The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-18
Mr.. Thomas Nelson Page
Tells the Stsryof Ur-
gent Need.
APPEALS TO PRIDE
OF OLD DOlMl ION
President Roosevelt Declares
Friendship for soutll-Says
She Will Soon Under
stand He Is Not Her
Ehemy, But Her
Friend.

Il iita d =
Mr.. Thomas Nelson Page In his re-E3
cent remarkable book. .'rhe Negro
which has been so favorably received
Throughout the country, has alluded to
5the8deplOl;lbic lack 4of education and edu-B
cational facilities existing in the South
@ All earnest study Of the problem has
convinced Mr. Page that this evil Is a
lnenuca 10 prosperous development, and "
that It's eradication IS Of first ln1p ortanca
to the welfare ana advancement of .fir-5
ginia and Nargtnians.
The intellectual growth or his natirs8
State Is lsitr8to the heart OF Thomas No1-
son Page. WHO for u time has put aside 4;
his other work in order hat he may
give Ills. thought and .s..e:s sy to the adj
'Sancemcnt of this Vital question of pub
Ilic education. 3sS lt ~ si5. AZ
MrsPage. although q stauncll Democrat,
lis5.l warm personal frleld gof Ioi eSlde IS
Roosevelt who is 4 IN accord IL with Ft the 4
prevailing educational movement $sSS32
Sesterelay Mr. Page cons ented :!al to
I5givc4his Views on the subject, and they /
will bc read With interest 3 sS $sg8s$ai saB
Educ alton in South.
see. ''g sliutTnc Times 4sllalch writer,
that III your book, Tho Negro, 3Ss Just
published, !, VOL, speak of the South being
;behind {8tlc rest Of tho Il country In the II
matter OF education. "a would t like to X;
know your, views more at leng til on tl1nt3
subject, aud lS.woud Id also like to Have b
is our, views as to how you think this cons
dluon conldzbc improved, espe cisll " here @
! i'm Virginia. ''554 jSsisf
Mr. Page said y. L stated in that book
briefly that one Sof lie crying needs a OF XII
Isthc whole sSouth,i In which vii lnia pur rti-t
;ci1ates,sis an improveme ent in her edncn
3tlonul system. ThesSoutl is at least 1fty
Land poss ibly vent tY-f We years bel !
the North NJ his nlattersa Sif We are
Fever to cntcil UP 1t must DO gl1 ilss
! improvement OF our system ofs pu blld J
education. ri ssa
will Ssa y hero what would II lot say
in tile North; that leaving out the schools 4
4 OF tho city and a few country neisllboE-Ss
hoods, possibly a. few whole counties
our country schools nre so wret chedlyS
lpoor as to be a. disgrace in this age
will give my reasons in moment
Of$ course, here are good 4reus Ons for
t.this. Possibly the war, Z, and Il lie conse-
Equent disruption OF: our system and the
destruction OF values iii the South, ac-sff
counts for a. considerable u par lsSi
customary to attribute the whole OF Y
TO thls one cause. but, to DO frank D this &
i;ls not the only cause. Our lave syst
ln@tllD rSL lllslC iiAt' ~ Gsts 4uSs.Ai -
with the situat ton. Whatever benet1 Is
may have come from tlln t sys tenn In he &
way Of producing a fine class of high Il
educated men, who became leaders At y
thought not only for tho South, but .fors
tho country one consequence OF that isys-SS3
TEN was that good etl,lca tlon was largeiy@
confined to TINT class alone. and orhsr$$
classes were provided wi lttS a very Ind dif-89
isfcrcnt system OF education. In New
England. on the other hand, the ent re Il
population was being educated. and what
was even more inlpor1nnt, the necessity
lEfor educating the. entire population WaAe
recognized and acted on SID ii H
Dark Days Of Reconstruction
"The reconstruction period in the South Il
was evil enough In all conscience bus 4
at least the present publi ic school syst tenn 4
OF tho South indifferent as It Is. suD- q
stantally had Its origin during the period &
or reconstruction. Curtously enough. MI. Il
Jefferson,s more than one hundred years u
ago, devised. perhaps. one of the besr y
plans that has ever been devised IN the 4
United Stntes, but ho was, IN his vicV cVvs. f3
Nfty years and more before his time, and
his system never became esta abllshed. lie Il
planned to have ~ common school5an \
every hborhood, SO as to place tho#
opportunity for education at every mans 4
door: next TO litlNe county acadenl les 4 or
high schools: then colleGcs, and, finally q
4 great university. as the crown Of his /;
system. This was a long step In g d.;
vance OF anything that had been then l't ~ IS
troduced into this country. for l1o pros
posed to educate the girls as8weH as ths3
boys and this had not been con teT-
plated .then even lin New England Hap-
ply, he was able himself to look after
and carry through the plan Of the uni.
yerslty With the result that Nirsiniass
las to-day The greatest University IN the II
south hut ,nhappiiy, HE rest OF the