The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-25
CONFERENCE REFLECTS
ROBERT OGDEN PRESIDENT
w. O. Blair Treasurer, T. G. Brown and J. Y.
Joyner Members of the Executive and
Resolutions Committees.

grounds use the expenditure of money for
negro education as a pretext, and that If
no share OF public money went to edu-
eating the negro they would still oppose
taxes for public education. That may be
true with some. But the naked truth is
that much of the money from taxation
Il had almost said the bulk of it,
that has gone to negro education hes
been given against the judgment of South
ern Taxpayers. Here, where we are
seeking to get at the real facts so that
the best results may follow there is no
need to look at things except just as
they are-to paint the picture as it real
ly is-warts, freekles and ALL
Is it surprising that the Southern peo-
pie, in the ashes Of a poverty that pride
largely concealed from the world, resent
ed the enfranchisement of their slaves?
Is 1t surprising that they cried out
against being taxed to educate the chill
dren of negroes, newly freed, when
the losses of war sent their own chill
dren, unused to manual work. into the
fields to perform the coarsest labors?
When jealous women from the North,
with the missionary instinct to uplift the
negro, came South and themselves taught
the negroes and in some cases, mingled
with them upon terms of social equality
do you wonder that the Southern
people felt that these teachers had come
South to put the bottom rail on top?
And when, in some instances, their teach
ing seemed at first to produce among
some OF the more vicious young negroes
a vicious attitude. do you wonder at
hostility to negro education lie South?
When the statement is published upon
the authority of leading teachers that the
census reports show the negro to be four
and half times more criminal in New
England, whore the negroes are better
educated, than in the black belt where
llilteracy is greatest, is it a matter Of
astonishmcnt that men declare today
that negro education is a failure?
The marvel of it all is--not that many
Southern people cried out against paying
taxes to educate negroes, believing that
1t did them no good, but that not
wthstanding their utter disbelief in
its good results or in their skeptcsm of
its value, they nave gone on year after
year, spending more and more money to
educate the negro children. Do you say:
They deserve no credit, they did it be-
cause the new constitutions required that
there should be no discrimination That
is largely true, but it must never be
forgotten that all over the South before
1860 good women had taught slaves to
read and write, so that, when emancipa-
ton came. there were not a lew negroes
who had been, in an educational sense,
made fit for suffrage. The Southerners
believed then-they believe now-they al
ways viii believe with Henry Ward
Beecher: I'VE should make the negro
worthy first before giving him suffrage
Tourgeo's hindsight, better than his fore
sight caused him to prove that in the
contrary policy pursued the attempt was
to make bricks without straw There |
are many Southern people who believe
thoroughly in educating the negro, and
believe that it helps him and the whole
country and their unselfish efforts in
his behalf are beyond all praise There
are thousands and tens OF thousands who |
do not believe in it at all, and who
are frank to say that in their Judgment. |
1t does nobody any good. There are
others, who seeing examples of negroes
that have been helped by eduea-
tion. and being surrounded by 1e-
groes whose smattering of education has
done them harm, are halting between two
opinions. There are others-and in this
class l believe most of the thoughtful /
people OF the South are to be found-who
eel that whatever may be the result,
hey dare not shut the door of hope and
opportunity which education may open
to any people anywhere-the negro in
The South, the Indian in the West, the
Filipino in Manila. They do not expect
IF education that it will change the negro
~1ninIV tn ~
They hope-they believe-they trust-that
eventually it will prove beneficial, be-
cause they have faith that light and
hey abound The eloquent Southern
bishop. George F. Pierce, re-
garded by Toombs as the most eloquent
IF Georgians, was once asked if he be-
icved that the heather would be saved
# the Christians refused to send the
gospel to them. ''It IS not question to
you, my friend" replied the bishop
whether the heather will be saved if you
10 not help TO send them the gospel.
That is Gods business. He commands
,ou to send the gospel The question for
vou to consider is; Will you be saved if
rou disohey Gods command TO send it?"
With this last class, the question is
not: Can | demonstrate by statistics. by
by Investigation 20 my per
'ect satisfaction, whether negro education
s worth what it costs. The question is:
Would dare to say to any human be-
ng You shall not have the chance which
education may give of improving your
mental. moral and physical welfare.
Since 1870. according to Hon. w. r h
Harris, U. S. Commissioner OF Education.
Report of L. s. Com. Ed. 1Ss9-1900. vol
ime 2. page 2.50D. the South has spen;
,t09. 900 900 for negro education. North
alone has spent $3.50. 77O.74. 4
Now if this money had been spent by I,
people who sincerely believed it was be
ng we'll invested, these hgures would