St. Landry democrat., 1888-11-17
MORE MONEY FOR THE EDUCA-
TroN OF THE NEGROES,

TON OF THE NEGROES.
n o. Times Democrat
The b quest cf Daniel Hand, of Gull
ford. Conn, of 81 600, 600 for the eiuca-
tion of the culoreh people uf the South,
will he greeted with delight by every
true Snnrhprnpr, for it will help us to
solve one of our most serious problems
how to get rid Of the il'itrracv pre-
vailing among the negroes. The figures
of the ccns.ls showed that the Southern
States, Notwithstanding their earnest
eft:nts in the decade tserWeeE 1870 and
1880, had made little if any inroal upon
tht. iliireracy of the negroes, and the
pnnrpr rlns-es uf whites. TIE returns
since 1880 have given ts no tncnnrage
mpnt wGdt-v-r, least ct all in Lrujsi
ana, where during the past eight years
the percentage of illi'sricy has actually
Increased, and where a majority Of the
vutprs-so the rrnurts of the Secretary
of State for 1886 and 1888 shows SIZE
unable to read or write. We notice thar
the Boston ,Innrnsi uf ErHratinn has
attacked Louisiana because of this fact,
aud that several of The Northern paper.
are disposed 10 hold the people Of the
State responsible for it. What can We
dol The Southern States have It,uhleh
their school revenues III the !ast righ!
wears, sni are taxing them selves fa-
higher than the Mouth for ''tturation
hut IA lhis section il NOT AZ rich. it can
not give as much, and with the immense
,pass of illiteracy left behind by slavery
war aud reconstruction, and the diff
entity of reaching and TRACKING HE nldt,
negroes, il has been found impossible
to make any decided impression nr
them. or to reduce TO any perceptihlr
degree that illiterary which, it is felt. is
40 luxurious to all the hesr interests nf
of this State aud section. TIE taxis in
the Southern States ave higher than in
the Moth; the proportion given Ia
schnnis IA great The Southern whites
have dealt generously with the negrnps,
aud although they pay IS per cent of he
sax-s, have divided the money fail.
between the racts-so that in two Of the
States. the number of negro children A.
tending the public sci,on's actually tx
coed. the whites. The Southern peopl.
give "a 000000 y year for the educatis,r
If negro children hut genrrnns IA j.
that donation. it il not sufficient and
ilIiteracv continues rs had ~ ever. q
that four out of five negro voters can
not tell for whom they are casting ttpi.
ballots.
To the relief Of this evil have enm.
various donations from 'he North. NJ
P-ahnhy gave $500 600 to advance
S:,utIern einrat'"n. Mr.. john F. Sla
ter gave 81 900 600 for III" e'!ucstinn ~
the Snu' heIu ntgiors in 1884 I: and Mr.
Daniel Hand now gives 81 900 900 There
ia an element of romance about tiis laIf
hnuatinn whict, can he well recalled to-
tt. credit Of all concerned i'm it. Mr.
Hand was y Charleston grocer at thu
uu!hread of the civi. war. hn fed Ia
the North on account of his Un:nn srn
tinents. His property. valn-i At $3.50.
900 WAS left with Geo. w. Williams. his
confidential clerk. Mr.. Hand did nc;
demand Il settlement until 1882. vii.
liam$ had hnsl'anded the property with
great wisdom. and II settlement was IF
fected by which the original snm. will.
interest, was to be surrendered f., Hand
The last instalm-nt n,mp the an,,nnt
was maid TWO years ago. making a tn,a'
of 1916 900. Tins Int cnmnarativplS
small sun Was drawn from Mr. II .n'''s
nrivatr fortune to make Tin the 81 900.
600 gift which he has just made. The
conditions Imposed upon the association
having charge of the Hand fund arr.
that the interest only ia to hr used, thu.
not mere than 500 is to la expended
upon one roiOrrd person, and that fh,
bauefciarirs shall he in needy rircnm-
stances and show evidences of efficien-
cy and usefulness.
These donations have done mnrh good
and greatly assisted the Southern nrn-
,r in their war nn ilirrracy hut the>
fall far short of witat is needed. They
are hnt II glass OF water given to thons
an4s diving Of thirst.
Let Va mention. Ivy the nv. sn az tn give
NJ. Gable no chance to get eff his OH!
>.ctinnal story that it is tha North, not
th- South, which, in seeking rn educate
and adj, anre the negro. that the South
arm whites cnnt,ibnt. each year in taxr-
twelve times IA much as the entire re-.
rerun from the several Peabody, Slater
and Hand funds. "" ssy :his in n" m
een+r"ns spirit, hnt simn!y tn prevent
these dnnatiOns being used. as they have
frequently berrn use.i by Mr.. Gable and
other sectionalists in the past. IA n basis
for an assault on the SnR,l,. The South
rrn neoplrIav done all in their power
to rid their section "f iilitrracv. hut t!.r
wealtl, If the South to-day is not .qnal
10 SD gigantic u task. whatever it NAV hr
twenty years from now. A few philan-
thropi~ts in the Nnrsi, are helping rs in
This good work bnt it will !. quire rnans
P-ahnhys. Skaters and Hands to nrtsiucp
any serious impressions nn the millions
If iliterates in the South, white and
black.