The semi-weekly messenger., 1904-05-17
Tuesday. May IL, 1904.
THE OGDEN MOVEMENT.

The Ogden movement, which derives
its name from that Of the man at the
head OF the movement by northern men
with the use OF northern money to
give better education to the people OF
the south, Is attracting greater attsn-
ton day by day in this section Of the
country. The movement Is being dis
cussed in all the leading newspapers
of the south, and 1t is needless to say
that they are divided on the question.
Many OF our most influential journals
oppose the scheme out and out, while
others welcome the idea and give all
the encouragement they can to this
educational conference to carry out
its plans for ''wiping out illiteracy at
the south" If war on illiteracy is the
sole object of the northern philanthro-
pists why do they not content them
selves with adding the millions of dol
lars they say they control for this pur-
pose to the funds the people of the
south are expending yearly in ednca-
ton and allow the work to be done by
the home people in charge of the work
of education? Their plan seems to be
one of SUPERVISION Of the educational
schemes as well as furnishing the mon
ey for carrying them out. This feature
we cannot endorse. We do not even
give approval to the acceptance Of these
large sums from the north for the ed
ucation of our youth. We do not like
the idea of placing ourselves under
such heavy obligations to these people
on whom we have no call for aid. 1t
looks too much like charity forced
upon US.
The south is making wonderful
strides in the matter of educating the
penses. She is able to educate her
own people. She is growing richer
each year, and as she grows richer she
will improve her schools and increase
our educational advantages. We are
not asking our northern friends for
aid in the matter of education and
until we do ask for it it should not be
offered. But they do not wait for US
to seek it. They do not even tender 1t
to us, but thust it upon us.
There is another thing about this
matter we do not like. If these north
erners are moved entirely by desire to
reduce illiteracy, why do they come
south? There is plenty of demand for
their labors in this line at their own
homes. II they are moved entirely by
the spirit of philanthropy, why go SO
far from home to exercise it? Is their
object simply to teach the illiterate
persons in the south to read and write
and cipher, or is it to~inculcate ideas
new to the south and in conflict with
those which are taught by our home
institutions?
Many southern people who have
studied the Ogden movement see danger
to southern ideas and institutions.
and this is their chief reason for oppo-
sition.
We give here some editorial COM
ments on this question, defining their
reasons for opposition to the move
ment.
The Asheville Gazette-News COM
mentS as follows:
The controversy over the ogden eG-
ucational movement. whereby a num-
Der of well-meaning northern philan-
thropists have invaded the south with
their money and the particular ideas
and schemes of education, has beer
raging hotly in the southern press for
some moons past. The Baltimore
Manufacturers Record, the Charles
ton News and Courier and the Charlotte
Observer have been foremost in their
expressions of inhospitality to the
movement, which appears to be aimed
primarily at the education of the
southern negro, with some largesseS
tossed to the educationally needy white
for the sake OF stamping the under
taking with the appearance of impair
tiarlity. Some papers of large in
fluence, however. like the Columbia