The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-10

| would be disastrous to his health and
longevity. But / have not the time
TO enter upon that discussion. Nor
will the moral and intellectual welfare
and development Of the negro in the
South be neglected. TO be sure the
South has not succeeded in aboiishiug
negro initeracy. neither has it sue
ccedcd in abolishing white illiteracy;
but we have done something in both
directions and under the circum-
stances we are not ashamed that we
have not done more.
During the twenty years preceding L
the Census Of 1900. the number of
negro iliterates over ten years Of aEc
decreased nine per cent. in the South.
while during the same period the
number of ilIiteratc negroes over that
age increased twenty per cent. in tn"
North. The south had expended up
to 1900 since the war $12o. 900, 900.
raised by taxation. chiefly upon tn"
white mans property, for negro cdH-
"a ton. The total amount the south
has expended for education since the
war has not been large compared WiIh
the total amount the North has in that
time raised and expended for the
same purpose but the amount Ia IS
been fully UP to our ability. and. what
is more important to the present point
it has been divided generally per capt.
tn between the white mans child and
the black mans child The white and
the black child do not 90 to school
under the same roof in the south. but
wherever YOU see there Il white school
house. Somewhere near YOU viii find
a negro school house nearly if not
quite as good: and all over the land
there are coIored church buildings.
to the construction Of which white
men and women nave literally contrib
uted. In the court house justice is ad
1iLtC, n h n
with an impartial hand. IN an active
practice Of over twenty years ! have
appeared for hundreds of them
against white men. and l have witness
ed the trial Of many hundred more
cases between them and White men.
and | do not recall "a case in which
he has not had fair and impartial
treatment from both judge and jury.
In the midst of all this ciamor for
new conditions and opportunities Tor
the negro. all these experiments ard
eXploitationS Of methods and devices
to make him a white man IN character
and capa bilities ] give ii aS my delib-
crate opinion that the South and tine
farm are the best place and occuTa-
tion for him. Many of them are i:lde-
pendent landowners. More OF them will
be. His condition may not yet awhile
be we'll enough to be altogether let
alone. but he is surely advancing 10
that condition. doing the work his
hands know 50 Well how 10 d. and
which he is contented and happy in
doing: meanwhile growing and
strengthening. not by artificial. but by
natural processes. in the fundamental
attributes of better and higher citt-
zenShip
Take him from the farm. carry him
TO the great city. place him in the fac
tory. organize him into labor unions
and his individuality which is At best
small and weak will be destroyed his
identity Will become merged in The
common mass. and his strong tribal
propensitie.s brought with him tr0n
the iunGles of Africa win undermine
and supplant many Of the virtues
which are now his best and most val
.nabIe asset-virtues not hereditary