The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-14
EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH.
Work That Is Being Done by the Con-
gregational Churches.

Boston. June 14.-The New England
Office OF the American Missionary Associa-
tion, Rev. George II. Gutterson, secretary,
has issued special statement to Congre-
gational churches of the associations edu.
catonal work. IL shows that the a. NJ. A.
maintains 76 schools IN IL southern states
81 of them having 10 Qoli pupils, arc for
the Freedmen. Only 90 of those arc com
mon schools" 4" Wherever the elementary
instruction provided by tho southern
states for the colored pupils becomes at all
adeuuate, the A. NJ. A. removes its prim-
ary schools TO moro needy districts.
Mississippi has 7ai 7i9 negroes, 6O.9 per
cent illitcrate. South Carolina has Cos. =
l4l negroes, g. per cont illiteratc.
Georgia mas SOS, go negroes 90. 3 per cent
illlterate. Louisiana has zoo l92 negroes,
~. per cent illitorata. In our country
three fourths Of the nations illitoracy Is
in tho south. Forty FER cent Of the whole
population Of the south cannot road the
New Testament or the 2, eco 600 illitorate
voters in our country, Loo, eco are in the
south. Twenty per cent of the southern
whites and four ner cent of the northern
are lliterate. Eighty per cent of the
wealth of the nation Is in the north
Previous TO 1876 there wero no public
schools in the south for whites or blacks.
Even one-thrd of the states have school
term averaging only four months per
annum for both races. The reason for this
Is che poverty of the south. The entire
school system for.the negro is now carried
on by negro teachers. The modtcum OF
learning offered tho negro bY the public
schools OF the southern states does not
even furnish the foundation for the COM
monest degree OF Intelligence
Among tho moro than 1900, 600 noun.
tain whites IN the south one half
cannot read. ConcreCatiOnalists
have 10 schools among these people
ip five states Nine Of tkefn arc acade-
pupils nunter 2fO5. These academies
are doing for the Mountaineers" what
"phillips Exster". "Kimball Union. ~
"Easthamton. " and other famous schools
have done fer New England. Nine years
ago ore ~ these academies occupied ono
plain building; today ~ has five. with .
course from Kindergarten 90 normal, and
a yearly enr,llmcnt of nearly $50 pupils,
sending on. dozens - teachers yearly.
There aye ~ 90 Indians ~ school are I;
| ~ these tbC last census gives onl~ .3. 3Gj
snt.ending school The largest normal
/ nnd training sehool is ~ ssaute- Agency.
/ Neh il bas - iDs.ruotors l27 pupils.
/ lts course ~ stuDT irgins with the Kin
/ dPrgnrtsn und extends through the high
school studies This scaoOi gathers It's
! pupils from the Mississippi river 40 the
/ Rocky uOgntains. and from the Platte
river TO Canada i2J0 have come uBGor
| It's instruction. II trains tenchers and
| preachers fOr the great Indian fields
! There are also 2G "outsintians" among
| the Indians situated in five fferent
states and rcachinR twenty different
tribes An "Outstatioa' consists of a
| home. q church and schuOlhouse
! Forty missionaries occupy thcse out.
stations They reach % 90 Indians every
| year. The association hos been forced
| 90 cut It's appropriation for the Indian
work during the last four years from
| So, 500 to S35. 600.