The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-04

The negro is here among us through no fault of his own and likely to re- main here. There are but two roads open to him One is elevation through the right sort of education. the other is deterioration and abassment through ignorance and miSeducation. inevitably leading to expulsion or exterminarion- We must help him into the first if we can If we do not OUT race will pay the heaviest penalty for the failure
 The opponents of negro education contend that the sort of education the negro has been receiving in the public schools has put false notions into his head has turned him away from work and encouraged him to make a living by his wits without work They point to the superiority of inc old issue ne gro over the new issue negro in char acter. industry, reliability and in nearly all the virtues that make up good citi- zenship. The contrast between the negro of the old school and the modern negro is too often 10 the detriment Of the modern negro. These opponents of negro education. with the lack of logic characteristic of the man who draws general conclusions from a few par1ieu- lars and sees only what is superfcially discernihle without looking for deeper and more far-reaching causes. AScribe the cause of this difference 10 the little education that the negro has received The modern negro has had some sort of education and the old issue negro had none: therefore, they argue. e1ucA- tion is the cause of the inferiOriry of the modern negro. They forget that the best of the old negroes were trained in the best industrial schools. on farms and in shops for the work that they were 10 do in life. under the direction of intelligent masters; that in many instances the intimacy of relation be- tween them and the families of humane masters afforded them an environment. association and example that proved most potent in shaping and strengthen ing their characters; and that Tke whole social system of the old regime was conducive 10 training the negroes in obedience. self-reStraint and industry Though these old negroes were igror- ant of books, they were from earliest infancy, trained and educated in many Of the essentials of good citizenship and efficient service The present zen eration Of negroes have been given a | mere smattering of the essentials of knowledge and left untrsined in those other things so essential 10 life and
 happiness and progress The new gen
 eration. without preparation. were
 ushered into freedom and have been
 left 10 follow largely their own will
 without direction or restraint save that
 of the criminal law. without eIevztiag
 associations. without leaders or teach
 CTS. save a few rare exceptions
 
 Too few stop 10 think what nigh,
 have been the result if the new genera
 ton of negroes had been allowed to grow up in absolute ignorance under | thes@ changed conditions. with the ! i~5e rh-r -- public without the restraint of the train | ing and the association of educated ! masters, as under the old system Too l few stop 10 think that whatever of | deterioration there may have been in | the new generation of negroes as com | pared with the old may be more ar- 1 tributable tc a change in ciyilixs-jo,
 and in the whole order of things than
 to the little learning that he has re- ! ceived Too few stop 10 think of the i danger and the unfAirnsSs of the sort | of reasoning that compares the best of | the old generation of negroes with the 1 worst of the new, that compares the partly educated negrr of ths present | generation with the illiterate negro of 1 the old generation. who though lgnOr- ant of books had much knowledge of many useful industries and trades and l better opportunities of acquiring such l knowledse instead of comparing the | literate negro Of the new generation with the ilIiterate negro of the new | rAneration-that ascribeS all the faults | found in the new generation 10 the scattering of learning that they have received and all ihe virtues found in The old generation to their illttersry- one is partiy educated the other was iIliterate: therefore, education IS the cause of the faults of the one and unteracy Of the virtues Of the o1her- The absurdity of such logic ought 10