The times., 1899-06-25
EDUCATION In THE SOUTH.
Interesting Work of the Conference
at Cnpon Springs.

| llhtly lO marx &sneW ulTeCllOU III tnt
movement for thsAmprovement of condi-
tions in the SouthEahe significance and the
effect of which mas prove to be historical
The idea that has found the fullest express
sion in the discussions of the past two days
| has been that the proper solution of the
problems that vex the South and Southern
life demands not only the education and
industrial training of the negro, but the
| uplifting by substantially the same meth
| DDS of the less favored classes of whites;
more than this, of the establishment OF
| the system of higher education SO far as
| possible on the plan OF the time before the
war, as means of equipping the young
| men of the South themselves for the task
| OF correcting many of the conditions with
which they are confronted.
| The plan that is evolving comprehends
the encouragement of the higher institu-
| tions by every possible means, and,
| through Northern as we'll as Southern aid,
| the creation of a better system OF sec
| ondary schools. a factor in the COM
| mon school system and the broadening
and extension of the system of industrial
education Of the blacks, and, so far as may
| be necessary, of whites as well, on the
| Hampton and Tuskegee plan.
| To these propositions is given the hearty
approval, not only of those who are here
| from the Southern States, but of those
| from the North as well. The assembly is
| thoroughly representative of those ele-
| ments in both portions Of the common
country that in the past have worked more
or less in sympathy, so far as aims are to
be considered, but without the opportunity
for practical cooperation. 1t is the out
growth of preliminary meeting held at
the invitation of Captain Sale, the owner
of the Capon Springs hotels, and of DR..
]. L. NJ. Curry, executive officer of the
Peabody and Slater educational funds, a
year ago. An executive committee was
appointed at that time, and the plan of a
permanent annual session was canvassed
| actively and with encouraging success.
DR.. Curry is Chairman OF the present
conference. Among the others in attend
ance are President William l.. Wilson, of
Washington and Lee University, Virginia;
President Charles F. Meseroe, of Shaw
University, North Carolina: Robert C. Og-
den, of New York; DR.. James Manchester,
late superintendent of public instruction
In Philadelphia and now President of the
Drexel Institute; Dr. W. II. Mayo, of
Washington; the Rev. DR.. H. b. Frissell,
President of Hampton Institute; W. H.
Baldwin, jr., President of the Long Island
Railroad Company; the Rev. Dr., Edwin
Kent Mitchell, of Hartford; William Jay
Schieffelin, President OF the Armstrong As
sociation OF New York; Albert Shaw, Ed
itor of the Review of Reviews" Dr. Les
lie W. Miller, President of the Pennsyl-
vania Museum and School of Industrial
Art; Prof. Charles W. Kent, of the Uni
versity of Virginia; George Foster Pea
body, of New York; the Rev. DR.. Blanch-
ard. Of Philadelphia; the Rev. Dr. S. d.
MacConnell, of Brooklyn; DR.. A. B. Hun
ter, of Raleigh. and DIR. F. G. Woodwork.
President OF Tougaloo University, Ala
bama. -
The questions set before these gentle
men and their associates are of the most
complex andI the'smost interesting char
acter. They arep phardly confined to the
problem of the continued -by-side ex-
istence Of two races different in color, in
telligence, and characteristics, but inter-
dependent and inseparable; there is dis
tinct recogntion-Hf the obligation of the
North to aid theEpeople of the South in
recovering tH ed4cational advantages lost
to them as be {sult Of the war, and in
establishing Bushsa system as will best
meet the peculiar needs Of today
In 1860, with the population of the South
ern States at 100000 and of the North
ern States at $4,000, 900, the South main
tanned 262 colleges and academies having
1,4Ss instructors and 27.055 students; while
in the North there were 2O5, with 1,4O7
instructors and 1904 students In the
the support of colleges and s4,32s,127 to
academies and in the North s1.514,68S to
colleges and $4,663. 749 to academies These
figures Dr. Curry gave in his address of
Friday adding that In 1873 DR.. Ruff
rer had said that in proportion to popula-
tion the State Of Virginia had more of her
sons in higher institutions OF learning than
any State or country in the world.
Many OF the Southern schools disap-
MAJ rad TOW all tyas
war. The universities were crippled, and
the whole system of primary education was
disrupted The recovery has been slow.
Depending almost wholly on the public re-
sources of impoverished States, rehabili-
tatfon has been very gradual and the loss
OF advantage has never been regained. At
present the productive funds of Northern
colleges and universities aggregate S102,
121451; those of similar institutions in
the South, SIS, 741 800. In the North there
are thirty three institutions having an an
nual income of from 100000 to 5000, 900,
and in the South eighteen. Six Northern
colleges, besides, have incomes of from
100000 to 100000, while in the South
there are none of this class. With the
close of the war there came, not only the
necessity for the reconstruction, so far as
possible, of a broken system, but for the
education OF the emancipated race. This
last was not left to Northern philanthropy
alone. DR.. Curry places the amount eX-
pended for education in the South during
the last thirty five years at $500 000, 600
an average of $l5. .O0O. 900 annually. OF this
$110, ,000. 90 has been devoted to the support
of negro schools, sS5, 900 900 raised by pub
lie taxation, and S25, ,000. 900 coming from
the jorth. Early in the period of recon-
struction. within the appreciation of the
Southern people themselves. a practical
means for the solution of the new prob
lem was afforded by the founding of
Hampton. Supported almost wholly by
Northern friends. Hampton-aided in time
by Tuskegee and its sister schools-con-
tinued to make its influence and signf-
canoe felt, until the wisdom OF the plan
worked out so patiently became manifest.
Public spirited and thoughtful men in the
South awoke to the conviction that here
indeed lay a way out of the more serious
of their perplexities. and are now giving
active aid in the promotion OF the Hamp-
ton plan, both with and without State aid
in many quarters.
The race troubles have continued. and
though a remedy has appeared at hand, the
practical application OF the remedy will
take time. The proper direction of negro
education has been discovered, and the
feasibility of employing the same means
for the uplifting of certain classes of
whites admitted. 1t is with the UNDER
standing that the funds devoted to public
education raised through taxation or con-
tributed from private means should be ap-
piled to the development OF a system
through which all classes Of the town may
be brought into close and naturally help
full relations that the work OF this con-
ference has been undertaken. DR.. Curry,
in his address, declared that he would
have in ayery euuca tipnal institution from
the university up to the kindergarten. "a
turn car,nrnnt, haees-caaducafinn nd in