The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-20
No Avoiding Trouble.

New Bedford (Mass.) Standard.
 When 1t comes to the discussion of de- tails of the sort of education which the Southern negro should have. there is man ifest some not entirely surprising differ ence ot opinion. We have heard some good talk about educating the negro any extent and in any direction of which he shows himself capable. And here is The Montgomery Advertiser, which presents
 another ,o1th view speaking as follows doo,o-. lawyers and the like is to lay up trouble. The white people of the South are determined to control in the learned pro teachers. physicians. lawyears and other occupations of that kind is to invite fail
 ure and ensure disappointment and possi- We pass over the comment of an ex- change that this is an indication that the South is against the really educated ne- of the Southern people The Advertiser
 writer speaks for. He certainly does not
 express the views of every individual. and
 ity of intelligent Southefners. The point
 that seems to us most obvious is that if
 educating the negroes is going to make
 make trouble also. In truth. there is no
 way that we know of by which trouble
 can be avoided. There is trouble If the
 negro or E tSst there hs st ne the same with him as with white folks. More than one far-seeing statesman and
 student has had the same sad forebod-
 ings as he contemplated what might hap pen if the inferior class were educated. When in 1671, the Lords Commissioners of Plantations sent jam Berkeley.
 atories in which he was asked. among | other things what provision was made for free education. he replied: T thank \ God there gre no free schools nor print ing. and I hope we shall not have these hundred years; for learning has brought
 disobedience and heresy ana sects into the @rI1 1,s.~A L~ AA-sr
 and % beIs agains the eas best
 God keep us from both!" Sir William
 was only saying in another way. accord
 whs G his time wha an Montgomery Advertiser Is saying in its way. according to the temper of its time
 and surroundings; about black men. He tion. He was right. Trouble has come,
 and exactly as he prophesied 1t. So The
 Advertiser is probably right also, Educa- versity where ne is ma de a lawyer. or in
 the Tuskegee Institute, where he is
 taught, to make. the best butter. is bound
 fruit of the tree of knowledge and escape
 the penalty himself. or prevent the pen
 alty for others; The minute education | ucation-that minute Is also begun the
 nrocess of developing desires and ambi-
 tions which have within them a poten-
 tiality for infinite trouble. It is law
 of human nature and human society for which no relief is found as yet. We can see its operation in Northern industrial centers. quite as clearly as 1t can be seen
 fin Southern cabins And there are men in
 our own cities who agree perfectly with
 Sir William, Berkeley and The Montgom-
 cry Advertiser. and they would keep
 knowledge from all those who are born
 to lowly station. Happily there are not
 many men fin any civilized community in any section of our country who display
 this curious combination of timidity and short-sightedness.
 For the fact is proved by the experi-
 ence of the race that the troubles of | learning are avoided only to make more
 plain the troubles of ignorance. We get into difficulty when we educate the pop ulace; but we get into worse difficulty when we do not. Education in all It's | branches is the elimination of the brute. | If we leave the brute in. it makes a hor- | TOT; if We seek to take the brute out. the | process involves: first. a wrench; and sec | ond. unrest. revolution. the change from | old to new never unaccompanied by pain. | The search for calm Is futile. Least of all can calm be gained by predictions of | evil