The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-05-06

Extracts from speech Of DR.. Waiter
B. Hill, Chancellor of the University
of Georgia:
Recently heard a group OF Confed-
crate veterans recounting stories OF
their. campaigns. One of them, a
Firginian, told of a faithful body SER
want who accompanied him to the
field. The negro was captured by
Federal scouts, and was given the posi-
tion Of cook for the Federal Colonel,
with salary attached. He ran away
from this cosy berth and returned to
his Confederate master, bringing
with him, by the way, for his owner
a sack Of supplies and box Of the
ColonePs fine Havana cigars, on the
plea that since he had been working for
the Colonel and his owner had re-
cevied no wages something was due.
The answer to this question, accord
ing, al least, to our local interpreta-
ton, is that the negro is IN the South
By his own choice, because he is treat
ed better here than elsewhere, and be-
cause his most important right-the
right to make living is more COM
pletely secured. F it was not SO, 1t
seems to Us there would be northern or
western educational conferences dis
easing at Philadelphia or Chicago the
problem OF negro education In the
North or West.
In this city an allusion to war
story viii not be out OF order,
The speaker related story told oy
a Colonel of a Virginia regiment.
The old veteran said If he lived to get
to New Orleans next month ne was
going to propose monument, which
was to be OF black marble, and to be
erected In honor of the Confederate
niger. In justification of his pro-
posed motion, the Colonel told OF his
faithful slave, who had gone with him
to the war as a body servant. The
negro was captured by the Federals,
was treated by them with patronlzing
kindness, being made cook OF the
Federal Colonel, with high wages att
tached; but he ran away and retuIned
to his master. Afterwards, when the
latter was wounded in. battle, the ne
gro had rissed his life to carry him
off the Geld. This story was introduced
IN order to say that the duty OF the
South in respect to the education Of
the negro, whatever that duty may
be defined to be, is the duty OF the
South to the children and grandchil-
dren OF the Confederate niger.
EDUCATED BY SLAVERY.
The beginning of the education Of
the negro was slavery. The South
does not regret its abolition, but.she
contemplates with satisfaction the
fact that the tuition of slavery de-
veloped the negro in little more than
century from the condition Of sayages
into a condition where, in the judg-
ment Of these hostile to slavery, the
nergo was fitted for the privileges Of
American ctieznship.
The second chapter in the history
Of nergo education began shortly af-
ter emancipation, and includes he
bIunders OF the reconstruction period.
It represents all the extremes Of educa-
ton. AS the teaching Of books had
been denied TO the negro In slavery lt
was aow assumed that the enly educa-
zion needed was to supply this OMISSION.
and accordingly an effort was made in
schools and colleges to insert into the
mind Of the nergo as by surgical
operation culture for which the Anglo
Saxon are had been preparing through
long centuries of growth.
sOUTEs' PROBLEM.
The nation has, in fact, remanded
the solution Of the negro problem, in
cluding, of course, the problem OF
education, to the South. in the days
when the southern section of our
country was threatened With force bills
and similar legislation, there were ut
terances in the South which might be
gathered up from press, pulpit and
platform cf that time literally by the
millions, in which it was said that if
the North would only let the South
alone. the South would solve the
problem in wilson and in justice.
These utterances were sincere, and
their fulillment involves not only a
plain duty, but involves also the strong
point OF the South. the point OF
honor. The change in the attitude OF
the North cannot fairly be regarded
as desertion- of the negro, but, as
Mr.. Cleveland aptly said it is an ex-
preston of faith and confidence in the
respectable white people of the South.
ALREADY DONE MUCH.
The South has voluntarily done much
for The educatioon of the negro, and
will take no backward step in this
direction. The United States Com
missioner of Education says that since
1870 the South has disbursed for negro
education s109, 00O,0 For every dol
lar contributed by the wealth endowed
philanthropy of the North for this
purpose, the South, out of her poverty,
has contributed 81. 1t cannot be pre-
tended that all the people IN the South
are throughIy satisfied with these
things that have been done. It must
frankly be admitted that some of them
are restive under it, but it can at lest
be answered that the leaders are the
friends of negro education. During
the past winter the New York Journal
inaugurated symposium. in which
Southern men were invited to express
their views on this subject. Among
the contributors we're Bishop Warren
A. Gambler the Methodist Church
4 I