It is those schools backed by the churches and benevolent societies of
the North that are doing the most of the work of preparing teachers among
the colored people for the colored people. The very best of the more than
seventeen thousand colored teachers have learned whatever they know in
these schools. Most of the Southern State governments have recognized the
necessity of preparing colored teachers, and make annual appropriations
to carry on this work. A few States have established schools of their
own; generally they make appropriations to some of the best of the
schools established by others.
The great and crying need in the work of education among the people is
better teachers in their common schools. They can not be prepared in
a day or a year; for it takes much money and much time. The training
schools are without endowments, and their patrons are unable to pay more
than the lowest tuition fees. If these schools—call them universities,
colleges, institutes, seminaries—what you will, are to keep going at
their present rate, to say nothing of improvement, white people must
furnish the money, for the best of reasons; the negroes have not money
to do this sort of work. Most of this money will have to come from
Northern pockets, if it comes at all. The State of New York is worth
more in property returned for taxation than all the Southern States
together—leaving out Missouri, counted in the census of 1880 among
“Western States.”