The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-25
SATURDAY, MARCH %. 1905.
j The First Gun.

EEss II has already been announced that
during the month of May there VIII De
III throughout the length and breadth of5
Virginia a campaign OF education. Men,
35 who have no selfish interest to serve;
,nenEwho are deeply concerned for the
,uplift Of humanity; men who realize that
the great obligation Of this generation to
3posterity is to give the children an OPP
portunitygof thoroughly educating them
selves, are going out into the country
and speak face to face and heart. to heart
with the people and urge them to Inn
prove their schools and prolong tho
school term, even though they must mako
TN Il sacrifice &sto provide the necessary
money. ;4
NV: a meeting preliminary to- this CAM
paign was held in the city Of Richmond
4 last night; was attended by a large NUM-
Der OF representative men and women,
and was addressed by President Alder
man, of the University of virginia. IL
was most appropriate that the opening
speech IN this campaign should have
been made by the president OF the Uni-E
Sversity OF Virginia, for that institution
was founded by Thomas Jefferson and
designed by him to be, as has been said,
THE capstoncs Of the public school sys-a
tenn" It was becoming and significant
that the subject Of DR.. Alderman's adj
dress should have been THE Education
LOT N All the People for that is. what.
Thomas Jefferson had in mind when he
established the University, and that Is
the design of the public school system
of Virginia. 1t was n great pleasure and
privilege to hear DR. Alderman OIL this
noble and Inspiring topic, and 1t is not
I necessary to say that he did full justice
to it, and that he impaired to those
who heard him the SAVIOR OF his conse-
Grated enthusiasm.
In an article in the current issue of
The Independent OH Conditions Of the
Southern Problem Professor Albert
s Bushnell Hart. of Harvard. says that the
South can neither appreciate nor solve
the negro problem until 1t has disposed OF
the poor white problem. We may add
that the South will not dispose Of the
y. poor white problem until 1T Sshall have
& educated all the4whites. The poor whites,
III especially those of the rural districts,
must for their,4own" salvation give atten-
ton o8this subject. The city schools of
Virginia are fairly good; they are Ger
{8tainly far.better than the average school
In the country: and in all the cities there
is a full term. The city children, there
X fore, are being better educated than the
country Children and we would with
all the emphasis at our command, Inn
press this fact upon our country read
ter than the city for the developmcnt.of
those sturdy principles which 60 TO make
up character all things being equal.
# We Believe that 1t Is better to rear =,
81 boy or a girl in the country than In the
Ii city. provided only the advantages OF
3 education be us good in one place as in
the other. But II the city lads and lasscs
have the opportunity Of attending good
school during the full term every wear.
and the country lads and lasses have
the opportunity only of attending poor
3school four or five months In tho year,
lit goes without saying that tho city chill
A <
u dren will have the advantage. NE appeal
Y to our friends in the country in
behalf OF their children: we appeal
10 them to give their children The same
advantages Of education that the city
children enjoy.
lt is with this high and Important oh.
ject In view that the May campaign for
education will he carried on. and II is
for the people in the country 10 say
whether or not 1t shall be successful
campaign. tits not a missionary move-
ment in any offensive sense The work
q will be done by our own men and women,
by Yirginians for Yirgnians, and there
should be the heartiegt cooperation he.
I tween the leaders and the people at
large. Let US make it memorable a the
u greatest and most successful crusade
g Virginia has ever known
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