The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-13
FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1904.
Educating the Negro.


rho Charleston News and Courier ana
The New Orleans States express surprise
Mt tho opinion expressed BY us that moSl
white people in the South. and, for that
matter, in all sections. are opposed TO
educating the negro. because they pc
l,eve the negro was made to be the
servant Of tho white man. and that he
onrht not to be educated out OF that
condition
Tho News and Courier says TINT II
the suffrage question were out OF me
way n large majority of the white peo-
ple yof the South, even those who do"ot
tho wisdom of some of the plans whleh
have been suggested, would extend 10
the negro ali possible encouragement
for his educational development
The States says that If the proposition
FOR reinstatement of the negroes were
submitted to the votes of the southern
pcople ninc-tenths of them would oppose
it most earnestly. "lnstead OF desiring
the -ensavement Of the negro It
adds, .'tho people of the South are will
Ing to help him, but they believe the best
way to do 1t is as Governor Nardhman
has said, by giving him that kind OF
education that will educate his hand and
heart.
OF course, we did not say or mean to
say that the people of the South would
vote to put the negro back into slavery
as it existed before the war The South
has had enough Of negro slavery, and
would never return to 1t. What we did
. say, and what we meant to say, was
that most white people In all sections be-
lieved that the negro was made to serve
the white man, and did not believe IN
educating him out of that situation.
If the editor of the Charleston News and
Courier and tho editor OF the New Or
leans States will take tho trouble to
investigate, they will doubtless find that
TO be the dominant sentiment In their
respective communities. Most white peo-
ple believe in educating the negro to be
good servant, but for no other purpose,
If we may Judge by the whites to whom
We have talked on the subject. They
agree that it was never intended by the
Creator for the negro to be anything
but a servant that education turns his
head and spells him rs laborer; that
there is no place in this country for the
educated negro, and that it is positively
wrong TO the negro himself to educate
him for station In life which no can
never fill. There are exceptions, OF
course, but when you get down to the
true sentiment of the average white man,
you will find that his view is substan-
TALLY as we have stated it to be.
Only the other day the owner of The
Times Dispatch received private letter
from q Virginia citizen, enclosing tho
article from The -Dispatchs which
the News and Courier and States have
criticised in which he said: II enclose
clipping fren' The, Times-Dispatch. I
wish you %ould ask the editor to paste 1t
in his Office and stick to it. Both Varda-
man and Montague are wrong; neither
of them knows the true inwardness Of the
negro, and I am amazed that the South
ern people, who were born and raised
! with them, should have waited so long
and spent SO much money for less than
nothing I think 1t we'll enough to let
the better class OF them be taught to
read and write by white male teachers
and decipher little, but they should be
taught to work, and If they will not
work, let them so North in the land Of
tho free.,'
Educate the negro? Certainly. But
educate him to work-the men to be farm
hands, buffers drivers or some sort or
! laborers. the women to be cooks, house,
! maids or washers. That Is the honest
view OF the average white man and
woman. and If our contemporaries are
still in doubt let them investigate