The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-01
Education Of the Negro.

Editor Of The Times:
Sir.-1n your editorial of the l4tt on
Both Sides of the Negro Question you
contend that IF we deprive the negro
OF the opportunity to educate his chill
6ren, we Will have an illiterate class that
crows worse as /, grows older and
would seem TO advise our Constitution
makers to- continue to educate along the
same lines now used. Is The Times sat
is net the most dissatisfied anomaly of the
payers' money as at present used in edu-
eating the negro? Are we making
more satisfactory citizen of HMM fact.
is not the lost dissatisiiedanomaly of the
present day the educated negro! lie is
hard to classify: he is taught to hold
himself above manual labor and must
tenceforth rely on his brains instead or
his muscle for his living. He is educated
out Of working for his living and finds
no field where his brains will earn it Tor
him: is It, TOO much of gentleman to
DO mental work. and consequently ldle.
advising those who do work to stop or
change, The taxpayer who has eduoat-
e,i them pays two prices for their labor,
which Is generally measured so as TO
do the least work for the most money and
beat their employer out OF all the TINE
they can.
Nir1e-ter1ths OF the taxpayers in this
SECTION. where there are more negroes
than whites, consider the present edIca-
lion OF the negro as one the crandes.
farces of the present age. and it has the
further evil OF being very costly
farce. II We could see any good from,
Il after a trial of thirtS-;lve gears. we
would not murInur. 1t certainly has made
the negro more disccnted as a iaborer. It
has not improved his morals one iota.
Docs The Times think the education they
ere getting has improved their manners!
We find the best hammered negro here:
ia the oi6 negro; he Is the best worker: IS
more honest, contented and satisfied. This
is an important question truly. and We
should look at both sides. and not 80
ait6Etthsr On theory; We have had thir-
tr.five years Of experience: has 1t paid?
What have NE gair.a? We have GER
tinly spent a good deal of money: what
do we find the condition to-day2 We'll.
negroes are plentiful here, but from the
eges. from seven to twenty. they will not
hire tolNsGrk either boys or girls because
theF are going to school. and. sitter twen-
ty wears OF age. the bulk of them 80
North In summer ard work six months
and conn hack TO .lcntoralsze tirose left
hare by telling them what fools they are
for working for tho wages they do. live
on them all the winter and then borrow
money from them to go North on again
in the spring. This Is an the return the
educating them.
II they should live hero after their
schooling they. know no more about farm
work than@if they were 5ust laraed from
Ethiopia We have had enough OF the
present plan. Tou can't make white
man Of the negro by education. but you
CAP make fool of him. raise him
nightly IN his own estimation and ruin
the best iaborer we ever had. A good
citizen ts usually moulded by home and
moral training. drilled and snculcated into
the child. lie system at prcsen, IS de-
weld OF these. The only result is muci,
fnkoience with a determination TO push
where he knows he Is not wanted, a
drs wback to his interests and obnoxious
10 all he is thrown tnicontact with
What does his eeucation equip him for!
Ii there place behind the counter or in
the counting-room for hisn2 hen what
fss education done for --in? He had is
norance before. Now he has three Is
1nsplence. Impotence, and ldieness