Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-30
THE SOUTH WANTS IT.
Let the Teachers of the Nation Meet at Nash
ville-NOrthern Educators Will Have
Their Eyes opened.

The following conservative letter, taken
from the School Journal of December 10 ,
was written with a view of pouring oil on
troubled waters in the case of a sectional
misunderstanding between the editors of
two educational journals:
''Stirred Up. Under the above cap
ton in the Journal of a recent date, you
proceed to give the Texas Public School Il
sounder stirring up than it seemed to de-
serve. l write this to remind you of the
adage of a heather: ode mortuis nil
nisi Donum - And this was true when
you were penning the lines: "What we
said was in no dictatorial spirit-we only
expressed our opinion as we had been
asked to do.
The Public School ought not to have
written:
The impertinence of some men is only equaled
by their ignorance. Who decides when the Ma
tional Educational Association shall meet? Has
this power been delegated to Amos Kellogg, or
jerome Allen? If one We're to decide from the
above he would come to the conclusion that we
were about to become acquainted with some
noted parsonage, some lord among men.
Whether the meeting is held at Nashville, is con-
ditonal, and one man makes those conditions.
= Come down. We will treat you well.
This Is not Egypt, but we have the negroes. we
will give you one to carry home with you. If
there is one thing that we have got it is negroes.
The association viii meet at Nashville, and
Brother Kellogg will get him a negro.
All of the above is in very bad taste
but the author is dead-breathed (its) his
last issues) October l5 Now the Texas
Public School, although its name would
seem to indicate that it spoke for vast
territory, was of small dimensions
even smaller ntluence-eXcept to stir up,
- Of 4 Ila
sides journal like yours should know
better the situation-the real facts. You
have met very many of our Texas teach
ers; did you ever meet the editor of the
Texas Public School? Possibly your met
aphor was to him Il little incomprehensi-
BILE, and ut the same time, Il little too
personal-let others see:
A few men want the association TO turn mis-
Sionary and go down to Egypt and convert the
people. This isn't the province of the National
Association. 1t is in no sense a benevolent
ganization. We didn't go to California to con-
vert the natives, but to get converted. If we of
the North shall go to Nashville, we shall expect
to get educationa uplifting, but we must be
sured that shall see at least 1000 colored
teachers there. and twice many white ones.
There is no good reason why we should not have
by far the best meeting the association ever held.
But we have serious doubts about the South
turning out.
/ differ with you rs 10 the influence of
the association, and have worked contin-
uously for the location of one meeting III
the South-in the Gulf states if possible,
because | believe il will have Il good i'll
fluence on our section. There is, TO my
mind, nothing like seeing each other and
feeling the presence of each other the
touch Of the elbow, - if You please. We
Of the South feel that such 4 meeting
would do us gOOd-hence, our laborS for
several meetings TO have the association
come among our people-your people,
for ours and yours are the same. l call
not promise 10000 colored teachers -
but | will promise this: There will be
from Texas, many of them native
of colored teachers, with
whom l am not only willing to
sit upon the rostrum. but to introduce
TO any audience, whether i'll Chicago,
San Francisco or Nashville. 1t is Won
1erful to me how under all the difficulties
llsSs cGored people have labored, they
have so ;ibp1eeiated the advantages and
their opportunities as 10 now
be able to act rs teachers and principals
IF their own schools. Such is the case i'll
Ibis city, and | think it is trhe of alfthe
titles i'll the state. Whatwe need is
more means so as TO reach the country.
But this is needed for white rs well
is colored schools. Our population
md the population Of the South is rap
dly increasing, while the funds for ed
ication are not keeping pace. Indeed, |
IL this state, they are falling off proper
ionately all the time.
Let there be no longer any doubt as to
he National Educational Association as
at Nashville next July; and |
whether you see ''2000' or less of COL |
red teachers, you will see that the |
southern teachers are. in earnest about |
he education of the people, regardless of |
ace, color or previous condition.
Fort Worth. ALEX HoGG.
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