in
Yadkin; Buck Horn, in Hartford; War
saw, in Dupin; Mills River, in Transyl-
vania; Homer's, in Granville; Yates
Academy in Chatham; Mt. Olive, il
Duplin, and number of other lnstitu
tons under the control of Baptist
teachers.
Turner's School in Shelby, Horner's
School Of Oxford, Bingham's, of Ala
nance, Hughes, of Orange, Rankin's
of Lenoir, and number of Other
schools presided over by Presbyte-
rians.
The Cape Fear Academy. of Viii
mington, Morrelle's in the same place
Wetmore's, in Lincolnton, Buxton's:
in Asheville Fetter's, in Scotland Neck,
the Fetter School at Henderson, Locust
Hill, of Chatham, and perhaps other
classical schools controlled by Episco-
palIGns.
Troy's, of Greensboro. Rufin Bad
ger, of Chatham, Arrington's, Oh
Rocky Mount, rutherford College, OF
Burke and other schools controlled by
the Methodists. Clapp's School at
Newton, and others controlled by the
Lutherans and German Reformed, not
to mention g large number of other
private schools IN all portions of the
State, and some Seminaries that are
strictly non denominational, and draw
their teachers as well as patrons from
all denominations, such as Cleaveland,
Wilson Collegiate Institute, Raleigh
Male Academy, Female Seminary, an d
others of like character. Surely ii
education be in worse condition than
it has been for forty years, it is not
| owing to want of schools. Bransons
North Carolina Din ectory, for 1872, r.
| ports 35S of these, averaging about
TO a county. Let US also remember that
| forty years ago we were not only with
out denominational colleges but we had
| only one public institution of learninc
enjoying State patronage.
| The State was not districted for com
mon school purposes till 1889.
! The institution for the Deaf and
Dunno was not incorporated until 1947,
and two years more had elapsed before
| the Act of Assembly was passed incor-
| porating the Insane Asylum at Raleigh.
Jews were then prohibited from hold
| ing Office, and preachers were not per
| mitted to sit as members of the Legis-
lature. Surely when we look at on,
railroads and our colleges, our schools
| our religious newspapers, our charita-
BILE institutions, our daily papers, our
/ telegraph lines, our improved houses
Of worship, and Our growing list OF
educated ministers, We may be par
doned for thinking we have made some
! progress in education within the last
! forty years.
| But then when we look at the census re-
/ turn for 1870, and figure up those col
,lnrs and find that outof an aduitpopu-
lation of about half million, We have
/ %, 839 whites and IA. $40 colored inGab-
itants, making in all 30, 6S5persons owe,
twenty-0rc wears of age who cannot
read and write, when we sum up the
! childcen's columns and ascertain that
We have in this State 268. 600 children,
l62, 690 white, 1929 colored and 500
I Indiar, and only $500 OF all these,
less than l 10 every 4 are going to
public and private schools, our heart
], l.
think that. after all, that distinguished
statesman was right. The condition
Of education mag DC U0rse IN North
Caroi;s2n, then at has bce, az forty
ucars. The educational statistics OF
/ tendent Of Public Instruction. are
simply appalling Just think OF l01,-
80 voters il State where only 1911
35S polls were returned in 1871, being
unable 20 read md write, and thu.
placed at the mercy of any designing
demagogue who may wish 10 elevate.
himself into Office a. their expense.
Think again that these $40, COO grown
people who cannot read and write con-
stitute one ont of every three-ead- a-halt
whites. tor 50, S39 to 33o, 1881 and l45
TO every 900 OF the blacks-oysr the
age of tweEty-ope years.
Remember also that by figuring on
these tables you ascertain that one col
ored child 10 every four-and-one-fifth
between the ages of six and twenty-one
was going to school in 1870, while only
one white child to every fve-and-a-
third, was found in e school of any
kind, public or private.
If you can look at these figures and
not see the necessity for arousing our
people upon the subject of education,
you can do more than / can. Remem-
Der again, that the Baptists constitute
one-eighth OF the entire population of
the State, over ten years of age. It is
but fair then that they should claim
eEe-eighth CT the illiteracy over ten
years of age. 0ne-eighth of 397, 900,
(the number Of illiterates over ten
years of agel is 40, I'll. Call it $4,000
in round numbers. Then ask your
selves, if the Baptists have in their
ranks so, 900 persons who cannot read
and write, ought they not to be walked
up-thoroughly walked up to the i'm
portarce of education They, above
all other denominations, need an edu-
Gated membership. With a strictly
democratic form of government. ac-
the INDEPENDENCE of the
without canons of councils, |
edicts of popes, authority of priests
or decisions of Assemblies to direct |
their faith or practice, relying upon
the Scriptures, and the Scriptures |
alone, as sufficient guile Of faith and prac- |
tice, and instructinS each one to search |
the Scriptures for himself, it is very |
plain that they are under unusual obi
cations to give to every one Of their |
members an opportunity of studying
and Investigating for himself, which
he cannot enjoy without |
the advantages Of education.
If it be q stigma upon our State that
one half of her population over the
lge of ter are unable to,read and write,
will it not be greater stigma upon US
rs Baptists if we permit nearly one
half of our entire membership to re-
main in ignorance of letters? How
,an we justly claim that our people are
guided il their faith and PRACTICE by
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