The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-06-15


oil the old set Of freedmen had passed away
and their carcasses been left In the wilder.
ness.
The hope of the race was in The children
| and they were to be fitted by rough expe.
rience, by organization, by stern discipline
| by systematic instruction, to enter upon the
inheritance which was denied to their fathers
| And even they were not TO enter upon The
inheritance which was denied to their fathers
And even they were not to enter upon the
rich pastures and solid cities Of the pro
missed land without n struggle. They were
to win their way by courage and strength
and sagacity before they could dwell at ease
| Had they been allowed in the beginning to
oyerrun the goodly land the effect. hulranely
speaking, would have been to destroy q
| somewhat advanced form of civilization and
substitute something akin to barbarism.
| But the long column that crossed the
parted Jordan contained two Of the men
That forty years before had formed part Of
/ the column which had crossed the Red sea
| on dry land. This Was young generation
which, in childhood, had heard the thunderS
of Sinai; had been drilled in the law and
learned the ideas and habits Of citizenship
day BY day and year by year, until they
could be safely entrusted with the mighty
| responsibility which but few understand
the management of Commonwealth.
When finally settled in the Holy Land
those people were divided into just two
classes teachers and farmers.
| The Levtes taught not only religion, out
they taught the. same three RS that are
taught now. They were professional teach
ers. supported at public expense. All the
rest of the people were put on to farms and
told to 90 to work. They didn't get their
farms TO: nothing. They had to buy them
with toll and blood, and TO cultivate them
sword in hand. They got everything, as
| General Armstrong would say, by hard
| knocks.
| I will indicate some points which ] con-
slider essential TO success in the education OF
the colorcd people of these southern States.
| As to the spirit in which speak, leave
| that to be Judged by my past record-onl7
adding that | have never felt more zeal for
the education of the colored people than l
| feel today-nevcr more Determined that
| they in the administration Of Tie public
school system shall have thatiOpartial treat
| ment which our Virginia law requires. But
horrible plumbers have been made in dealing
with and for these people, and absolutely
fatal measures now overhang us.
If we are to save the negro from greater
disasters than have ever befal!en him in this
land, if we are to preserve the peace and the
civilization OF these southern States, we must
consider this subject in different spirit from
that which has usually characterized its treat
merit hitherto. I cannot hope that my views
will be accepted by all who are here present,
but beg at least u hearing.
l. Looking simply at the sound develop
ment of the colored race, We should not
hurry on its people to take possession Of pri.
vilryes, and to occupy positions, in advance
of their personal fitness therefor. There is
no surer guarantee OF failure and disastrous
reaction tnan such policy. Put any man to
doinga thing that he does not understand,
force him into social relations in defiance Of
social law, urge him into occupations where
there is no demand for his services, stimulate
him to spend his little earnings in personal
ornaments, in travelling, in irequenting
theatres and costly hotels, aud you simply
drive him on to ruin. You unfit him for his
natural work, you make society despiSc him
and hugh nc him, and turn against him and
nut HIM dozen with 4 force which the seycrest
laws arc poHerle>S to resist. Every man Of
observation knows this to be true, and every
educator who has studied the laws Of hui
man development knows that it must be so.
s. Even if by the hand Of power a mass of
unfit men are set to doing the highest work
Of city..the result is rs bad for themselves
rs for the Commonwealth for all perish to-
gether.
The law of human development is uni
form and absolutely without exception.
There must be regular growth-nOt Salta-
tory bursts. Races, lie individuals, have
their childhood and youth before they reach
manhood. Put boys TO doing mans work
and you break their constitutions. Growth
to be vigorous must come from graduated
eIertion. There must not be Str,ining on
the one hand, nor too much nursing or pet
ting on the other. Lap-do!,S IRE lH>Gniii-
can't because they are hp-dogs. It is the -.
Bernard of the snow-drift that grows large
and strong. Passive education is contra
dicton in terms. You must set the facul-
ties to work, and as they earn their know
ledge they grow strong, as the lion grows
strong while wrestling with his prey.
Every teacher here knows that am utter
Ing sound doctrine. You know. my fellow
workers, that education is simply the sys-
tematic strengthening of the powers by ex'
ercise, and you know another thing, that 9
pupil ought not TO be promoted from the
lowest W Tue SldUC NltuOut plSSL1so
through the intermediate.
Then, what think we Of the policy that
wond spend millions for ciyl-rights, and
not cent for education.
IL. remark that the education Of the
colored people should be special and peculiar
in its character, at least in the fifteen eX.saye
States. BY special and peculiar, | do not
mean that it should be substantially different
r.n tI,ntn iyap 70 hitac i,y,t bat hnr
should be an adaptation IN the selection and
arrangement of studies and in the methods
Of instruction to the peculiar character and
wants Of the people to be educated. They
have interesting race pecularities, which
ought to be specially cultivated, and so they
have peculiar DEFICIENCIES and weaknesses,
which ought specially TO be looked after.
The history Of the white and cOlOred races
I'D to recent period have been so very, very
different, and even now their general oppor-
tunities and their daily lives are so different,
that moments reflection ought to convince
any one that special treatment is 4 necessity
for bringing the colored people up to the
general average. There is not one Of you
that speaks to Z colored person or addresses
q colored audience that does not particularly
recognize these principles. And there is
not church or missionary organization that
does not recognize them in its plans. This
is reason enough, if there were no other, why
the races should be taught in separate
schools. If they were allowed to go to white
schools they would not have rs suitable in
struction as in good schools of their own.
Besides this, right dwell upon the value
of separate schools in cutivating that pride
of race which, as have already said, pro-
notes self-respcct, purity of morals, and
int ellnctIlaI adyancnment / shall nnt treat