The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-02-11
What an Able Northern Citizen
thinks of tho Southern Educa-
tion Question.
columbia Rcgister.1

|
address Of the Rev. y. ID. Mayo deliver
cd from Unity pulpit Boston, last De-
cember.
The Doctor first tells his Boston au-
diencc how he came to undertake the
great work to which he has devoted the
remaining years of his highly useful
life. He says:
Early in the year 1868 I went as n
minister to the city Of CINCINNATI, Ohio,
then the border land of our great civil
war. For ten years / remained there,
occasionally journeying through the
Southwest and observing carefully the
State of affairs in the adjacent portion Of
the former slave States. Unable to 20
to the field, was all the time asking
myself what was to be my work in the
upbuilding that was sure must follow
the complete wreck Of the old Southern
order of society, and how could best
meet the call Of God to every patriot
heart.
1t was not long before came to n
very stinct opinion that, after the ,oliti-
clans, the ecclesiastics, and, possibly,
some other sorts Of people, had reached
the end Of their favoritc plans of ma
tional reconciliation, the real work must
begin, by establishing among the chill
drcn Of the South, Of both races and all
classes, a system Of universal education,
which in turn would lift up the very
ground floor Of society 4
This slowly consolidated to resolve
that, when the call should come,
would go over and try to help those pco-
pie in the beginnings Of this mighty
work. ! could see it was to be Il work
difficult beyond expression. X
So, for fifteen years, till 1880, in the
Northwestern, Middle and New Eng
land States, | prepared myself ,nlustri-
ously for ministry Of education bv
services and studies in educational af-
fairs, tracing sthe relations of universal
education to American history, and
forming large acquaintance with cdu-
cationai and public mcn.
Before WAS half through with this
preparation heard the big horn blow
ing for me down in Dixie and made haste
to answer the call. went forth, and with
such support as IL few benevolent people
of the North and the hospitality of the
South gave me, respecting no party in
politics or sect i'll religion, have trav-
ersed this Southland now for more than
four years in this ministry of education
= y My talk will be in
answer to these three questions: First.
What is the actual state of affairs
through this vast region as have seen
it Second. What opportunities have
been afforded me for such work rs mine,
and just what have been able to ac-
complish ? Third. What can we all
do in behalf Of the present movement
by the Southern people Jor universal ed
ucation?
And first, word upon tho situation.
You can read for yourselves the figures
of Southern illiteracy that appear in the
national census of 1880. X
You can also look upon the shrinkage in
the valuation Of these great States and
cities in the years that followed the war.
All this l con-
trmed in the fourteen States, visited in
my journeyings through more than four
years.
But, friends, it is one thing to sit in
your parlor Mt home and read these
columns. Of dead figures, and quite an
other thing to look through and through
tho state of society represented thereby,
as have seen it in the shape of living
men, women and children.
Imagine, if you can, an old State,
more than half her people emancipated
slaves, and their children, .another.grcat
multitude, white people, dwelling in
such ignorance and aloofness from the
higher influences Of our time as no ma
tive born class can possibly experience
here. Now, fancy what we. who regard
ourselves as an Intelligent Christian
people, should do in such case, if. after
a twenty years struggle, we found our
selves where the superior class of white
people in one of these States-South
Carolina, for example, is found to-day.
| have come to understand how, in
1865, the whole upper story of Southern
society was overturned as completely as
the roof Of house was ever blown
away in cyclone; ard how the rounda-
tons Of society here, represented by
five million freedmen, largely without
knowledge, without property, the prey
to every sort Of vice, their religion half
Pagan superstition, suddenly shot up
into full citizenship, to do the work of
legislation, to hold every office Of honor
and trust Throughout sixteen States.
And opposed to them the other part of