The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-05-20
Living Issues.
TFF GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD,

Genera Education Board is an event
90 National and and historic import
snoe. Ii reduces the great task of
~obIiterating Southern illiteracy TO
simpler terms, and it marks a new
onooh in both Southern and North
ern effort.
Ever since the Civil War, help has
been generously given TO Southern
~eduoation. The first efforts were
naturally directed TO the education
Of the negroes. Out of these efforts
grew, not only the many schools of
the ordinary sort for colored youth,
that stand on the outskirts of most
Southern cities, but Hampton Insti-
tute and It's offshoot, Tuskegee Insti.
tute, and the constantly multiplying
schools of this industrial type. AS
the work has gone on the number of
schools has greatly increased, and
the demands that they make on
patriotic philanthropy have become
creator. The response has been
generous but the great number of
the separate appeals made has caused
increased confusion, and there was
danger that a comprehensive view
of the great problem would be OBJ
scured by it's details. And it had be-
come clear that the problem was too
large TO be solved without a compre-
hensive plan The whole public
school system in the South must be
built up, without regard to creed or
race. Great educationalfoundations
are made or strengthened every year
the gifts to education last year be-
ing $1O7, 600, OOO), but few of the
great benefaotions have gone to the
South, chiefly because of a lack of
definite knowledge of the situation,
snd because there seemed TO be no
satisfactory mean of administer.
ing it.
In the South in the meantime,
especially in North Carolina and
Georgia, there was an awakening. of
public sentiment. The Southern
people themselves, and especially
certain educational leaders, began TO
show an energetic comprehension of
the problem. Then came the South
ern Educational Conference at Salem,
N. c., last year, where Northern and
Southern men of like minds and pur
pose found each other. The stimulus
given by this meeting resulted in the
organization, under Mr. Robert O..
Ogden's leadership, of the Southern
Education Board, made up of men of
each section of the country. This
Board, through it's Southern mem
bers, is making such a c~omprehen-
sive study of Southern needs and
opportunities as was, perhaps, never
before made of any similar subject (;
and it is building up Southern opin-
ion to a degree of earnestness that
puts popular education before every
other public duty. There was, for
instance, recently held at the capital
of North Carolina a meeting of iuhu-
entail men from every part of the
State, who published an appeal to
the public, signed by the Governor
and many leading citizens of the
State. In this appeal the educational
~backwardness of the commonwealth
vas frankly set forth and every
community was urged by local taxa
ton to increase it's public school
fund.
Both in the South and in the North
the problem is now more clearly
understood in it's comprehensive as
poets than ever before; it must in.
Clude the education at the public ok
pense, as fast as public opinion can
be built up to maintain it, of both
races and sexes alike.
Following this unity of purpose
and unity of understanding comes
the organization of the General Edu-
cation Board. Mr.. William 81. Bald
win, Jr., is Chairman, and among it's
members are Mr.. Ogden, Chairman
Of the Southern Education Board;
d. Gilman DIR. Curry, the agent of
the Slater and Peabody Funds Mr.
Jesup, the Treasurer of the Slater
Fund and Mr.. George Foster Pea
body, who is the Treasurer of the
Board. 1t is a business like organi
cation. Ii will have an office in New
York in charge of its paid Secretary,
Dr.. Wallace Butteriok, where the
needs and opportunities of Southern
education can be studied as clearly