[216] He believed education was the best way to heal the rifts in American society and allow people to improve themselves.[217] In 1887 Hayes was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Ohio State University, the school he helped found as governor of Ohio.[218] He emphasized the need for vocational, as well as academic, education: "I preach the gospel of work," he wrote, "I believe in skilled labor as a part of education."[219] He urged Congress, unsuccessfully, to pass a bill written by Senator Henry W. Blair that would have allowed federal aid for education for the first time.[220] In 1889 Hayes gave a speech encouraging black students to apply for scholarships from the Slater Fund, one of the charities with which he was affiliated.[221] One such student, W. E. B. Du Bois, received a scholarship in 1892.[221] Hayes also advocated better prison conditions.[222]
In retirement, Hayes was troubled by the disparity between the rich and the poor, saying in an 1886 speech, "free government cannot long endure if property is largely in a few hands and large masses of people are unable to earn homes, education, and a support in old age.