Year: 1873

MONTGOMERY WHITE SULPHUR
SPRINGS. VA, July 9.-The exercises
of the first commencement Of the 5ate
agricultural college opened yesterday at
Blaeksburg. Tc-1ay q large assembly
was present to hear Governor Gilbert Z.


Walker deliver an address before the
literary societies on the subject of prac-
tical education. The address was en-
Enthusiastically received. Touching the
political issues Of the day, among other
things, he said: ''I cannot speak in too
laudatOry terms of the wisdom and fore
sight which enabled the college, by
advantageous sale and a more advan-
tageOus investment,tO nearly double the
principal of the fund derived from the
congressional appropriation, and to in
crease the income therefrom in a cOrre-
spending degree. This annual income
will reach thirty thousand dollars, two
thirds of it being set apart for the main
tenance of this college, and One-third to
the Hampton normal agricultural insti-
tute, a school founded upon the same
theory as this college, but devoted
to the education of the colOred
population, and right nobly is it per-
forming this necessary and important
duty. By this division OF the fund be-


tween these two institutions, its benefits
will be shared in by all the people of the
State; and the principle Of separate
schools for each race, which l regard Of
vital importance to each and absolute
ly essential to success in either, will be
maintained and perpetUated. The war
resulted in the emancipation Of
negroes, but EO sooner had
the sword been sheathed than the strife
was transferred forever, and days and
months and even years were spent IN
efforts to clOthe the freedmen with
lights he could not understand, and load
him with responsibilities he is unable to
comprehend. Statute on statutes was
enacted and the fundamental law of the
nation itself repeatedly amended to es-
iablish the civil and political rights Of
the negro, but wherein a long cat
alOgue of legislation can be
his elevation even to a partial compre-
hensiOn of the duties and responsible
ties these rights impose. Why did not
the mental and moral necessities of
these wards of the nation excite some
paternal sOlicitude, as did their political
condition? l shall not pause, nor is il
germain to my present purpose, to an
swer this very material inquiry.
The facts with which We have
alone to deal at the present
moment are. that although the negro
was emancipated from physical slavery,
he was left bound in the more terrible
chains Of universal ignorance; and that
while the nation invested him with the
glorious rights and privileges Of Ameri-
can citizenship, it not only failed to
make any provision for investing him
with knowledge of the high duties and


possibilities which that citizenship
tu. noses, but left him in the depths of
gGvarty and ignorance to be


ted, if educated at all,
O tre whites of these States whom the
war lad socially impoverished; that
hey we're unable to help them
selves. That this was unwise, unjust
and impOlItic, needs no words from me
to demonstrate. In my opinion, the
government should not only have pro-
vided means for the education of these
new suffrag lists, but should have gone
farther, aud aided the De"nle of
the south to fulfill tn high
and holy duty to the elves.
am no advocate of a governmental
system Of education, except by the
States, but L do advocate the extension
to all the States OF the policy which has
uniformly obtained in the organization
Of new States. The public lands are the
common property of the white people of
the Union, held by 1t in trust for their
benefit and behalf, and if there
be reason and sound statesmansEip
in reserving a portion of this property
for educational purposes in sparsely
populated but prosperous new States,
does not the same reason and states
manship In a far higher degree dictate
the appropriation of portion Of this
property to the education of the larger
and poorer population of the older States
of the south? But do not go to the length
Of urging even this very just and correct
review of the subject, based, though iJ
may be, upon the sOundest, most sub
stantiaI, and patriotic reasoning. All L
seek and all demand is equality with
all other States of the republic in this as
in all other respects"