The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-18
EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH.
The Dimoultio, which Beset tho Cause
Among Our People.

Among Our People,
The Philadelphia Record SAYS: Among
| the hard things which Northern sec
tionalists never tire of saying in dis
| paragement OF the people Of the South
| Is the accusation that they are neglect
full of tho duty OF adequate support 70,
| public schools. In recent discussion
of tho difficulties and encouragemets OF
| education in the South, Professor
Dreher, president Of Roanoke College.
| points out some of the chief disabilities
under which tho Southern people labor.
| He asserts the chief drawback TO be tho
| lack Of money.
According to the census OF 1890 tho
six New England Stateo, with an area
| of &c, 465 square miles and a population
! of 4,700,745, had an assessed valustion
| of SO. SCI, 947,695; aud the six Middle
States, including Maryland and the Dis
trict of Columbis, with an area OF
1865 square miles and population of
14,142,075, had an assessed valuation
of S7,sl2,052 .992; while the thirteen
Southern States mot including Mis-
souri), with an area of Sis. O65 square
miles and population of 1914, 900,
had an assessed valustion OF only
S3,731, O97,264
The New England and the Middle
States combined, with an area only
two nin,hs that OF the Southern States
and population greater by only 92S,-
$50. have an assessed valuation Of resi-
and personal property more than three
times as large as that OF the South. IL
will be seen from this comparison that
the rate OF taxation which will provide
publ c schools for ten months OF the
year st the North will be sufficient to
N aintain such schools at the South for
only three and third months in the
year
Tie assessed valuation in Massachu.
sets was threefifths of that of the
thirteen Southern States. The assessed
valuation of New York was greater til an
that OF the thirteen Southern States
Pennsylvania has On assessed valuation
seven times that Of kentucky. Look
ing at the comparative outlay for pur-
poses OF education in the North and
South, measured by taxable ability to
support schools, it is doubtful whether
the North has any superiority to
boast Of.
The spsrseness OF population is
another difficulty the Southerners have
to grspple with, which still further &C.
centuates the contrast between the
facilities for education North and Sou tn
There are, for example, 1T persons to
the square mile in Pennsylvania, and
only 90 in the Southern States. This
obstacle is made more serious by the
fact that large proportion OF the chill
dren to be educated in the South are
blacks, and separate schools have to be
maintained at additional cost
Facts like these. presented in Pro-
lessor Dreher's address, should go far
to relieve our Southern brethren from
the impu :ation sought to be cast upon
than hu caotinpaliobu pho 80 -
profitable to cultivate the ignorant vote
the North by abuse of the South. Pro-
lessor Dreher, who has had twenty i've
years experience Of educational work
in the South, speaks from personal
knowledge and pays high and deserved
tribute to the desire of the Southern
people for better educ ational facilities,
as evidenced By their courageous and
generous assumption OF the burden laid
upon them after the impoverishment
caused by the civil war.