The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-22
FOR soUTH'S GOOD
STATE SCHOOL COMMISSIONER
ESTIMATE OF OGDEN PARTY.
MEANS HELPFUL SYMPATHY.
IN SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM
THAT CoNFRONTs THE SOUTH.

MEMBERS of the Party Were Brought
10 See That No Plan That Looked
solely to the Education of the Ne
gro Could Accomplish Even That
ResuIt-The Poor White Boy of the
southern BackwoOds and sIums
Must BE Helped and UpIifted Too.
Men, Members of Party VIII Garry
on Work in the Future.
State School Commissioner Glenn, whom
an overdue train left in Savannah, for a
few hours yesterday and last night, has
high hopes of the good that will come to
the South and to the cause of education
in the South from the recent visit of
the party headed by Robert c. Ogden.
During his little stop in the city, Mr.
Glenn was the guest of Mr.. Otis Ash
more. on Whitaker street. Mr.. Glenn
smoke interestingly and with enthusiasm
of his belief in the advent of new SYM
nathy and new and better assistance from
the people of the North in the solution
of the great and difficult problem the peo-
pie of the South are facing and must
solve.
The readers of the Morning News will
remember the trip made by the Ogden
party to this state. 1t numbered about
seventy-five persons, most of whom were
men of means and influence, interested in
educational and other sociological prob
lens and anxious to acquaint themselves
with conditions prevailing in the South,
so that they might the more intelligently
exert themselves for the betterment of
these conditions.
The most hopeful thing about the trip"
said Mr. Glenn, sis that the party was
brought to realize the necessity, even
from the standpoint of those who labor
solely for the uplifting of the Southern
negro to do something for the uplifting
of the Southern white man who needs as
sistance
The party was composed of men who
are practical and intelligent, as well as
benevolent and philanthropic, and their
purpose in making the trip was to get
real grasp on conditions. / Joined the
party at Hampton and had the pleasure
OF delivering an address at that place.
When 1 was thinking of something to say,
it occurred to me that it would be we'll
to call attention TO the fact that in the
general Northern regard for the negro
and the effort to give him an education,
The poor white boy of the Southern states
and his vital necessities were being over
looked. 1 did speak along these hines,
and | told the party that the only real
hope for the final uplifting of the negro
race was that the neglected whites of the
backwoods and the slums should be up
raised at the same time.
Il told them, too, that the wrong meth
cd had been followed in the matter of dis
tributing their benevolence. The way to
secure the best results was not to confide
this to aliens, but to the men and wo-
men of the South, who were themselves
vitally interested in the solution of the
negro problem, and manifested their will
lingness to help work 1t out on broad
and patriotic lines and who could be
trusted to do absolutely what was right.
With their interest enlisted in the distr1-
button of money and the conduct of ed
vocational enterprises among the South
err negroes and when they could be made
to feel they had the sympathy of the
Northern people, the battle would be half
won.
From the avidity with which the
members of the party grasped these prop
ositons l have ventured to think l struck
the right chord. For the rest of the trip
they discussed little else and they all as
sured me that whatever amount of money
they distributed in the SoUth in the fu-
ture, either for themselves or IN behalf
of others, would be divided between the
whites and the negroes for educational
purposes. They said, too, that they
would distribute this money through
Southern men, of whose interest In the
problem they were convinced and who
they had come TO understand, knew more
of the problem than anybody else.
They have learned things themselves
the knowledge of which is essential to
any proper use of money for educational
purposes in the South, and they are in
position to give wisely. My understand
Ing of their purpose is that they will form
themselves into committee, for the pur-
pose of directing the distribution of
funds for education in the South along
the lines 1 have indicated and which they
assured me they would follow.
Il consider this determination on the
part Of these public-spirited and philan
thropic men, who have the means where
with to carry out any plans they may
formulate, of first importance, and l see
IN IT the prospect of much good
Mr.. Glenn said he considered 1t particu-
larly unfortunate that some random re-
marks of Gov. Candler's doubtless made
on the spur of a moments irritation,
winch criticised the motives of the mem
ners OF the Ogden party, should have
oeen made public. In his opinion these
remarks have done the cause of educa-
ton in the South a real injury, and do
not at all express Gov Gamblers real sem
uments on the subject.