The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-05-07
A Virginia Papers lndIscretion.
Charlotte Observer

The Norfolk Trginian-P Pilot quotes
VIM. f. Curtis, the Washington cor
respondent of the Chicago Record
Herald as follows:
Il do not wish to raise sectional
ISSUE but | have yet to hear OF a
rich man in the South putting his
hand in his pocket to find money to
pay the expenses of educating the
masses. There are plenty OF rich men
in the South, and they are generous
in other directions. In the city of
New York alone there are many mil
lionaires from this section who, not
withstanding their pride in other re-
spects, permit the benevolent spirit
OF the North to monopolize the priv
itege of promoting Southern educa-
ton. They never lack words of pa
triOtism and affection for the South
land, as they call it; they are in
spired with uncomfortable enthus-
iasm when the band plays Dixie,
but when there is disaster in the
South that calls for financial relief,
when the hat is passed around for
contributions to establish and main
tain schools for their former nei gh-
bOrs, they seldom contribute dol
lar, and when conferences are called
to consider means to advance the
welfare of the poor white trash of
the South they never have time to
attend. This not only true as d rule
of rich Southern men who live in the
North, but it is even more true of the
rich men who still live in the South.
They are absolutely Indifferent to
the illiteracy and morality of the
MASSES. They are full of sentiment
for their beloved Southland but
have no time or money to devote to
the practical, mental and moral i'm
prOyement of it's inhabitants.
Our Norfolk contemporary resents
this criticism OF it's people in unmis-
taxable language. After saying that
the Dukes, of Durham, have given to
Trinity College more iii the last ten
years than has been contributed by
the whole of the North to the sup
port OF Southern institutions for the
education OF whites within the same
| time, it continues:
''in proportion to their means the
Southern people give as generously
to schools and colleges as the people
Of the North 1t is only within the
last few years that they have been
able to give anything material The
Yankees burned, destroyed and stole
the property of the South to such al
extent that it took the Southern peo-
pie quarter of a century to get back
to anything like comfortable circum-
stances. A millionaire was an abso-
lutely unknown animal, and he is sc
rare now that not one Southern man
in a thousand has ever seen him. III
deed, it is doubtful if the South viii
average three milliOnaires to the
State. 1t is. therefore, easy to insti
tute a comparison between the North
and South unfavOrable to the latter
But if Mr.. Curtis will induce his es
teemed fellow-citizens at the North tC
pay fifty cents on the dollar for the
property they stole and destroyed
the Southern people will generously
endOw and support all their educa
tional institutions.
The Tirginian-PHot had its nerve
with it to publish such things us this
while the conference for education
was in session in it's State capital
and it will doubtless be called to tasl
by some of it's fellow-citizens for it.
indiscretion. Our Virginia cOntem
pOrary should be more courteous
than to refer to the late unpleasant
ness under the circumstances. Wha
it says may be true, but just nov
! there is a disposition on the part Q
certain wealthy Northerners to turl
their coin this way and help us shak
off the "pall OF ignorance" provided
we will let them, and when the negO
tiations are actually under way t.
the end of seeking the best plan OF Ell
: tightening our people and some c
: our leading educators are full
aroused on the subject and holdin;
out both hands for contributions i
, is indiscreet. to say the least, for
, Southern editor to flare up in th
| L. l..