The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-09
THE BLACKNESS OF r. CARO-
LIMA ILLITERACY.

The teachers who met at Charlotte
last week held three sessions. The YER
dict was decidedly u~nfavorable 10
North Carolina. The contention was
that the schools are uniformely bad, and
the poor old state is quite so low in the
scale of intelligence and school facilities
that it would even satisfy Walter Page
and help him to swell and intensity
his attack upon his native state. The
Charlotte Observer say these teacher
assembled come to one conclusions:
They found that North Carolina is
in the lowest ranks of illiteracy; that
the educational facilities in the state
are uniformly bad; that the rural
schools are cheap, ill-kept affairs; that
there is, generally speaking, an aston
iShing amount of scorn for a liberal ed
ucation: and that under present condi-
lions there is little hope of dispelling
the black cloud of ignorance. Yet each
speaker predicted, on the basis of fact,
a great educational awakening-already
in it's i~ncipiency."
How is this? There is little hope of
dispelling the black cloud of ignorance"
n yet he opinion was univocal that
"a great educational awakening is
ahead. These statements do not tally.
That schools will gradually improve
there can scarcely be a doubt. Rome
was not built in a day. A state that
was ruined by war. and its basis OF
credit all swept away, and then what
little was left was made the rallying
cry of scoundrels and plunderers-fm-
ported carpet-baggers, senseless SCALA
wags. and 10000 negro voters without a
qualification or a virtue to unite in the
robberies-and a debt OF some s31, 0OO, 900
was run up in a few months. That We
have public schools n for both races
is the marvel of this age in education.
Before the war and the inroads of
vandalism the south in proportion to
population surpassed the north in the
number of its schools and colleges.
North Carolina had the best common
school system of any of its sister south-
ern states.
Let the fight against ignorance con-
tinue. but do not heap Goals Of fire upon
southern whites. North Carolina is be-
hind. has a great number of ignorant
whites. and the will neither pay a poll
tax nor send their children to school.
Money industry, fidelity, experience,
skill are needed to elevate the people
generally, to give impetus to education,
to broaden opportunities and much i'm
prove the character of the schools.
With wise men to counsel, and moral
men to set the standard, and proper
teaching to be applied, and then, with
ample monetary resources, the uplift-
ing will gradually come, and it will be
based on morality. on soul illumination
and purifying, more than on mere men,
tai informing and disciplining.
Among the speakers at Charlotte was
President Venable. of the University
Of North Carolina. We make a selec-
ton from the report of his remarks:
There is hope now. Teachers Of al
kinds have united with a common pur-
pose-education; TO preach the gospe
Of deliverance from ignorance. The
poor uneducated all through the state
are calling for help. This means thai
this state and all the southern state:
have awakened to the idea Of compe-
tition. They know that they can wiz
no battle with unframed soldiery; thu
brain must be trained, they being frs
in the battle for victory. Ignor'
ance Is a LANCER which threatens thu
entire community, clogs all develop
ment. He had read in a northern Jour.
nal that the ignorant, uneducated class.
es in the south threatened the entir
nation This isn't true, but there i.
truth in it"
With h usual Partially and un.
fairness Of southern teachers wher
speaking, he paraded Massachusetts.
! with all Of its immense wealth. witt