The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-05-28

wenches who have been educated aud
are now vagabonds- parasites who live
off the labor of good working negroes
lust as the vngabonds do herr. We have
many good negroes here who nre good
scitizens and give no trouble. and they
are our traymen. our carpenters. car
rage akers blacksmiths. BARRIERS. gar
deners. cooks and washerwomen. These
trades are shut out to them Mt the
North. hut the North keeps on sending
money down here to educate them and
10 keep their leaders in line. politically.
The truth is that all this devilment that
has of late so agitated oar people comes
from politics 1t is planned and de-
signed for party purposes and Mr. Me
kinley WIS party to 1t when he APP
pointed negr oes To he po Stmastcrs and
revenue off GERS in white communities.
| have had no respect for him since he
did it. They say that he has quit 1t,
but he has not apoligized~ How much
longer il he{ going TO keep that edu-
Gated negro politician in olfice at 1lo-
Evansville? Yet there are thousands Of
Democrats. men and women. in Atlanta
who gave him welcome and threw him
flowers and shouted "All hail Mckm-
ley" I've no respect for them. either. |
want to live long enough to see a man
in the presidential chair who is far
above such machine politics. They say
they want to break up the solid South
and vet they do the very things to keep
it solid
But my wife is calling me again, She
saws it is about time for me. to begin to
water the roses. 1t takes about fifty
buckets Of water every evening. but the
hvdrant is near by and | don't mind it.
The little chaps try to help me with lit
tie buckets and they get their clothes wet
and of course am scolded for it. If they
get dirty or take cold or run at the nose
it's all my fault They say that | spoil
them so nobody else can do anything
with them. | don't care. They shall
have a good time as long as | live, for
there will be trouble enough after | am
gone.
Now about this thing that is called
education | do not wish to be misunder.
stood Millions are wasted on it to 10
good purpose. Every motheIs son and
daughter should be taught to read md
to write and multiply. Good reading
books should be placed within their
reach-books that teach a good moral
lesson, books that exalt virtue and con-
denim vice-hut work. toll, industry is Il
bigger thing than books. Modern educa-
ton is confined to the head, the intel
lect and is mixed up with training the
hands to play ball and the legs to run,
and the boys tramp all over the coun-
try to play match games and the old
mans money is spent for something that
is not worth a cent to the young ma'l
when he settles down to the business of
life. The average boy has no more use
for algebra or comic sections or calculus
or astronomy or Greek or French than
wagon has for a fifth wheal. 1t is
valuable time wasted. Outside of the
professors I~have never found but one
college graduate who could translate Il
line of Greek or solve q problem in
geometry Perhaps one in a thousand
show a fitness for these higher branches
and that one should have a chance at
them if possible. for the world needs
astronomers and mathematicians and
scientists and linguists, and will have
them even If the requirement has to be
hammered out at the anvil as Elihu Bur
rift did, Work is the big thing in this
perative. and it is struggle. But to be
a great orator or poet or preacher is 4
gift. aBd like Patrick Henry or Henry
Clay or John Wesley, will come to frui-
ton with or without higher education.
To read well and to read wisely is the
best part of an education. 1t is strange
that our schools do not teach their pupils
to read---to read with emphasis and tone
and accent. Not one preacher in ten can
read chapter or a hymn in an impress
, sive manner. 1t was his happy faculty
of reading well that made Bishop Beck
with great man. 1t was solemn
feast to hear him recite the litany Oh
read LYNN or utter prayer. Why
/ do not the theological seminaries teach
the students to read with and also some
thing Of elocution? 1t is an imposition
on congregation to have to listen to
| the sing-song, childish unimpressive
| readings of our preachers.
| But this is enough ON this line. | fear
| am getting hypercritical.
BILL ARP.
/ THE TRUE PHILOSOPHER.