Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-10-27
THE BLAIR BILL.
Letter from Rev. DIR. j. l.. VI. Curry


presumption Of this appeal.
Prior to 1867 thore was not any general or
efficient public-schools system IN the South.
Before the war academies and colleges Tor
both sexes were numerous and did excel
lent work. but no adequate provision was
made for the education Of the masses;
In the southern States, excluding Dela-
ware, Maryland. and Missouri, the school
pOpulation. from SIX 10 fourteen years,
according TO the latest most trust
worthy returns. furnished to me IRON
the Board Of Education, Is 4Q2S,Il5. me
enrolment is 3, 42O. 40f. The school term NJ
the South in the State schools VIII not ave
race eighty days, while that at the west
and North IS probably double: Inc teacn-
ing in the rural districts IS often of an IN
ferior quality-whAt might reasonably be
expected from poOTly-paid teachers EN-
plOyed for three or four months IN the
wear. The annual school expenditures IN
these States is over Sl3.00O,OW.
Bv the census OF 1880 6,00O.0OO OF the
lG 600 900 Of children Of school age did not
attend the public schools. OF the school
population OF the South nearly bali are not
in school Over six and quarter millions
of our entire population could not WTlte
their names. Two millions of legal
pob3.s. Of whom 100000 were white and
1 100 900 were colOred. could not write.
This test of intelligence Is 50 decep-
tive that. while one fifth Of the voters
could not write at all, it il probable that
two ffths were 50 impcrtcctly educated rs
10 be unable to read intellieently news
paper or the Bible. The illiterate voters
in the South were l,36j.sSi, or over one
third: 69S per cent. of illitcrate voters
were negroes and 1912 per cent. whites.
In North Carolina, South Carolina. Geor-
ria. Alabama. and Louisiana more than
half the voters cannot read their ballots
Tho maintenance of orr public schools
has been complicated and made more on
crOus by the race question. when, Wilal-
ever fanaticism or craftsmanship or cr1ss
/ ignorance may say, - the most teariul
problem that our civilization has en-
countered. There Is no discrimination
against schools for negroes in any OF the
southern States. The length Of the school
wear is the same for both races. Dr.
| Owens. of Roger Williams College, in Nash
| Vile. an institute for negOes, says:
/ THE South las acted nOblv IN d.
viding the public funds and providing
GOOD buildings The southern States, on
| whose territory the war between the
/ States was waged, and which came out OF
| the terrible struggle crushed ana reduced
/ To poverty. have paid nearly OF quite c50'-
/ COO 600 for the education of the negroes,
and General Armstrong. the able principal
/ of the Hampton school, who commanded
/ a brigade of colOred troops, says: South
ern taxpayers are doing more than hhN
/ others for the negro by maintaining ld,UOO
/ free colOred schools at an annual cost OF
/ over 4. 600 600. OF every SlOO Pald
/ in southern taxation 5000 are pald by
white people" 49,,
These negroes, with their inherited ten
| denotes of superstition and their long,
/ drearv history OF ignorance, thrittlesness,
/ and slavery, are entitled to educatlon-lo
/ fullest moral and intellectual develop
ment-frst. rs human beings with lndi-
] vidual responsibility and immortal sous
! for whom Christ died; and second, as clJl-
zens and voters in representative repuD-
/ lie.
/ fine II TO negroes. Senator Blair, III u re-
cent address, says: The distress ot our
own blood is greater than that Of the coll
/ ored race" The restitution Of the means
! Of education among white children ~ APP
palling. Northern charity to the amount
I Of over $4,000 600 has been concentrated
upon negro children.
The States cannot rid themselves OF the
OBLIGATION to sustain free schools. That ls
one Of the functions Of free government
and cannot safely be dispensed with or
/ evaded. General education was never &c
comphshed except under government
/ authority and by government revenues.
! Instead of doing anything TO diminish
the sense Of the obligation OF the south
crn States 10 sustain an adequate s[s-
| tenn Of free schools / should much prefer
! to make il more real. The South, IN
I stead of deserving citlclsm or cenSute toi
omission OF duty, deserves the rather.
! commentator for what size has att, ~Dted
| and achieved. No chapter III her history
is more brilliant than this or more merits
! grateful recognition. OF the SsO,OOO.ON
paid ont for public schools every year by
The whole country the South ,eXpends
about Sl6,0O0.0O0, or one tltth, while nei
taxable property does not come near th2'
proportion OF the aggre2atS r. taAtuI'
/ property. A. u. Mayo, OF Massachu
setts. as familiar as any man ~
he Union with the school work
OF the South, has often written OF tht
grandeur ard patriotism of the sacrifices OF
the South in this direction. No sipilal
class of people in the Old or New Norlc
has accomplished so much, ID time $,
short, against Obstacles 80 fCrndaol
I Under her peculiar conditions, with q
rural, agricultural and sparse population
without regeneration from the lmpoVersh
ment aud exhaustion of the war, with
Notwithstanding. unskIllcd, immigration
fOrbidding. lately seryile race OF co
equal citizens as Joint occupants 81 htl
territory. il is financially impossible icl
the Sonth to sustain system OF tree
schools. continuing IN session .elgh
months and atlording educational iacllllie'
for the population OF school age. IN
school d,mQnd odunOi possibly Oe met on hfr ~
sources. and il Is On alarming fact thht th'
States having the smallest resources have
the heaviest school burdens. Ihroughou
the northern States each child receives OF
an average for his yearly education aOou
SIS. In the South the per capita eXpendl
ture i about $3.50. 4 rate OF taxation &C
comphshing what is desirable and neces
sary in the South would be nothing shor
OF ruinous conhscation.
The only remedy Tor this ,deploraID,l'
condition of affairs Is national AID. Ih'
ill which passed the Senate al the las
session proposes to act through state
school systems in subOrdination and auXll
inry to State authorities. and steered a
far as possible from bureaucracy and cen
traliZation. The distribution was no
based on population IN tho aggregate
but on the illiteracy Of the schoo
population, GscertGlned or ascertain
able from the sworn returns OF IN
census. 1t rightly recognized illite
racv. not rs local or sectional, bat as M
tional question OF paramount importance
imperilling our representative institutions
The North may De geographically an'
practically severed from contact with TIT
negroes but she cannot nope 70 be exenlp
from the industrial, social. moral, and po
ltical consequences Of their illiteracy
The North emancipated, citzeniZed
and enfranchised the negroes; an'
from these three distinct, substantiy
acts there is a resulting obligation to qualif.
them for citizenship and suffrage that can
not honestly be ignored or evaded. 1t vii
no longer satisfy conscience or reason u
saw that the South enjoyed the fruits o
slave-labor and must now pay for the edu
cation of the freedmen, for since Appomat
tox a quarter Of century has elapsed. ant
q majority OF the negroes now living wer
never in legal bondage TO any man.
The aid proposed, If given III bulk, /
not as much as is gwen every year 70 sol
diers and claim agents in the way OF pen
sions, and would be about one fourth o
the annual expenditures of the Govern
ment, but the bin appropriates only s! $50,
600 the first year, aud an average OF onl
SlO. OO0, COO for the period of eight sub
sequent years. This trifing and TEN
porary sum 20 be paid over Z
State officers is TO be expended il
The common schools on the right ant
healthful condition that no greater par
shall DO paid out TO any State In one yea
than the SUM expended by that State GU
of lis own revenues. To use an llustra
| t,T,, ~ Senator Hair IL Florida. for 10