Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1908-04-02
MOVING SOUTH.

/
derstand the present South one
must have for a background five
other Souths, forming very
dramatic and moving story of
American life. There is first to
be considered the nationalistic
and imperial South. Up to 1880
it is not always clear to students
of American history that the seat |
of active nationalism and impe-
rialim was in the South.
From 1880 to 1860 there exist |
ed what might be called the self
conferred and defensive South.
"From 1861 to 1866 the de-
fensive passed easily into the
militant South, counting it a.
privilege and a glory to stake all
for its faiths and theories upon
the issues of war.
And then, from 1865 to 1880,
let us say, there existed the SUBJ
merged South, the silent, the en-
during, the patient, the grim
South, walking in an economic
and social valley of the shadow
of DEATH" Our poor human ma
ture has never been put to a Sc
verer test than was this enduring
South, and our poor human ma
ture has nowhere endured that
test more finely.
From 1880, roughly speaking,
until this hour, there is to be con-
sidered the emergent and grow
ing South, striving to maintain
it's essential social and political
traditions, and yet, with COM
pletely altered economic point of
view, transferring it's energies
from combating and enduring to
building and growing.
Instinctively, as has every re-
naissance period, the Southern
States have expended their chief
est energies on the most funda-
mental of all social tasks-edu-
cation.
The State University, the pri-
vate academy of rare excellence,
practical initiative in the educa-
ton of women, may be consider
ed the chief educational achieve
ment of the ante-bellum South.
Since 1880, in spite of all the
difficulties above enumerated,
the South has increased this sum
of accomplishment in MANY
ways.
Inc South has developed the
genius of school organization
necessary to create a system Of
popular education in every
Southern state, fairly complete
as to it's machinery and methods
quickened and strengthened by
normal and industrial schools fol
both races and vitalized by the
establishment in. the past five
years of $50 pubic high schools
The two greatest experiment
stations in the world for the
training of a backward race
have been established in the
South and wise direction giver
to the education of the African
element in our body polite
whose training was missing the
mark widely owing to unintelli
gent zeal for their welfare or
the one hand and a mingling Of
resentment and despair on the
other.
There are over 100000 ne
groes in the South today. Each
Southern state, resisting every
effort to distribute its taxation
on racial lines, is committed il
its statutes and laws to the train
ing Of. the negro race at the pub
lie expense. Two million sly
hundred thousand colored chill
dren are enrolled in the common
schools today in the Southern
states and 1900 in higher insti
tutions. Southern states have
spent $120,000,000 on their edu
cation. The negro race owns
nearly $300,000,000 worth o.
property. In the twelve South
ern states negro land owners il
1900 owned 1852 acres Of
land. In Virginia negroes owl
1,304.471 acres of land. From 6
condition of absolute illiteracy
practically 60 per cent of then
have become literate.
Perhaps the chiefest politica,
constructive act of Southern ge-