The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-08-03
EDUCATIONAL AWAKEN
ING.
North Carolina First-A Splen-
did Tribute to the Achieve
ments of the Old North State
in Educational Progress.

hAChIS OI tne OIo INOrtn Otate
in Educational Progress.
Mr.. Ray Stannard Baker,
well-knOWn magazine writer, is
contributing a notable series of
articles to The American Maga-
zine on ''The Negro Problem. 3"
In the August issue of that pub
lication, under the title "The
New Southern Craftsmanship"
in elaboration of the idea that
the only sure foundation for de-
mocracy is universal education,
Mr.. Baker has the following to
say of conditions obtaining in
this State:
Not unnaturally ythemovement
found its earliest expression in
North Carolina, which has been
the most instinctively democratic
of Southern States. From the
beginning of the country North |
Carolina, with its population of
ScOtch-Presbyterians and Qua
kers, has been inspired with a
peculiar spirit of independence. |
When | was in Charlotte went
to see the monument which COM
memorates the Mecklenburg Dec
laration of Independence; the
work of a group Of stouthearted
citizens who decided, before the
country at large was ready for
it, to declare their independence
of British rule. North Carolina
was among the last of the
Southern States to secede from
the Union, and its treatment of
its negroes all along has been
singularly liberal. For exam
pie, in several Southern States
little or no provision is made for
the negro defective classes, but
at Raleigh | visited a large asy-
lum for negro deaf, dumb, and
blind which is conducted accord
ing to the most improved meth
DDS. And to-day North Carolina
is freer politically, the State is
nearer a new and healthy party
alignment, than any other South
ern State except Tennessee and
: possibly Kentucky.
! Such a soil was fertile for
new ideas and new movements.
In 1885 two young men, Charles
D. McIver and Edwin A. Alder
4 man, now president of the Uni
Z versity of Virginia, began Sc
ries of educational campaigns
uner the supervision of the State.
> They spoke in every county,
, rousing the people to build bet
> ter school houses and to send leg
islators to Raleigh VINO should be
{ more liberal in educational ap-
! preparations. In many cases
u their rallies were comparable
y with the most enthusiastic politi-
u cal meeting only no one was
II asking to be elected to office, anC
t the only object was public SER
= vice. AS Alderman has said:
u 1t was an effort to move the
Il centre Of gravity from the court
+ house to the school house.
II And it really move; the State
+ took fire and has been afre evel
$ since. Governor Aycock made
e the educational movement a par
y T of his campaign; Governor Glenr
u has been hardly less enthusias
q tic; and the development Of the
p school system has been little
e short of amazing. When was
,e in Raleigh last spring ]. Y. Joy
/ ner, State Superintendent of Ed
T. T. ucation, who was also one Of th'
u pioneer campaigners, told m,
Sc that new school house was be
1e ingbuilt for every dayin the year
is and new school libraries estab
lished at the same rate. Be
IS tween 1900 and 1906 the tota
or amount Of money expended fo
s. schools in North Carolina ha
l. more than doubled, and Will
TO the school population in the sam
G. years had increased only 6 pc
III cent, the daily attendance ha
increased % per cent.
NORTH CAROLINA COMPARE
WITH MASSACHUSETTS.
d. ITO give graphic idea of tn
progress in education, | can do n
better than to show the increas
of in public expenditures since 1877;
;e- 1872 total school expenditures 42,s
b. 1880 - g" 1871
of 1900 . 1,09l,6
VI 1866 2,291,C
w. Il have looked into the stati
1t tics and I find that North Car,
ey lima spends more per hundre
ry dollars Of taxable property fl
a school purposes than Massach1
on setts, which is perhaps the lea,
3,es ing American State in education
ne al expenditures. In 1906 Mort
M Carolina raised $40 on every OF
IN hundred dollars, while Massach'
OF setts raised S.387. This does.n
a mean, of course, that North Ca
,id olira has reached the standard
A. Massachusetts; it only shoy
MS how the people, though not ric
9e hive been willing to tax ther
Die selves. And they have only ju
ng begun; the rate of illiteracy
nc the State, as in all the South,
Sc still excessive both among t
or white and colored people. A
7he Excellent Health Advice.
vas Mrs NJ. NJ. Davidson, of n
379 Clifford Ave San Jose, Ca
nc says: THE worth Of Electric B
Ar te7s as a general family remec
for haadacha hilinnsness and L