The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-08-14

of the promising young men have gone
elsewhere to seek a living and perhaps
make some reputation. They might
have lone as we'll If they had elected
to remain. Many who stood by the
great DID state prospered and gained
good names. Once We recall it there
were seven United States senators at
the same time all natives of this aban-
state. Men love money and pub
Ilicity and they are willing to seek sue
cess any where on the globe. But a
gifted youth is worth diStinctiveiy
much to his native state. It is a loss,
when one packs and goes TO identify
himself with the intellectual and bust
factors in strange places Some
soon forget their old state and learn
Iauickly to turn up their noses at the
plain honest people and the "old order
land will say of the best people saucy,
ifippant, unfair, u~nfriendly things not
worthy of any native.
1t will he recalled that h educa-
ltional system that prevailed In our
has been laughed at and mis-
represented. 1t was, some few years
ago, ever said to have been "arlSto-
lcratic." This seemed very absurd TO
Those Who know the past history OF the
lstate SO lear to all really loyal sons
land daughters. The statement was
commented upon by more than one ma
tive at home. Il was a clear
THAT word "aristocratic." A friend and
as faithful and true to the dear Die
commonwealth as loyalty and patriot
ism can make one, wrote to US ABOUT
this mistake, the branding of education
lin his plain honest old North Carolina
lin the past as an education of "aristo-
lcracy." That was an amazing state
ment and simply funny. Dur able cor
respondent wrote:
THE fact is thai until in recent times
lit was not considered a function of gov
ernment to educate the people. Be-
tween 1910 and 1850, h idea that 1T
was a function of government ITO edu-
cate the people began to be entertained.
before 1910 Massachusetts was the My
Estate, not only in America, but per-
IhapS in all the world, where there was
la system of free publis schools. After
l184O other states fell into line, North
Carolina keeping along with the pro-
~cession. There was no aristocracy
IabOut it, one way or another. Those
who could afford it had their families
educated, just as they provided for
them i'm other respects; those who could
not afford it, did not give their children
the advantages OF education. But the
generation before the war living in the
lperiod of the sO-called "~aristocratlc
system apparently did good work in
ltha Of nnnIlJor education The
census of 1850 states that there We're
lSO, 900 white persons in North Carolina
lover q years of who could not read
and write; ten a later the number
lof these illiterateS was u to TO-
loco. Had there been no interruption or
the progress under the workings OF the
Ialleged 'aristocratic" system, this 49,
I0OO would be wiped out and there would
today be no white person in North
ICarolina, over 81 years of age unable
to read and write. There was an in
terruption between 1860 and 1872, and
the burden of our il~literate, blacks as
we'll as whites, has pressed heavily on
us ever since"
The study of English history will
lopen the eyes to the great backward
ness in Great Britain in popular edu-
Ication. The education then might be
called "aristocratic," but not that in
North Carolina. Prior to 1861, this
state was as progressive in popular
schooling as any state in the south, we
think. We know that e in the
higher institutions of learning the
"plain people and the o n of the
tw~ell-to-do men we'll mixed. The Uni
versity had a fair distribution of both
CLASSES and they were com~panionable
and equal. Education in North Caro-
lima is steadily advancing. The last
scholastic year showed a larger atten-
dance in nearly every college and high
school than was ever known before.
The democrats mean to improve he
public schools. The primary schools
will feel a deeper impulse and larger
things will be lone for the children.
CLOSE DISTRICTS
There are to be elected members of