The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-20
PROGRESS Of SOUTH
IN TRAINING YOUNG
DR.. Alderman, in Address in Con-
nccticut, Tells What Has Been
Done iii Twenty-Five Years.
-----------------.---- AZ q
MANY PROBLEMS ToovERcoME
Despite the Drawbacks and OBJ
stacles, Good Results Have,
Been Accomplished.
MANY PROB LENS TO OVERCOME.
fspecinl TO rhe Times -Dispatcli.)

Especial to The Times Dispntcli)
NEW HAVEN. CONN. October Ia
Dr.. Edwin A. Alderman, president of
The University OF Virginia, delivered
an important address before the Con-
necticut state Teachers Association
to-day.
AS the association embraces four or
five thousand members it was neccs-
sary for Or. Alderman to make two
addresses, one at Hartford this morn
Ing, and the other here this evening.
The theme In both Instances wis
'~rhc Educational Achievement OF the
South During the Last Quarter OF a
Century" Or. Alderman said In part:
The conditions facing the States OF
the South since 1865 In their efforts to
establish an adequate common school
system may be briefly stated In the
following way:
l.. The free public school was not
possible In its truest form In the South
during its years OF isolation and sub.
rncrsion. when family life, instead Of
community life, was the unit. when in
dividualism controlled State policy and
slavery obstructed communal growth.
g The South was rural and spars.ly
settled. which are the most difficult
social conditions for the spread Of
public schools.
.. The South was bi-racial. Involving
duplication of educational effort and
conquest OF racial difficulties.
A. The South was the ovcrburdencd
section OF America. No other Alneri-
cans have ever known IN It's direst
form the discipline of war and defeat.
No other region among the great cui-
tured nations ever lost in a decade over
one-tenth of its population s3.50o.0oo.-
00g of its wealth. the form of It's So
ciety and the very germs of its life.
save a certain unconquerabie courage
and self-reliance.
o. Tie South was passing with amaz-
Ing rapidly from an agricultural or
der, depressed by poverty and niisrule.
10 an Industrial democracy, wherein
II must regain its national conscious
hess in country Itself attaining
aense of national solidarity hitherto
unreafized since 1920
g. The character of tile citizenship
of the South. both the unexploitcd and
backward elements and the old sturdy
stocks, sobered by fortitude and woe.
promised the richest results In char
acter and efficiency to the nation at
inrge.
7. There existed in the South an I'M
taught and backward race. newly and
suddenly projected from slavery to
citizenship and economic RESPONSE
bility.
Progress of the Negro.
am not going to. discuss the negro
question here to-day. 1t Is discussed
entirely too much, and out of too little
knowledge. The moro l know about
1t. the less disposed am to speak
about IL in any IRREGULAR way. 1t Is
certainly not question to be incl
dentally discussed would, however.
leave this thought with you. Every
Southern state, In its statutes and
laws. is committed to the training OF
the negro race. Six hundred thousand
colored children are at school to-day
in the Southern States. The South has
spent sl30,0O0,0o0 on their education.
Tho negro race owns nearly s3o0,00O-
600 worth of property. They are nj
work in nearly all forms OF useful
labor. They acquired land, from 'o5
to '9s. at the rate of over $1,000 acres
year. They have received encour
agement to become proficient in indus
trial arts. From condition OF abb
solute illiteracy, practically so per
cent. of them have become literate.
When 1T Is reflected that all this has
been achieved in the country in which
and in which for time they were
placed in an unnatural and absurd
attitude OF political control, can any
sane man assert that they have liyed
and worked under any conditions Of
oppression? On the contrary, is there
any parallel to such progress in his
tory? Has recently enslaved race
ever developed so rapidly In a cons
munity of ex-sIaveholders? II negroes
were ferco economic beings like Jews
and Scotchmen, it might be claimed
that they had achieved all this in
spite of encouragement and oppres-
sion; but every one knows that they
nre not such beings, and that, on the
contrary, they could not have achieved
this much without q strong measure
OF justice and encouragement, that en-
titles the people of the Southern States
to the credit of having pursued to-
ward them a juster and larger policy
than ever before pursued by higher
groups toward lower groups in any
civilization. The time has come for us
to take stock of what has been done
or settled by the splendid and patient
forces at work in the South since 1875
Decrensc the Waste.
our next problem is to decrease the
waste and leakage in our present sys-
TEN by unifcation of educational
agencies.
Our third problem is to democratize
md practicable our education, SO that
1t will count more to productivity and
Increase the values of5life,
Our fourth problem Is to develop
every raw resource. built every fac
tory and invent every machine that
Svin NJ III y he