The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-04

South" said DR.. McKelWay in his
wonderfully eloquent address on '"The
North and the South" I'VE know
that we are a common people" said
DR.. Bailey of Cornell, for we live
under q common flag DR.. Kirkland
of Tennessee, expressed his gratitude
for the sympathy and cooperation the
South receives from the North in her
struggles with her burdensome pro
blems because sin that union of eff
fort we realize the oneness of the
! American people" Mr.. Hamilton
/ Wright Mabie acknowledges that
through the Southern Education Board
he has been educated "out of section
alism into nationalism, and welcomes
every sign of the rise of "a great ma
tion at the end of the period of sec
tionalism and provincialism." | need
not quote further. The whole volume
is saturated with this spirit as, let
US hope, the whole nation will soon
be.
The spirit of nationalism-or better
still, of Americanism-iS, as it seems
to me. the spirit of fraternity: that
spirit which prompts the North to ex-
tend the hand of help to the South
and the South to the North: the
spirit which impels each to grasp the
extended hand of the other in the
same broad fraternity with which it
is offered; which inspires the South
to say to the North: 1--WE have a
grave problem to work out which you
have about solved. Come, give us
the help of your experience; the spirit
| which lmpelS the North to meet this
call, not in the spirit of knowledge,
| proud that it knows so much, but in
| the spirit of wisdom, humble that it
| knows no more. The hoarse voices
of those who, numbering about in the
Sl., he OF l. in,
| OF these pleasant greetings, are as the
croakings of the frogs in Shiny ponds
which drown the music of the birds.
| Such then, it seems to me, are the
! theory and the spirit of this Confer
| ence for Education in the South. Now,
| in what way and to what extent has
this theory been met? Has this Con-
/ ference given utterance to high-sound-
| ing theory without dong anything to
make it practical? The volume be-
fore me answers fully these queries.
Let US look into it and call therefrom
q brief answer: This Conference has
drawn to itself in this great work,
! kindred organizations largely receiv-
! ing their inspiration from it, Indirect
| ~ the Conference works through them
all and is largely responsible for their
| work
| / propose to glance at the work
that has been done and is being done
| in the South. The reasons why the
| work has been confined to the South
are obvious. Aside from the educa-
| tional backWardneSS here, there is an
other and more potent reason. The
! South" says DIR. Bailey, "holds the
! keys of the future. & The greatest
problem before the nation today is
! how to reach and uplift the rural
people. 1t is more important to us
as a nation than the Philippine pro
| bIem or any issue of political or So
cial states"
The storm-center of the educational
storm which is now sweeping the
country clear of illiteracy is in the
South. Here it is destined to achieve
| its greatest triumphS.
Let us first take a glance at the re-
port of the Hon. Joseph b. Graham,
| field agent of the Southern Educa-
| ton Board" in Alabama. Mr.. Gra-
| ham is States attorney in one of the
| judicial districts of his States These
/ duties consume six months OF the
year: the other six months he gives
to educational work, but he never per-
| mits IAN opportunity to speak for
educational progress to pass unim-
proved at any time" When his re-
port was made he had been in the
work for eleven months. Within this
time he visited % counties, making
| from one to. four speeches in each.
| Everywhere the people received him
enthusiastically. displaying unbound
ed interest in the work. He has held
| a great convention of county superin-s
| tendentS, the night sessions of which
were attended by almost every MEM
! Der of the State Legislature. Now for
| the first time the principle of local
| taxation, upon which the salvation of
| the Southern schools depends is Ere
| ir, hn DI1in la w IG
great principle is as popular in Ala
| bama as it is in North Carolina. IF
| / mistake not the sentiment of the
people in all the counties which | have
visited said Mr.. Graham, they Will
vote to levy the one mill tax at the
| first opportunity. The doctrine
| of local taxation is popular and is
| going to win in Alabama" In addi-
| ton to this progressive step, Alabama
rings true metal on the question of
negro education. Her constitution
| 'forbids that discrimination inspired
| by prejudice which would restrict the
| educational privileges and rights OF
| particular class or race according 10
| its contribution in taxes Tor the sup
port of the government rms equallty
Of benefits did not arise from any
cringing fear of federal amendments.
but from a spontaneous philanthropy
too generous to take advantage Of the
poor. and a sense of right and hui
mainly too proud to stoop to wrong
an inferior race" Alabama is fin
ancially generous to educational inter-
ests-more than one-half of the States
revenue is devoted to educational pur-
poses and the Legislature is
instructed. not merely permitted, to
make additional appropriations When-
ever the States income Justlhes It.
Mr.. Graham it would seem, was mod
est when he said that educatlonally
Alabama entered 1.-THE new century
Well" May these things be but an
index to a greater future!
For Tennessee DR.. Charles w. Dao-
ney reported the fair daughter VINO
sprang from our loins is holding hef
own in the educational race she Is
unfilial enough, even, TO nave out
striped her venerable mother. DIT
Dabney's report is largely statlstlcal,
referring not only to Tennessee put
to the South in general. ne llsures
would be of little interest mere, Out
his conclusions are valuable FROM
his statistics DIR. Dabney learns tilal
the people of the South are DONG as
well by the public schools III proPor-
ton to their taxable values as the peo-
tyJo Of