The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-20

passed him by. To less extent, but still
to the extent Of hundreds of thousands
the eclesia stical scheme also passed him
by. The general level of education was
almost as low as it had ever been. Both
the aristocratic and the ecclesiastica
plans held undisputed sway till time
within the memory of us ALL But in the
meantime educa ton has been making
more rapid conquests-developing in
method and extending its benefits, in
other States and in other lands-than in
any preceding time in the history of the
world.
Tried by the tests of this progress.
what have the aristocratic system and the
ecclesiastical system of education to show
for themselves? First, what did they do
for their own favored classes, and what
did they do for education? North Caro-
lima is one Of the old thirteen States. The
airstOcratic system had free play for
nearly hundred years, and the ecclesi-
astical system has had free play for at
least two generations. They established
our university and our denomina tional
colleges. Excellent as these are, they do
not rank with the best institutions of Vir-
ginia nor of New Jersey, nor Of New
York nor of Connecticut nor of Massa-
chusetts. Nor have they trained even a
select body Of scholars that have been or
are in any way famous. Make another
test; there are no great libraries in the
State, not do the people yet read, nor
have the publishing houses ever yet
reckOned them as their patrons, except
the publishers Of school books.
BY any test that may be made, both
these systems Of education failed even
with the classes that they appealed to-.
One such test is the test of emigration
from the State. In 1890 there were liv-
ing in other States $4,000 persons who
We're born in North Carolina. One in
eight of every native of the State then
living had gone away. When we remem-
Der that almost every one of those emf
grants went to States where taxes were
higher and schools were more numerous
and better and where competition is more
fierce, and when we remember that they
went away from State that is yet sparse
ly settled and richer in natural opportuni-
ties than the State to which most OF them
went, the failure of these systems become
tragically obvious.
If slave brought $1,000 in old times,
IL ought TO be safe TO assume that every
emigrant from the State has an economic
value Of 81 900. This emigration there
fore had up to 1890 cost us $293, 900, 900
a fact that goes far to explain why we
are poor. To take the places Of these
1884, emigrants after 20 years of adj
vertising and organized effort to induce
emigration. $1,000 immigrants born in
other States had come here large pro-
portion OF whom Of course, had come for
their health. But counting their sick and
dying at $1,000 each, we had still lost
$241 100000 by the transaction This
gives a slight hint of the cost
of ignorance, and the extravaganza of
keeping taxes too low.
Next, what did these systems Of educa-
ton do for the masses? In 1890, 26 per
cent of the white persons of the State
were unable to even read and write.
One in every four was a WIDELY forgot
ten man. But illiteracy was not the
worst of it, the worst of it was that the
social condition indicated by
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