Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-03-31
"What Shall be DOne?"

OBJECT Inc advancement VI Tue eu'
ucational interests Of Savannah.
Good. Whatever has the appear
ance of fostering this interest
merits the respectful and careful
consideration of all good citizens.
But he who seeks to agitate
this subject should not allow his
zeal to divest him of courtesy and
fairness to the existing order of
things. Intense feeling obscures,
if it does not preclude, clear
thinking. Result Agitators
and reformers have in general
been characterized by a surplus of
sentiment rather than philOsOphic-
al insight. They see certain OBJ
ject greatly exaggerated by the
mists of feeling and therefore lose
sight of equally important core
lated truths. Again, certain Oc-
equations also have a tendency
to nourish dogmatic, and often er-
roneous, opinions. For instance,
an individual moves in a sphere
where his utterances and actions
are seldom, if ever, subjected to
outspoken and critical examina-
ton in his presence. He speaks,
in his own sphere, as one having
authority; he delivers opinions in
a matter-Of-fact manner, as t,c0
and tpo make fouri And when he
undertakes to speak on other
subjects he transfers this dogmat-
ic requirement to the subject,in.
hand.
The preceding is given in order
to put the most charitable inter
probation possible upon the fol.
lowing quotation from the article
under consideration: "The school
that we now have and the almost
criminal carelessness of the pa
rents of our town is disgrace to
a civilized people. We are actu-
ally falling behind the Brother in
Black" Now the logical import
of such unqualified language
would cause one not acquainted
with Savannah or the school here,
to form a very erroneous opinion
concerning both. Quality, not
quantity, is the type of the school;
and there are some parents in Sa-
yapnah not guilty of criminal care
lessness in regard to education.
True, the general educational
interest is not what it could and
should be; but this is no excuse
for wholesale and unjust denun-
citation of both school and people.
1t is to be hoped that the author
did not intend such a sweeping
statement, though such awkward
ness would be inexcusable; but
assuming that he means what he
says, there are only two possible
theories for his blunder-st stupid
ty or cussedness, and he should
be handed over to the tender
of the home missions
BOARD. And when he tells
is that "We are actually fall
n behind the Brother in Black
perhaps be forgets the sacred in
unction, "get thee behind me, Sa-
am" but the present writer sub
nits that the prOnOun zoe applies
o only one of our people. But
rs the above quotation did not
sufficiently express his indigna-
ion for existing affairs, his anger
accumulated with the progress of
he article, enabling him to nurse
ais wrath to keep it warm until
he grand finale was reached when
t burst forth in +" we can
lift old Savannah out of the
slough of ignorance" and then he
stood upon his dignity and breath
I'd a sigh of relief. Here, too, the
article contains a sweeping state
nent implying that all Savannah
s in a slough of ignorance.
But ii would seem that in such a
niry place the aforesaid article
should have shone with more
Drilliancy. What are the facts2
We have an intelligent class of
business men (even if they do not
read Latin and Creek; we have
IN able and influential bar; full
corps of afflble and progressive
physicians; a goodly number of
cultured ladies and gentlemen
earnestly and judiciously working
for a public library, and their eff
forts bid fair TO materialize in the
near future; a handsome begin
ming for a Sunday-school library;
, law-abiding and hospitable peO-
pie; we have some ehizens who
show a very cOmmendable inter
est in the education of their chill
lren; and fairest and noblest of
Ill, Savannah wears the laurels
when you mention feminine grace
and beauty.
Fairness demands that when
our imperfections are mentioned,
should also he called to
our merits-allow the good to
weigh against the evil. But how
much nobler and grander would
,e our Savannah if the education
II interest were general. Let the
meeting be called, the
,lans fully discussed and the
proper measures taken to quicken
his tagging interest. What Sa-
II