The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-05-12
THE EDUCATIONAL REVIVAL.
Rev. D. Lyman Abbott's Review of the Southern Edu-
Cational Conference.

and therefore all toll can be itself educa-
tive.
H. The revival of education involves the !!
revival of political liberty, because in uni
versal education it lays only enduring
foundation for universal freedom The
Outlook here reaffirms what its editor-in- |
chief said on the platform at Richmond |
as reported by the New York Evening
POST"
DR.. Lyman Abbott went out of his
way to relterate his assertion that
manhood suffrage means manhood
first and suffrage second'' and that
mo man has right to govern his
neighbOr who has not the intelligence
and the conscience to govern himself
AS with similar utterances of Northern
men, these views are accepted by the
ignorant and prejudiced justifying
any amount Of oppression of the ne
gro. I'VE cannot Afford said tne
permit DR.. Abbott to speak as he does;
it encourages those who would forever
disfranchise the negro, and makes the
President of Southern college, "to
tasks of those of us who would uplift
the negro infinitely harder
How radical is the revolution which has
ldhtll pace III tilc koOuUu III Hall al CENTURY
In 1853 was permitted to teach
that any negro, however educated and
competent had right to vote: now no
negro, however ignorant and ncompe-
tent, has the right to vote! We confess
to a considerable degree of curiosity to
know who this unnamed President of
Southern college is. We doubt his ability
to enforce the prohibition. At all events
we shall take the risk.
! Suffrage not right, 1t is preroga-
tive; 1T is not a privilege, it Is duty
| He who cannot govern himself has no
] right to govern others; and he who lacks
either the intelligence to understand the
truth the viii to follow it lacks the
power to govern himself and therefore
has not the right to help govern his neigh
Dor. Suffrage ought to be conditional;
but the condition of suffrage ought to be,
not class, caste, or race but character.
Suffrage oughr to be, not race suffrage
but manhood suffrage; and manhood suf-
frage means manhood first and suffrage
afterwards. The educated leaders among
the colored people do not object to this
principle; they do not object to the dis
franchsement OF the ignorant and lncom-
petent negro. They object, and they have
d right to object, to laws which pretend to
do one thing and do another, which re-
: quire the voters to understand the ConstI-
tuition, but are so administered as to de-
mand of the negro a knowledge OF consti-
tutional law asuch as few white men pos
: sesS, which profess to exclude ignorance
and admit it freely if it IS white.
But universal education will eventually
bring with it universal suffrage: and no
suffrage will long remain universal unless
| it is based on universal education. knOWl-
edge IS power, and the ballot without
| know ledge is not power The attempt to
) give political power without first giving
political intelligence always fails Out Of
the dircst evils some good springs. The
t South learned in the reconstruction period
, that universal suffrage does not bring with
/ it universal liberty; the North is more
/ slowly learning the same lesson Some
criticism may be brought against the re
{ cent laws in the South restricting the suf
5 frage; very serious criticism against then
unfair administration in some localities
But the purpose to limit the suffrage tc
, men who by technical test prove
their intelligence or by ii moderate prop
erty qualification give some evidence o.
possessing the fundamental virtues Of tenn
perance industry, and thrift, Is wholly
praiseworthy, provided it is SO administer
ed as to be in fact well III letter
= manhood, not a race. test. This educa
q tional revival involves Il good hope OF
; sound political revival because 1t IS al
= endeavor to give to all. black and white
alike, that intelligence and that virtue
which always ought to be the prerequisite
: for governing Others as they are the ne
y cessary conditions for self government
III. This educational revival is also
4 revival of the home 1t Is by no mere
c accident it is by necessary law, that tn
agitation for the abolition of child labo
accompanies the agitation for child edu
. cation. The right of the child to be pro
:, tected from the greed Of employers or tn
:, carelcssness and Indifference of parents l
! indstingushable from his right to an ade
= quate education. The child cannot at tn
same time be IN the factory making none.
:, for the idle or ill-paid father and IN tn
- school being made intelligent and VII
Ituous citizen. The educational movcmen
means that are beginning to sec NOR
clearly that cheap goods are costly Whel
: we sacrifice men and women IN order t
. make them: that law to protect chlidre
\ is more important than tariff to protec
: manufacturers; that the wealth Of a Stat
g depends upon its homes far more tina
. upon It's factories: and that if we hav
forbidden the sale Of slaves to the cotton
! fields only to allow the sale Of children .
! the cOtton-mills, have small cause I
: congratulate ourselves on our progress
- The Southern Educational Conference II
: dicates an appreca ton of the home as tn
:, beginning and the end. the foundation an
i the capstone. of American civilization.
:, ". Thus this educati tional revival Is
. revival of religion If ignorance IS tn
- mother of superstition, intelligence Is u
= handmad of religion. Education and rt
- l;on cook the same end The schOO
- house and the church are partners IN
:, common enterprise. 1t II the common
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