The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-01-11
THE PUBLIC-SCHOOL SYSTEM.
Address OF DIR. Curry at the Invitation
OF the Legislature.
Exclusively Negro Teachers and Negro Trus-
tees for Negro schools Condemned.

tees Tor Negro Schools Condemneu.
Upon the invitation OF the two houses
Of the General Assembly Hon. J. l. NJ.
Curry, General Agent OF the Peabody
Fund, last night delivered an address 10
them and to the public In the hall OF the
House OF Delegates. The hall was crowd
ed-floor, and gallery, and aisles. In the
were legislators, judges, sch0ol
men, councilnen. merchants. lawyers, and
many others, distinguished In their walks
Of life, and quite q number OF ladies.
Speaker Stuart took the chair and grace
fully introduced DR.. Curry as one OF the
best and ablest friends OF public education.
THE ADDRESS. T'...:-
DR.. Curry. making pro7er acknowledge
ments for the honor do,c to him by the
General Assembly. spoke OF the response
bility Of representatives In having to look
after and promote the public veal. In all
civilized countries Increasing provision Is
made for universal education. In educa-
tionaI problems the highest interest OF
humanity and OF American citizenship are
involved. Immense sums are expended Tor
military and naval defence Of nations to
nurture national jealousy and hatred, but
education, moral and intellectual, is the
cheapest defence, and while developing
true manhood and womannood best sub
serves the proper ends Of government.
AN ENGLISH ARIsToCRAT.
DR.. Curry referred to the oft-quoted re-
mark OF Sir William Berkeley, thanking
God that there were no free schools nor
printing. presses in Virginia, and said this
remark Of an English aristocrat two hun
dred years ago had long served the pur-
pose OF those who sought to sneer n. the
Old Dominion. Hatred is often yelled un-
der the imposture OF words. The sophis"
try Of bad name is often convenient
substitute f'r fact or an argument. The
truth is that rs early as 1921 free-scnool
movement was begun. and William and
Mary is the oldest college in the United
States. Leading Virginia statesmen
Washington. Wythe. Jefferson, Madi-
son, Governors Campbell, Mcdowell, aud
Wise-were cited as advocating the educa-
ton OF the ,chole people. Before the war
We had eight colleges for male students
and eight for female students. DR.. Ruff
ner, in his report for 1873. said: at is
worthy Of note that when TIE white popu-
lation alone is considered, Virginia has a
larger proportion OF her sous in superior
institutions probably THAI any State or
country in the world"
GEORGE PEABODY.
Slavery and other causes prevented the
education OF all the whites, and there was
painful illiteracy, demonstrating the neces-
sity Of more systematic governmental ac-
tion and of larger revenues. The war un-
settled everything. bankrupted corpora
tions and States. paralyZed industry. revo-
iutionized opinions and institutions. Amid
the desolation and darkness the earliest
manifestation .; sympathy with our dis
tress ana our needs came from the greatest
bencfactor Of the South. George Peabody,
q Massachusetts, man. who entrusted TO the
absolute discretion OF a wise and distin-
guished Board OF Trustees over g, ,00O, 900
to be distributed among the entire popula-
tior OF the South without other distinction
than their needs aud the opportunities OF
usefulness to them.
DIR. GUFFNER.
In 1870 the State established an uniform
system Of public free schools and placed
the system in charge OF DR.. Ruffner, to
whose ability and success the speaker paid
a glowing compliment. Our schools now
average a session OF over six months. We
have 4.259 white schools. LAO white teach
ers, and 102, ljj white pupils in daily at
tendance; LIS colored schools, 1,277 CO.
lored teachers, and a daily attendance OF
4S,SJ0 colored pupils.
INTELLIGENT LABOR.
The Doctor discussed the value to State
OF general education with substratum of
moral character. and showed that the free
school was the ally Of Il free State and the
oe OF over.goyernment. He also showed
the superior value Of intelligent over igno-
rant labor. and the indispensahleness OF in
telligence for the right and safe use OF the
elective franchise. When he depicted what
the Old Dominion needs in the grand
struggle for the prizes OF life it was mani
fest he had given much thought to the ma
teria as well as to the intellectual and
moral needs.
WHITE VERSUS COL0IED TRUSTEES.
The more practical part of the address
was an exposition OF what is required Tor
the more complete and continuing success
of the frec-school system.
/. An absolute divorce OF the system
| from party politics.
2. Selection of best men and women as
trustees and teachers. To leave negro
schools under the control exclusively OF
negro trustees and negro teachers was. in
present circumstances, to conslgn the
schools TO inefhciency and in;eriority. 1t
is the first step towards fatal policy-ap-
preparation OF school revenues to the
schools Of the race paying the taxes.
3. Better teaching to be provided or
stimulated by normal schools and teachers
| Institutes. 1t was evident that DR.. Curry
regarded this as the most important part
of his speech. His ideas OF teaching rs IN
art and science he elaborated and illus
trated for the purpose of showing that
teaching was the nilometer by which the
value of the schools was to be determined.
We are sorry that we have not space to re-
produce the arguments on this head and
that we cannot impart the earnest convic-
ti0ns OF the speaker, as he urged liberal
appropriations for normal schools and
teachers institutes.
| GREAT ORATORY.
DIR. Curry's pproration was an imagined
picture gallery, with Virginia's great men
and noble women 9; the past looking en-
couragingly and beseechinglv OH their de-
scendants and implOring them TO put the
old State in the very vanguard OF progress
and Of freedom.
1T WAS A GRAND EFFORT.
DR.. Curry, as general agent OF the Pea
body Education Fund, has addressed all the
southern Legislatures, and in several in
stances his addresses were published by the
State for general distribution.
Chamber OF Commerce.
| GEORGIA RAILROAD LAw-DRUMMERs' TAX
NEW BANKRUPTCY LAw-PILOTAGE. &C.