The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-15
party were again transferred to the
Titauia. Allan declined to give his
opinion Of the cause Of the accident
Negro Education.
.ibberiHe Press nti Bancr.

| fJbcrWc Press dIti BuIincr.
Public education in the South is de
parture from the old plan which gav,
South Carolina the highest stand in p0in
Of an educated citizenship. Under re
construction and the moral force Of tb,
Government a, Washington, togethe
with desire on our part to conciIia,,
| Northern sentiment, we were induced {,
adopt the new plan, which, it was con
tended, wom!d cure all the ills with whici
We were afflicted. The Press and Bonnc1
partook Of this sentiment aud for aarl
checrfully supported the tax for .bli,
education, but upon more mature reHec
ton, and after having had an opportuni
ty Of observing results, we have come to
the conclusion that al! public education
is wrong ia principle and demoralizinf
in its effects. No Bophistry or false
reasoning can ever convince us that the
industrious and self. denying citizen
should be taxed TO educate the children
of indolent and immoral parents. II il
delusion and snare to suppose thai
education affects the morals of citizen
education il a negative force which
may be used for good or for evil, as the
individual may be inclined.
A III morality, culture and true religion
is based on material prosperity. While
| there are noble exceptions To the general
| rule, in individual cases, yet it is abso.
| lutely certain that no people ever attain
| ell any creditable degree of morality who
did not possess some of the comforts 0i
| life, and who did not live in comfortable
| houses
1t is a physical inpossibility to expect
morality, dcccncy or refinement where q
large family occupy house Of only one
| room, and where only the scantiest sup.
ply of even the nccessarics of life are 10
be found. The condition Of the negro
| will not improve 81 long as one large
family or two small families occupy one
room-ior cooking, eating, sitting, sleep.
| ing--in sickness and in health.
The negro, before ne can rise above his
present level, must live in better houses
and must have something Of the c0mforte
of life for his children. They must at
the fireside, be taught those most impor.
tant lessons, which his white neighbor
impresses upon his children.
The mere ability &c reed & newspaper
in an unintelligible way and the art OF
signing ones name to note in a ME.
chanical manner will never supply the
more important lessons of morality and
self.respect which must be taught BY the
mother al the fireside, and which must be
maintained by the independence and
manhood Of the father.
The negro must learn the value of
time, and must learn to work six davs in
the week. One reason the white man of
this country is richer than the colored
man is to be attributed to the fact that
the former works more than the latter.
Hundreds of colored men are to be found
every Saturday in the various towns and
ut the different depots. even in the busi.
est months Of the year. No man, white
or black, can prosper who has to neglect
his business one day in the week to 20 TO
preaching, and then has an excuse for
going to town every Saturday.
Public education has turned the heads
Of the negroes, and nine tenths of them
to-day believe that the ability to read
ard %!i.H Is of first imp,riance. This
fact has done muck to retard the progress
of the negro. The ability to merely read
and write is of very little practical use
10 the great mass of bread winners, but a
good house, decent furniture, and re.
spectacle clothing is of ten thousand
times more value to them. People who
live in good houses, we'll filled with nice
furniture, and who wear good clothing
will always command the respect Of their
fellows, whether they have education or
not. The man who lives in n house
which is not fit for horse stable. can
never expect bis children to stand the
peers Of those who live in better houses
and observe the decencies of life. no mat
ter how much book learning they may
have.
Then We say, it is an Injustice to the
negro to take his children Esom the farm
tc schooi before good home and decent
furniture ars secured. A good dwelling
house, with separate comfortable rooms
for the children is of first Importance,
then furniture, then education, and then,
to crown the whole, that morality, which
is begotten OF independence and self.
respect, and that Christianity which has
for its foundation an intelligent conyic.
tion of right and wrong.
1t requires time to bring the colored
race to our standard. They need sym.
metrical development, rs the white race
have. The abnormal development of the
intellect while the morals are neglected
Is not worth the cost. The public schools
are dcnioralizing our own people and
teaching the negroes that they are men
d!cants and paupers. They should, on
the contrary, be selfreliant and should
assert their manhood in securing houses,
furniture and education by their own
commendable exertion and whoiesoms
economy