The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-10-23
Education in the South.

sSst&QUOtAV1OA HI Wiz 0VUVAs
Even in this era of good feeling,
when sectional animosity is nowhere
popular, it is not uncommon for cer-
tain Influential journals in the North
to make censorious comments on edu
cation in the South. The Southern
people are accused of making too
little effort for the support of public
schools. If those who make this ac
cusation really believe it and are
willing to test that belief by compar
ing it with the facts of the situation,
they now have an opportunity to do
SO. President Dreher, of Roanoke
college, in a recent address, points
out 'ssome difficulties and encourage.
ments" in educational work in the
Southern States. The first difficulty
is lack of money The South came
out of the war impoverished Most
of her people are engaged in agri-
culture, in which money is accumu-
lated slowly. DR. Dreher cites the
census of 1890 to show that the six
New England States, with an area of
66 ,4s5 square miles, and popula.
ton of 4.700,745, had an assessed
valuation of $3,ae7 .947 .695, and the
six Middle States, including Mary.
land and the District of Columbia,
with an area of 1l6 $50 square miles
aud population Of l4,142,075. had
an assessed ysluation of $7,Sl3, ,052,-
992; while the thirteen Southern
States, not including Missouri, with
an area of 8l8,065 square miles, and
population of l7,9l4,290. had an
assessed valuation of only $3,731,-
097 ,2e4 The New England and
Middle States combined, with an
area only two-ninths of that of the
Southern States, and q population
greater by only 928. $50, have an as
eessed valuation of real and personal
property more than three times as
large as that of the South
By the application of little arith-
metic the president ofRoanoke shows
from this com parative statement that
the rate Of taxation which will pro
vide public schools for 10 months Of
the year at the North will be suf6.
cient to maintain such schools at the
South for only three and third
months in the year The assessed
valuation in Massachusetts was three
6fths of that of the thirteen Southern
States. The assessed valuation Of
New York was greater than that Of
the thirteen Southern States. Penn
svlvania has an assessed valuation
seven times that of Kentucky. In
view Of these contrasts it may be
well doubted if the people of the
North have made greater effort
than .he Southern people to maintain
the public schools
Another difficulty which confronts
the Southerners is the sparseness of
population.
New England has II people to the
square miie the Middle States, l2l !;
the Southern States, %; Massachu-
setts, 27S, and Virginia only Al; Con-
necticut, 154. and Georgia only 81 !;
Pennsylvania, III, ard Alabama only
20 pr. Dreher states that, as it is
necessary to maintain throughout the
vast territory of the South separate
schools for the two races, the forego-
ing comparisons, which are based on
the total population, do not fairly rep
resent the serious obstacle encount
cred in maintaining good schools by
reason of the sparseness of popula-
ton in the South For instance,
Alabama, with total population of
1,5l3,0l7, has. as We have said, an
average of 25 people 20 the square
mile; but Alabama has S33, 3,7l8
white people, or 16 to the square
mile; and 9,299 colored people, or
l3 to the square mile, making it prac-
tically two States, so far as the nain-
tenance of schools is concerned,
with the exception of the cost Of
superintendent.
We do not believe that there is
any people in this or any ether
country that has ever made such
sacrifices for education as the men
and women of the South have made
and are making in the support of free
schools. Let their censorious critics
study the facts collected by Presi-
dent Dreher aud their sense of JUS
tice will compel them to bestow
praise where they have been bestow.
ing condemnation. = Washington
Post.