I have no words to waste on any man or party holding off in this emergency, on the pitiful plea that the Southern people should be left to do this work alone. It was one thing for the old States of the North to gradually develop their systems of popular instruction, through a century in which they, with all their imperfections, led the world in the general intelligence of their people. It was a much easier problem for the new West, out of munificent public endowments of land and a constant stream of private beneficence from the East, with a flood of the most vigorous young people setting in from the whole world, to establish, in one generation, the splendid arrangements for schooling the masses of which they are so justly proud. But, surely, the man who demands of the Southern people, in their present condition, the effort necessary to establish a good country district school of six months in the year, with suitable free elementary graded schools in the towns, and normal instruction for teachers, in addition to the support of the secondary, higher, professional and industrial education, in a way to overcome the terrible illiteracy of the country in a reasonable time, and aid in the development of intelligent industry and the solution of the most embarrassing of race problems, must either have a very inadequate notion of the work to be done, or a desire to visit the offenses of the fathers on the children. He points out four ways in which the North can help: (1.) National aid to elementary education. (2.) Generous donations like those of Peabody, Slater and others. (3.) Encouragement by our best Northern educators, and (4.) establishment of industrial schools. Speaking of donations in money, he marks a very important condition to be observed. We wish to give it special emphasis, because it touches a vital point and one that the supporters of the A. M. A. need to bear in mind; it is this: "_It is better to strengthen a good institution already on the ground than experiment on new enterprises._ Especially should our benevolent Northern people refuse to encourage the persistent effort of a large portion of the Southern colored clergy and a corresponding class among the white people to build up a church system of elementary schooling. Already thousands of dollars are virtually thrown away in the South by kindly people who give carelessly or yield to opportunity. Our philanthropic people owe it to themselves and the country not only to give, but to exercise the greatest discretion in their giving. An endowment to any school that has really succeeded and can show the right to exist, is always in order."