The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-27
FREE SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTH
Appeal From Hon. !. l.. VI. turry-In-
tcrc.tin.. Lhuaa.tinnnI sttIi-tic-.

Ny official position rs general agent %
| The Peabody educational fund. conioincd Il
my southern birth. residence. and sympa
the-. must hc my apology for the apparent
presumption of This appeal.
Prior a. l~Dl there wa, not AN, general Ol
efficient puhlic--chool system in the south
/ Before the war. academies and colleges iol
both sexes were numerous and did excel
lent work. hut no adequate provision Wa-
made for the education of the MASSES.
Ina the southern STATES. excluding Della.
ware. MARYLAND and Missouri. the -chOo
population. from siN 90 fourteen wears. ac
cording 10 the latest most trustworthy re
turns. furnished tO me from the Bureau Oi
/ Education. j. 4.O2>. -. The enrolment j.
3.421. .ful. The school term at the south ~
| the state schools viii not average eighty
days. while that at the West and the N0rtl
is probably double. The teaching in Nh,
rural districts il often of an inferior qualit,
what might reasonably be- expected from
poorly paid teachers. employed for three ol
four months in the wear. The annual -choO
expenditure ia these states j. oser >l3, ,oeD
nuD
By the census Of lS>u. G.eiOV0 Of IN,
ib.WN.wN of children of school oge did no'
attend the public schools. OF the -choo
population of the south. nearly half ar,
now in school. over six and a quarter
millions of our entire population could NOT
write their name~. Iw, millions If legal
,0fcfS. of whom 1n.uJ were white and
l.lu.Vr were c0l0rd. could not write
This test Of intelligence j. 40 deceptive that
while une-iliih of the voters could not write
at all. 10 j. probable that twO-fifth, were -
impcrfectly educated - tO be unable Ia read
inielligenily new >paper or the Bible Tn,
iiiiierate voters i'm the south were i.3ri.>si
or over one-thirl; co. per cent. of illifcrat,
voters were negroes and 3D. per cent. whites
In North Carolina. south Carolina. GcOreia
Alabama and Louisiana. NOR. than half the
voters cannot read their ballots.
The maintenance Of our public schools
ha, been complicated ana made more oner
ouS by the race question. which. whatever
ianaticism or parii-an,hip or elias, ignor
ance may say. j, the most fearful problem
that our civilization has encountered
There j. no discrimination against schools
tor negroes in any 0t the southern states
The length Of the school wear j. the same fOl
both races. Dr. Owens. If Roger Williams
College in Nashville. an Institution fOl
negroes SAYS: "ihc south ha, acted nObl,
i'm dividing the public funds and providing
good buildings" The Southern STATES. on
whose territory the war between the
STATES was Waged. and which came ont
of the terrible struggle crushed and reduced
To poverty. have paid nearly or quite $50.
uOuOO for the education of the negroes. anc
General Armstrong. the able principal O
the Hampton school. who commanded q
brigade Of colOrcd fruop-. SAYS: southern
taxpayers are doing more than any other-
for the negro by maintaining lS.WD FRI,
cOlorcd schools at an annual cost If Oyci
$4,000. 900. OF every 500 paid in
southern taxation. $3.50 are paid by IN,
white people.
These negroes. with their inherited ten
dcncir, Of superstition and their long
drcary history OF Ignorance. ihrfte--ne>-
and slavery. are entitled 10 ,ducatiOn- {,
fullest moral and intellectual Development
% IL human beings with indi, idual rr-pon
-iblity and immortal souls. for whom Chfi,
died, aud t2) a. citizens and voters IN
representative republic.
II il narrow view of the subject Ia con
line il To negroes. senator Blair. in u re-
cent address. says: The distress Of oul
own blood i greater than that Of the col
ored race" The de-titution of the mean.
of education among white children is ap
palling. Northern charity to the amount o
oNer fifteen millions of dollars ba, been con
centrateri upon negro children.
The states cannot rid them-el,e, Of ~,
obligation Ia sustain free schools. That i
one of the functions Of free government
and cannot safely be dispensed with O
e,aded. General education was never ac
compli-hed except under government atl
thorlty and 10y government revenues In
, stead Of doing anything 10 diminish TN
sense of the obligation OF the southern
states 10 sustain AN adequate system O
free schools, ] should much prefer 10 max
II more real. The South, instead Of desery
ins criticism or censiire for omission O
duty. deserves, the rather, commendatio
Tor what she has attempted and achieved