Year: 1866

The Meridian Messenger, some short
time since, took US to task for taking our
texts from its columns and not crediting
them, and in quoting from it elsewhere
as the Messenger and yet not giving its
place of birth and residence.


Perhaps it may suffice for our excuse
that we should say that we did not name
the Messenger, as the eastern contem-
porary" quoted from in furnishing us
texts, because we somewhat criticised its
mode of treating the teachers vocation
and doubted whether the place of a mans
birth should be given as the reason
of rejection, rather than the style and
substance of his teaching, and because
our respect for that ably edited journal,
which we constantly find filled with orig
inal and strikingly expressed thought
made us anxious not to have any contro-
versy with its personnel. We must say,
too, that in crediting "The Messenger,
instead of the Meridian or Mississippi
Messenger" we convey compliment
which our friends ought better to appre-
ciate than they do by finding fault with
it. If one speak of Caesar, it is not
deemed requisite to qualify him as Ju-
lius Caesar; it is otherwise of Tiberius
or other Caesars


Promising that there are still in the
Northern States such men as Thomas
H. Seymour in Connecticut, Franklin
Pierce and Daniel Marcy in New Hamp
shire, the Woods and many others in
New York, Pendleton, Cox and others
| In Ohio, like men IN other States and the
disciples of such, who would be as true
to the South when on its bosom as they
were when obloquy and reproach follow
ed them, for resisting its persecution and
desolation by war, and that therefore
provisos and saving clauses should al
ways be used in characterising Northern
men as enemies, we desire to quote as
"worthy of all acceptation the con
clusion of the Messengers article, which
is as follows:


If the language we used seems 'latentlS
to express that teaching is an "inferiol
employment," we did not mean it. 1t does
not though We only meant, when we said
a " Southern girl reduced to the necessity o
earning living" might serve us acccptabl.
as a teacher, to suggest preference tor them
merit being equal. On the contrary, We re
pard the employment of teaching as an hon
orable and exalted occupation. And we con
fess, that the Southern mind needs to b.
somewhat educated upon this subject L
has been too much the style to look dowl
upon a mere teacher as not much of a some
BODY. 1t resulted from false notions of su
periority based upon negroes and cottOl
bags With little help from the wise ant
good men now who could always lift them
selves above such false and foolish notion
of pride the schOolmaster can easily be httet
up to his proper position OF Importance


In conclusion, while upon the subject Q
schools we are about to say something W
have had on our mind to say sometime, whicI
we expect to meet with some disapprobatioT
Duty commands, and we obey. We sa,
then, that the prevailing notion that it i
disreputable for Southerner to teach
negro scheol, is wrong. They will be taugh
ana IneN OuSlI, no" jndJ dIt IicC' ht
tCiH be taught, whether we approve it OF not
So long as public opinion drives Souther
teachers out of these schools, Will they b
filled by Northern ones under the patronag
of the Bureau, about to be made permanent
These Bureau teachers, besides reading
writing and arithmetic, coming from tn
North. with hearts filed with hate and III
charitableness, will teach the negroes thing
that are to make trouble with the races. b
accepting the situation as it is, and takin
control of these schools into our own band
whenever and wherever we can, we may CIV
to the minds of the rising generation c
blacks an inclination greatly to on
future advantage and prosperity. II
stead of rancorous hate of their lat
masters, we may thus infusc into them kim
Iy feelings Within itself, there is nothing
wrong in imparting instruction which elt
Yates and refines the humblest of God
creatures with immortal souls. We utterl
fail to see that there are any eXtraneous eli
cumstances in the case under notice whic
forbid The divine law does notltorbid, bu
enjoins ii. The Legislature of this Stat
has enjoiRed it in one ease. The aPprentic
law provides for education. OF course
cOntemplates negro schools and whit
teachers for them We have many preju
dices about the negro, growing out of hi
former servitude, to correct, and this Is on
of them We stand upon the ground, tha
it is right to educate the negro, aud wha
ever il right to do, cannot be diSreputabl