The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-02-04
SPIRIT OF COMMERCIALESM.
Not Willing TO Get Along Slowly but
The Progressive Educators Want
20 Get Hold of the Dollars of Rookie
fsIier aud His Aggregation.

Charlotte Observer
The last issue of Charity and Chill
dren has this:
Speaking Of the Ogden education
The RObesOnian, says: There has
been need for explanation by its de
votees, in our judgment, all along.
The hand we expected has at length
been showEa; there was too much
fawning in demand by it for our
proud and warm Southern blood. 1t
is no disgrace to be poor and get along
slowly, and it is infinitely better to
do it in our educational work than
to sacrifice any part of the manlinesS
and independence which has made us
the noble folk we are This hits the
case off to Il nicely. We are not sur
prised that gentlemen who are in
terested should be very Jealous in be-
half of this movement. but why ii
man who can stand off and see the
inevitable tendency OF this thing
shouts himself hOarse for it, we can
not see. Mr.. Rockefeller has never
shown very special friendiness for the
white people of the South and he is
not in it for their benefit. We can
get his money, but we must pay his
price and that no well-born Southern
man ought to be willing to pay"
You cannot see" why they shout
for the Southern education board
and an appropriation? Then we will
tell you: 1t is because they are "cOm-
mercial" They want the dollars of
Rockefeller and his aggregation.
They are not willing to get along
slowly ''in our educational work y
when gifts of money from strangers
are in sight. They shut their
eyes to ''the inevitable tendency OF
this thing" forget the ''maniiness
and independence to which they
were born, as other men are born to
the purple, and reach out eagerly fol
| the unearned bounty which is tend
cred them by the hand of wealth.
President Venable, OF the Univer-
sity, has said that there are wOrs6
things than illiteracy. It's Il fact
One of them is loss of pride because
you are poor. Poor but prOud.'-
it's a good phrase.
There are people who, for business
reasons, want to see Il canal dug
across the Isthmus of Panama and
are anxious to take title from tho
only power which can convey 1.-THE
republic of Panama. Panama acquir
ed the right to convey title by The
not unusual process OF revolution
and secession. We are told that th'
United States promoted that revOlu
ton and secession. and when we re
ply that it does not SO appear to III
from the evidence, and that we per
ceive no moral wrong in trading foI
a thing we want and paying thu
owner for it, we are told that is be
cause we are commercial" that ii II
were not for the film of Commercial
ism" which has obscured our vision
we could see that we are trying tC
sacrifice national honor" And 10
some of our critics, infected them
selves by the spirit of commercial
ISM swallow their pride, stretch out
eager hands for the gifts of aliens
and take their money without asking
the donors if they have honest titlt
to it, or asking themselves, that
which is more important still, what
is the ultimate and ''inevitable tend
cncy of this thing"
80, Mammon, Mammon. The least
erect of all the spirits that fell,''