The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-03
WARNING FOR THE SOUTH.
Time TO Pause in the New Educa-
tiCnHi Propa%anda.
Baltimore SUM-

Messrs. Editors: on the Cle "f the
annual ogden movement. taking this
year the form of a meeting in April
next at Richmond. Va. of the Con-
ference for Education in h." south,
promoters OF the southern education
scheme. feeling confident of the sue
cess of one years active missionary
work. are present ing living pictures
of the ultimate end of that scheme, II
sOutherners continue to counteDaave il.
They started out actively = year a%C
in an attempt to cultivate the notion
of like training for blacks and
whites."' of education without dis
tinction of sex or race and Of ITO
color line in education" The attitude
of quite a humble of the promoters
toward different races & been pretty
we'll demonstrated by their previous
i~ncIinatiOns in educational work"
Now this attitude has been emphasized
in an incident recorded in the New
York Times of March IS as follows.
Two negroes sat dow at dinner
last night in Il hat included
several prominent ~southerners OF this
city. The dinner was one of tia
monthly affairs of the Unitarian Ciub
at the Hotel st. Denis. OF the three
speakers two were sOutherners-
Waltz H. Page. editor and publisher.
and George Cary Eggleston, author.
Among those present Was DR.. James
H. Parker. long a prominent member
of the New York Southern Society,".
There were a few southern woman
The negroes present were William T.,
Benson. a teacher Of Alabama. n
another coIOred educator. a Mr.. Brown,
who left early. before the speaking
began
Mr.. Eggleston. who spoke first, dis
cussed The South as it Was Presi-
dent w. H. Baldwin. Jr., of the Long
Island Railroad Company followed
with The South as it Is" Mr.. Page
talked about The South AS 1t Is To
Be" Both Mr.. Baldwin and Mr.. Page
are members of the educational boards
now engaged in southern work under
the leadership of Robot c. Ogden.
The report of this gathering, which
include. in addition to negroes about
the festal board. the wives of severa; of
the men present, say that the key
note of the talk of Mr.. William II.
Baldwin. Jr., who is chairman Of the
General Education Board and a msr-
her of the Southern Education Board,
which is the executive board of Mr..
Robert c. Ogden's Conference for Ed
ucation in the South. n Don't give
the negro the sort of education which
makes him aspire ana uTedHl OF great
things. but gives him no power u do
ANYTHING practical after he has acquir-
ed it" In the old days before the ORR
gin of the propaganda of h Southern
Education Board. it would have been
truth to say that no more demoral!z-
ing and dangerous education could be
given the negro than that of making
an opportunity for him to mingl" So
Cially with white men II
Blu things have changed. The south
is being given. through direct and indi-
rect doles in this and that quarter
Haunted as representative. n new ed
ucation under the auspices of he Sou
thern Education Board. and two OF the
New York members or that hoard
have clearly indicated. though. per-
maps. unwittingly. what the south
* to be if its plans are allowed 10 be
ramed through.
1t is but a step from doing socially
with negroes in New York to dining
socially with negroes anywhere else
ana it is but a step for the negro 10
rise from the white mans table ana
to aspire to the hand of the VIII Il
mans daughter.
Is it not about time for southerners
who have disinterestedly supported
this movement in education" to PAUSE
ere they be led over the brink of hOr-
rors?
NGTIT