The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-25
Atmore. Ala, Marcn g, 1908.
The Education Conference.

l Richmond Times Dispatch.
 Tn referring the other day to harsh | criticism by some Virginia newspapers of
 the Southern Conference for Education, we said that we could but conclude that | the opposition to the movement which was thus manifested proceeded from ig- l norance.
 We confess that in the beginning we were more or less suspicious of the so- called Ogden movement, and had our misgivings, for we had seen something oi the missionary work" which New Engiand fanatics had been doing in the south But having made a thorough in- vestgation. and having talked face to race with the men in this movement, we long since became thoroughly convinced that the men are sincere in their desire 10 unite with the Southern people in helping them to push along the cause of popular education. We are satisfied that there Is no harm in it, and nothing but good in 1t, and that 1t would be ungra- cious and unwise for the' Southern people to refuse the offer thus made. Let us re- member that there is a grace of receiv- Ing as well as grace of giving.
 some people seem to think that the underlying design of the movement is to push the negro forward There is no doubt that these men are desirous of helping the negro, but they have learned that the way to help him is through the whites. Recently We reviewed an article in the current number of The Outlook on the race problem. We are inclined to think that the article was written by Dr. Hamilton w. Mabie, who is one of the editors of that publication, and who is thoroughly identified with the Ogden movement. At any rate, the article thor oughly represents the views of MT Og- den and hls associates so far as we have heard them expressed. and in that ar ticle the writer says that the first duty of the North is to recognize the fact that if the race problem is d national problem. 1t is also pre-eminently a South ern problem; that men in the South who are lovers of their country. of liberty and of their fellow men. are trying to solve this problem on principles cons0nant with justice and freedom. and that the North can serve the negro best by cO-operation with the nesros white neighbor and largely under the white neighnor's lead ership.
 The same writer says. in another part of the article, that the kind of educa- ton which the negro needs is first of all. to have the Ten Commandments thor oughly drilled into his head and heart, and then to learn the art of taking care of himself by his own work
 The Northern men who belong to the Southern Conference for Education are certainly in large majority in sympathy With the Southern people. and are hon estly desirous of cooperating with us in improving our public schools and in arriving at sensible and satisfactory solution Of the race problem, So far from discouraging them we believe that 1t is most sensible for the people of the South to take these men into their con- fidence, to give them the right hand of fellowship. to make friends of them and to secure their hearty cooperation in the work which we are trying to do When they core down here and see the situation as 1t is. and talk face to face with the Southern people. they go back home with new ideas and with a very different feeling for their brethren in this section. Many of them have already been disillusionized. and there is no bet ter evidence of this fact than the article in The Outlook to which we have re. ferred. Such an article could not have appeared in that publication five years ago. but when the editor came South and mixed up with the Southern people and saw the negro at home and saw our situation, the fancies were all crowded out of his head by the facts, and having found the truth he was not afraid to pro- claim it.
 The more thorough the intercourse be tween the intelligent and earnest men of the North and of the South the simpler will be- the solution of the negro problem and of all problems upon which the people of the two sections have for so long been divided