The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-02-22
Eree Public Education.


" gone up to Congress, asking aid
for public education at the South;
and they have called forth varied
comment. These petitions repre-
sent the feeling that we are not al
together responsible for the degree
of ignorance that prevails in the
Southern States, and the belief that
the State governments are not able
to give adequate support to their
public schools. The first question
to be decided in the discussion of
any such subject as this, is whether
free public education is ever wise
measure and that question has
been answered in a practical way
by the State governments. A diff
ferent question. and one which re-
mains to be settled, is whether it is
legitimate for Congress to aid the
Southern States in the work they
are doing, or whether they should
make the fight for education, un-
aided.
The increase of illiteraey at the
South since 1870, is alarming. The
nrmber Of illiterate votes in the
late sIave-holding States was, in
1880, more than one million, three
hundred thousand, the ilhteracy of
the negroes being greatly in excess
ofthat of the whites, This ignorance
is standing menace to the perpetu-
ityof our republican institutions, and
the welfare of society. It is pub
lie evil, and it furnishes the strong
est argument in favor of prompt re-
lief by the general government.
One of the finest political think
ers that ever touched pen says
Il regard it as wholly inadmissible
that any person should participate
in the suffrage, without being able
to read, write, and perform the COM
mon operations of arithmetic" Uni
yersal teaching should preeede uni
versal voting; and the nation
should make elementary education
accessible to the humblest citizen.
Those who argue that education
fails to make the negro better
citizen, prove nothing against pub
lie schools, for they might add that
education does not make the white
man a better citizen; but it better
fits each for an intelligent exercise
of the privileges of citizenship.
Education seeks moral associations,
and no one who has not let favo-
rite theory silence common sense,
will deny That society is safest in
the most enlightened community,
or that education and material de-
yelopment 90 hand in hand.
1t should be borne in mind that
these petitions do not in any sense
pray for Northern aid; they ask
the general government for that
which they are entitled to receive,
and which would be of immense adj
vantage to tAa public, without be-
ing missed from the national treas
ury. And it would be both legiti-
mate and judicious for Congress to
appropriate for public education,
fifteen millions of the one hundred
and forty millions of dollars, that
annually flow into the public fund,
over and above the necessary ex-
penditures ofthe government. With
out aid of tais kind. our free pub
lie schools must for long time re-
main inefficient They meet obsta-
eles that are peculiar to the South.
Their efficiency is crippled by the
sparseness of our population; then
comes the indisposition to taxation
and the want Of funds. But the
most serious obstacle, and one
which our critics have not yet given
the consideration it deserves, is
the race problem. The negroes
in our State pay comparatively
nothing for public education, and
vet the colored children in our
schools outnumber the white chill
dren by more than ten thousand.
The presence of these negro chill
dren renders two sets of schools
necessary, for mixed schools will
never be tolerated; and it eonsc-
quently makes the school system
less than half as efficient as it would |
otherwise be. The negro is com.
paratiyely 8 new conner in society,
and education means great deal
>lnore to him than to his white neigh |
~M In addition to the usual men,
SsSsag of our schools. he must