The morning call., 1891-10-03
SOME GOOD ADVICE.
4 Southern Editor on the Duties Of the
Southern People.

RALEIGH On. c., Oct. AT the opening
of the Southern Exposition yesterday an adj
dress on THE Real New South; What 1t
Ought to Be-" was made by Octavius Cohen,
managing editor Of the Charleston Is. c.
World. lie started out by saying: mo
section can possibly advance in material
prosperity as rapidly as it should, if the
people persistently shut their eyes TO their
own shortcomings. Instead of employing
our remarkable advantages OF soil and
climate as steps to lead to the pinnacle OF
material progress, we have. l regret to say,
simply made use OF them 10 q sufficient eX-
tent to enable Us to exist in scant comfort
Right here in North Carolina, and next
door, in my native State, South Carolina, to
say nothing of the others, which are also
greatly blessed. do you know, and are you
not willing to admit that if New England
ers, with their feyerlSh push and Keen hnan-
cial instinct possessed half our advantages,
they would have two Of the most thriving,
bustling and wealthy States in the Union?
If they can extract prosperity with bleak
hills, rocky slopes and five months of snow
banks as bases why cannot we accomplish
the same result with the most fertile lands
and the most SalubrlOuS climate IN the
United States together with the ability to
work outdoors all the year round? We
have lived too much within ourselves and
we must stop it Immediately. Intercourse
almost always involves education on some
point and it must, therefore, be Of benefit.
EDUCATION NEEDED.
Mr.. Cohen thought education was needed
and better facilities to obtain II should be
sought and obtained. The Legislature was
always ready TO close the purse when eX-
tension of education was suggested, because
it cost too much. at is" he said ''the
most culpabe sort of shortsightedness to
refuse to appropriate money Tor educational
purposes. No money Is eXtravagantly spent
which is judicously applied TO the elevation
of the standard of public school education.
Now if this be true, why should we desire
to keep any portion of our population IN
ignorance | say to you now, my friends,
in all earnestuess and with full apprecIa-
ton OF the Importance Of the statement, that
the negro is with us to stay, and the sooner
we come TO q realization of that fact the
better. And further, l wish to express 1t
as my honest conviction that If this were not
so the future of the South at large, especl-
ally for the next thirty or forty years. would
appear to me to be very gloomy. Any great
negro exodus means untold loss to our
people. In many portions OF the South,
even IN my own State, agriculture is next TO
impossible without the negro. he wants to
live with Us, and continue to ride along
with us To wealth and prosperity, and we
must make it possible for him to do so.
THE PLEA OF THE NEGRO.
"On the other hand, the negro must bear
in mind that his place in the political econ
omy of the South is clearly defined. He
must not hope tn rule here. He is incompe-
tent to do so. lie has once tried the expert
ment and will himself admit that it was
terribly disastrous enc for tae South, COM
ing, too. as It did, close upon the devasta-
ton aud desOlati0n Of the greatest civil war
the world has ever known.
II am not farmer. but take the great
est interest in all measures suggested for the
amelioratiOn of the condition of the agri-
cultural classes, and my observation leads
me to the conclusion that tie two remedies
for the farmers ills are diversity of crops
and planting ten acres to the mule In
other words, don't pay the Western farmer
an enormous price for corn for yourselves
and your stock when your cotton Is selling
for less than the cost of production. Plant
more corn, raise more pork. You are OBJ
Iiged to have them both"