The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-17
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH.

PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH.
The Charleston Is. CO. News and Courier is
in favor of public schools in which negroes
shall receive equal benefits with the whites,
but its reasons for advocating this liberal
policy are peculiar to itself. It may believe,
privately, that the education of the race will
tend not only to its own moral and mental
elevation but will directly benefit the COM
munity, but it does not say this. 1t has other
arguments. In a lecture read to the op-
ponents of federal and State aid to education,
it urges them to desist, and to accept such
benefits as would fall to them from the Blair
bill, for substantially the following reasons:
First, the negro is a voter, and, while he is
such, the 9S, 900 colored children of South
Carolina could not well be kept out of the
public schools, unless they were one and all
closed, which would work inconvenience to
the "a, 900 white children of the State; second,
the closing Of the public schools would not
keep the negro in what the Courier's c~onstitu-
ents consider his place, because, "tas long as
the North contains wea lthy people, who affect
phil anthropy, 80 long will there be funds for
negro education" Should the State with
draw its support from the schools, Northern
money would pour down, but not for the
benefit of the whites. Again, ably argues the
News and Courier:
"Any blow at negro education in the South
would afford the Republican party all oppor-
tunity it has long sought. There will GER
tainly be a Republican Senate next year, and
there is no assurance that there will not be a
Republican House and a Republican Presi-
dent. Let it be known that the State has
ceased to educate the negro. and a Repub-
lican general government will, as surely as it
exists, undertake the task which the State
has abandoned. Federal interference in its
most offensive form will be the result of that
undertaking. There will be millions then
for negro education, but not one cent for
whites"
AS if this fearful picture were not con-
vincing. another consideration is advanced.
1t is pointed out that, as matters now stand,
the negro children do not receive what can
be fairly termed an education. They enter
the schools, where they learn to read, write
and cipher, and are satisfied with such knowl-
edge. Let them feel once that the State was
opposed to their education and they would
be stimulated to active e~xertion; f"they
would crowd the private institutions
open TO them, and thus acquire a higher degree
of education than they could ever have at
tanned had they continued in the public
schools" Awful thought! Finally, as a
clincher, the Courier remarks that the agita-
ton which is being worked up on the subject
is proftless; the enemies of the schools can
not secure Legislation which will result in
closing those places of learning, no matter
how strenuous their efforts; hence they may
as well subside.
Our esteemed Southern contemporary does
not, it will thus be seen, stand upon the broad
plane of human equality and the right of
black as well as white to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness with his minds eye open
in this advocacy of free schools. The CON
illusions drawn, namely, that the negro will
be educated whether or no, is f~aultless, but
the premises are open to criticism. However,
too much should not be expected. The paper
is to be congratulated upon the stand it has
taken. Time has already taught many things
through a despised race, and will teach more.
To know the negro may not of itself be a lib
eral education. but the News and Courier has
learned much by closely observing him, and
will do well to keep its eyes in position to note
future developments.