Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-04-21
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
3 MRS. SAM p. JONES .
> REPLIES TO ALEX REALER .
cARTERsvILLE, Ca. April II. 1902.

To the Editor of The Journal:
Rev. Alex Bealer, in a letter published
I'm your columns a few days ago, does un-
Willingly an injustice to all parties CON
cerned. In the first place, the collection
taken in Gainesville was for the Paine
institute. a colored college under the au-
spices &C the NJ. Z. church, south, at Au-
gusta, Ga. 1t is a. literary and Industrial
school under the control of the Methodist
conference. Its object has been to edu-
cate colored ministers that they might be
better prepared and more suited for the
work of pastors, teachers, etc, among
their own race. Our lamented DR.. Gallo
vmy, of Emory college, was the first pres
ident of this school, and as to DR.. Walker
now its president, no better, truer south
ern man lives than he. The idea was con-
ceived by the good women of the Meth
odist church of annexing an industrial and
training department to this school for col
ored women. This enterprise has been UNI
dertaken by some Of the noblest, best
women OF our southland-women who
realize as much as Dr. Bealer and the
critics do the fact that in the poorer dis
tricts Of north Georgia our young white
men and women need and desire educa-
ton, but 1T has been for some time
known fact that every white boy and girl
in Georgia who really and truly wants an
education and is willing to pay the price,
that there has been no reason why they
could not obtain II. The average white
boy or girl who grows up in Ignorance in
Georgia, il is either for one or two reas-
ons: First, they will simply not take adj
vantage Of opportunities offered, or they
are the sole support of invalid parents or
widowed mothers, or, perhaps worse, OF
worthless parents who would not or could
not allow them to take advantage of the
opportunities, though they were furnish
ed not only schools, but board and books
= anN
make use of same, and though the white
schools have multiplied to such degree
as that every one could remark, as did the
critic friend, You can hardly throw
stone that does not land on a negro col
lege in Atlanta"
DR. Bealer was misinformed in reference
to the feeling of the women in regard to
the outside opposition to the movement
and collection, and says sit needed only
the least encouragement to bring II into
the open" was in attendance upon these
meetings and came in very close contact
with the women who composed that body,
and heard not one single dissenting voice
in regard TO the collection taken, either
before or after. AS he said, two hundred
dollars OF the money raised was given by
Sam Jones, Mrs. Higginbothan and Mrs.
E. p. Chamberlin, but so far as the rest
Of the statement goes, ii is incorrect, as
the other one hundred and fifty dollars
was not all given by the delegates, but
a large number of contributions were
made by outsiders, and noticeable is this
fact, that those who gave most literally
to this school for educating and training
the colored people for usefulness are the
people who have given most literally to
the education of the mountain boys and
girls, not only in Georgia, but in other
southern states. and If the critics of this
movement will take the trouble to inform
~. IL
broad land there have been established
schools for the training of the mountain
boys and girls
I do not believe II is the purpose of the
Home Mission society of the Methodist
church to give this training and education
to these colored women and men simply
for the purpose of making servants of
them, but it is to make of them better
mothers and fathers, wives and husbands
and citizens, giving them the moral train
ing and information that they need for
such relationships; and so far as the bene-
fit that they get from the money that has
been spent in educating the negro, do
not believe that we have ever taken that
into consideration. Our chief object-is the
salvation of men and the glory of God.
Our Saviour said to his disciples after the
resurrection, go We, therefore, and teach
all nations" What higher authority
could we have than this? 1t makes no
special appeal for any branch of humani-
ty. All the human race needs all the help
they can obtain to uplift it, and needs
none, alas! to pull down anything that
Christian education can advance.
Yours truly,
MRS. SAM p. JONES'
p. S.-My husband suggests that Brother
Dealers criticism on a Methodist move
ment reminds him of a sea lion writing a
criticism on how to cultivate corn and
potatoes,