The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-05-19
THE HIGHER VIEW.
Some Calm and Dispassionate Obser-
vations in Connection With the
Scheme of the So-called Southern
Education Board.
Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Observer
The Manufacturers Record OF Bal
timore, in Il capital editorial i'll its
last issue, discussing the Ogden move
ment, or what is known as the scheme
of the Southern Education Board,
said this, among other things:
The plea is made that the South
is poor, and cannot afford to educate
its own people. This is false With
! IL population of about 25,OOO, 700,
the wealth of the South is Just about
the same, $4,000, 100000, as was
the wealth of the entire country, with
its 2O,OOO,O00 people in 1860. The
South is abundantly able to educate
its children, whites and blacks, and
the best educational work which it
can possibly do is to awaken it's own
people to this fact and to cease to
look to outside suggestion or aid.
1t is quite true that the South is
able to educate its own people, but
supposing that it were not? 1t were
far better that they grow upin ignor-
ance than that they be educated 10y
the charity of strangers. The Raleigh
Post submits some highly judicious
comments upon the above quotation
and we beg leave to consent to the
following:
"No indeed, the South-supposing
other States to be rs well off us North
Carclina-is not too poor to give
her own children an education. No
Southern State or community should
permit itself to be placed in the posi-
ton of mendicant. The self-reliance
of our people, already demonstrated,
should be encouraged and cultivated.
We have gone far enough to estab-
lish a good beginning. Let us take
care OF our own and go forward with
a self-respecting sense OF indepen-
dence."
This is the doctrine which needs to
be inculcated in our people. We are
told that the canaille of Paris and
the lazzaroni of Italy have respect
unto their traditions. How much
more strong should we of the South
be in pride of a race free-born, high
spirited, independents, which took
charity from nobody and asked the
world no odds! We impute nothing
wrong to the Northern gentlemen
who come down on Pullman cars
once a year to look us over, to con-
dole with us upon our wretched con-
dition of ignorance, and to give us a
| hand-Out from their abundance. We
do not question that they mean well.
We have no doubt they are sorry for
us. We do not charge that their first
object is the education of the negro
| and that the education of the white
child is to them an incident. We do
not remind them that they live where
| ignorance, crime, poverty, squaior,
abound, and that their beneficence
might well be bestowed at home. We
rather choose to pitch the objection
to their movement on higher ground
and to address this as admonition
to our own people rather than as
criticism of OurphilanthrOpic friends.
| The South has been in hard lines.
1t may be that it had no business to
| 90 to war in 1861. 1t may be that
was grievOus fault, but if SO, griey-
| Ously has it answered it. Let it go.
Four years after the beginning it had
nothing to look upon except scene
of utter devastation, and the sitna-
ton it confronted was one OF utter
poverty and apparent hOpelessness.
| No helping hand was Outstretched to
it then-no hand held food to its
hungry mouth, much less offered to
! establish schools to educate its chill
| dren And it was better SO. The i'll
domitable spirit of the race remained
and it scrambled to its feet, some
how. Little by little it got the better
| of circumstance and of fortune until
today it stands again strong, indie
pendent, regnant, its virility unin'
paired, its strength unsapped. II
took its medicine; it squealed not fOl
quarter; it asked the world no odds
The South's history is glorious. Fol-
three-fourths of the years from th'
founding of the Republic until th'
Civil War it gave government to al
the people. The names of its son.
will ever illumine the pages of tbs
country's history. In an evil hour il
went to war and was reversed. j
bore defeat with dignity, and en
dured the succeeding hardships will
fOrtitude.
Conscript fathers, friends, Itwoulc
not be well to have these people-w'
will not say corrupted but-Nrakenec
by the power OF Mono. ther do 'lo'
need help-thev can ..e.p themselves
They donot stand in need OF charity
for they have stood worse times thar
these, and, somehow, took care o
themselves and their own. This il
our objection to this Southern edu
cation scheme. Wegiveits promoters
credit for all good purposes; we ac
cuse them OF nothing. But they could
do the Southern people no such great
wrong as to attack their cupidity
which is to assail the spirit OF inde
pendence, which alone has made then
/