The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-19
HALF MILLION CHILDREN
DIR. HAYGoOD ON GEoRGIA's EDU-
CATIONAL NEEDS.

The Members Of the Georgia legisla-
ture Hear a Lecture on Common
Schools and Are Told What They
Ought to Do to Improve Them
Some Interesting Educational Facts
and Figures.
ATLANTA, GA. Nov. 1S.-Dr Athcus G..
Haygood addressed the members of the
Georgia legislature tonight in Trinity
church on the common schools of Georgia.
The following is his address:
There is that scattereth and yet increaseth:
and there is that withholdeth more than is meet
and it tendeth to poverty. Prov. XII. "a And
they were tire more fierce. saying: He stirreth
up the people teaching. Luke xiii, ).
I thank DR.. Lee the pastor of Trinity church,
for inviting me TO make a plea Tonight in he,
half of half million children in Georgia. who
need and deserve better opportunities for ele-
mentary education than they can get without
more help from the state that gave them birth
! am glad the cause Of these children is on his
heart. Would God thousand preachers in
Georgia felt as he. 1t cannot hurt christian
pulpit to plead for the poor. 1t is in harmony
with the kingdom of him who is making new
earth that in his own time he may bring men TO
the new heaven.
Whether we viii have public schools in
Georgia is not now aquestion in debate Before
the revolution that in 1861 broke out INTO war,
public schools and some need of more The dis
cllssion was relevant to the facts OF that time,
for we had no public schools. There vas taen
little concern among about tie education Of
the masses and nearly half the people were by
law, made necessary by the conditions Of i. e at
tina. time. debarrcd all opportunity for instruc-
ton in books After the revolution public
schools were inevitable. Their necessity was
male manifest; the new facts were
insistant, and the need was exigent We had
tried 10 stand our educational pyramid on its
a.,d fell pclipy of rt1llip apnoOiq
supported or aided by the state for elementary
education was asserted in the constitution that
was evolved out of the reconstruction period.
When. in 1879, the people Of Georgia met in
convention to reconsider and recaSt their
stitution they said: We will have public
schools for our Children and, in the organic
law, commanded the legislature to provide
them.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Some excellent people say they do not ap
prove of public schools, and some believe that
The state has, in the nature of things, no func-
ton 10 this business. The objection comes too
late. In a republic what the people affirm to be
a fu1ction of government is function of gov
eminent. The viii of the majority governs. If
the minority does not agree with the majority,
and cannot change its opinion, there remains
one of three things submission. emigration or
revolution. Therefore, | say, unless DIRECTORS
propose to change the organic law of the state,
their objection comes too late.
The organic law concerning public schools
cannot be changed Little as our concern for
the education of the people is, care enough
to vote down and out any candidate or party
proposing to do away with public schools. The
public school for elementary education is not
peculiar to Georgia; it is the American system I;
il is in the organic law of every state in the
union
Il is the system Of almost the civilized world
Even Japan has introduced the public school
AL pays her teachers better than Georgia pays
hers-
II re could at this time overturn our public
sfhool system, would it be a good thing to do?
For one should favor doing away with public
schools If either one of two things could be
made plain to me First, that leaving the
masses in ignorance is in itself good thing, or,
second, that some better lever than state-sup-
ported pub ic schools has been formed for lit
ing the masses out OF the mire of ignorance
Not many believe in the blessing OF ignorance
except with limitations: still fewer, except in
select circles, have the hardihood 10 advocate
their belief.
No man in his senses believes that ignorance
Is good for HIM; no man not too ignorant to
think or too mean 10 care believes ignorance to
be good for his children. Not a few seem to
think that ignorance is very good for certain
others they call the masses and this they
think, not that they care for the poor, " but
because they would keep them poor. If we dig
through their words down to their real thought,
il is simple as it is selflsh-it is best for me
that certain people abide in ignorance; | can
manage them more easily and hire them more
cheapy This narrow meanness is yelled by n
fair show OF words. | have heard such men
phicsophzing They will tell their families
they are ashamed TO say such things to the poor
themselves -"goiug to school tends TO make the
poor discOntented with their lot in life
Thank God, it does; for no greater curse
can fall upon the poor than the sort of content
nlent that is little better than the Stagnaton of
mental and moral death. But this miserable
pre-. ense cares not for the trouble that such dis
content brings to the poor, but for the incon-
venence it may bring to those whose lot in life
is different. There rs no honesty in this thin
philosophy concerning the blessings of ignO-
N liz sham and lVDOCrlcV from n
bottom. The proof of insincerty is perfect
Its advocates never practice their doctrine as to
sueer at all efforts to elevate the masses" az
both n chimerical and dangerous ex-
pertinent of certain Unbalanced people
whose arguments and works are, as they sup
pose. finally disposed of by calling them "hll-
n,anitarians." Missionaries, =" enthusiasts"
fanatics 'cranks." 1t is the sort of senti-
ment that English lordlings feel when they de-
nounce glorious Gladstone and prosecute brave
Paruell because they plead for Irish peasants
that the chief end of existence for a poor tenant
farmer is not TO pay rent TO absentee landlords.
Certain it is that no man counting himself
among the 'masseS' sneers at efforts to lift
them up.
THE sHEERs COME FROM CERTAIN PEOPLE,
more prosperous than good, who feeling them
selves to be lifted mp whether by the accident
of fortune or blood, fear that their privileges
will be lessened when those below them begin
TO move Ii is easy to understand both the con
tempt and the fear of those who contemplate
with unrest the betterment of the condition Of
the poor and the lowly. Such feelings among
the privileged classes" are not peculiar to our
times So In old Rome patricians felt toward
their pebeian neigbbors. We could not expect
better things from that colossal paganism, but
such sentiments are out of harmony with chris
tian civilization. Where Christ reigns, such
sentiments die In ancient Jerusalem the
Scribes, the Pharisees, and the Herodans looked
with contempt and wrath, dashed with fear,
upon the efforts of the man of Nazareth to in
struct the ignorant and help the helpless of his
time. To them-''preserving their game" and
nursing their responsibilities was all agta-
tor and innovator.
When Roman Plate declared from the judg-
mept - at. II find no fault in this man" and
the chief priests could bring other charge
against the divine friend OF the poor, They
were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up
the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, be-
ginning from Galilee to this place." But these
speople"-these "masses" are the majority of
Che human race and the best part of il: their
cause is the cause of God. who is very Jealous
of their rights, ever listening as a father to
their bitter cry, and they will yet be lifted
up by him who draws all men unto himself. -
But is there any other way of educating the
people than by state supported public schoolsi
Most of the people are Door, with them
the burdens of simply living are heavy.
They are not able to educate even in
the rudnents their children. But the whole
people are easily able, without serious burdens,
10 educate the children of all the people. If in
such a work the weil-to-do bear more of the
burden than the poor. this is as it ought TO be- II
is the instinct of human justice that il should
be so; it is the law Of God. Sound political
economy, the philosophy of republican govern
ment and the christian religion make il the duty