New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-02-21
MONDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 81, 1853
-
CONSOLLDATTON OF THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.

3 uscAh~ht Nooiu VIC maui u luuuGe the pTeSen
Legislature 10 consolidate our Public Schools
For certain reasons we have thus far foreborn,
TO notice what we conceive to be highly inju
dicious movement. The fact of its having actu-
ally been made, though thus far the Legisla-
ture has taken no action in the premises, prop
erly makes it the subject Of editorial comment,
Previously to the consolidation of the city,
the three Municipalities and the city of Lafay-
cite had, every one of them, separate public
SCHOOL organizations. When Neworleans be-
came consolidated city, it was organized into
four districts, and to every district was left the
organization of its public schools Shortly after.
wards, the originators of the present movement
to influence legislative action, proposed and OBJ
tanned convention Of the Boards of School Di-
rectors of the four districts 1t was held, and
but indiferently attended at the first and second
(and only meetings. Sectional feeling betrayed
its existence at the very outset. The descend
ants Of our ancient Creole population charged
with great warmth, not to say with some bitter
ness, that the originators of this legislative
project, designed the total Punishment of the
y teaching of the French language from the Sec
ond and Third Districts formerly, First and
Third Municipahties) in which the descendants
Of our ancient population do mostly congregate,
and where, by preference, they usually employ
French in conversation. They looked upon the
movement as pronunciamento against the
French language, and an attempt to force their
children and youthful relatives to forswear the
language Of their forefathers, or know it only
as the privilege of wealth.
Tn This uiox Al.
rect. In anything like consolidated Board of
School Directors, the question of making the
teaching of French regular exercise, even in
specified portion of the city, would be swept
down by the combined votes of the members of
such consolidated Board coming from the two
upper Districts and assisted by a portion of the
members from the Second District, leaving the
members from the Third and those from the
Second assisting them in an inconsiderable mi
nority.
Such result is ceptain, and would certainly
revive and stimulate sectional feelings and pre-
JUDGES Of descent, habit and association, which
are quietly dying out in the absence Of all cause
of provocation. A large class of our worthiest
and most respectable citizens, residing below
Canal street. would bitterly chafe at the inter-
dict of French in our public schools This is
language, which, above all others, they desire
their children to learn in early youth, knowing
full well that they will learn the language of
the burly and aggressive Saxon in the certain
course of tirae
It is an hndeniable fact, though a delicate
topic to touch upon, that even now there are
greatly dissimilar traits, habits, prejudices and
predictions between the large body of our
specializing inhabitants, chiefly above Canal
street, and our ancient population" the
genuine Creoles of Louisiana, chiefly, if not alto
gether resident below Canal street The latter
would be almost driven to evaporation by an
attempt to drive their favorite language from
the schools, and such is plainly the object of the
few who have sought from the Legislature
consolidation Of the public schools One might
ae well attempt to mix oil and water, as to seek
this Consolidation. One might as we'll attempt
TO make the children of our city all lawyers, or
all doctors, or all merchants, or all mechanics
The probable future, the natural associations,
the instructive taste of the Creole youth are
widely different from those of the new come
Saxon youth, though sentiments of American
nationality, State pride. good fellowship, social
courtesy, earnest enterprise and honest ambi-
tion may be equally strong in both. Our city
population (resident) is peculiarly composite,
and it would be the silliest afectaton to pretend
that there is not line between the social tastes
habits, associations and favorite language drawn
by Canal street. We are happy to know that
this fact does not impair the sense of common
citizenship and nationality, or the duties of good
fellowship
Below Canal street, teachers qualified in both
French and English abound, and can be EN-.
ployed at no extra cost, with no extra appro- |
prastion and without Inconvenience Above
Canal street, the same state Of facts does not
exist in a comparable degree. In speaking thus
plainly, We point freely to known, if somewhat |
delicate facts, to indicate causes which must
produce exasperated sectionalism if allowed to
90 into operation
Passing over the acknowledged object of those |
with whom this project of consolidating the
schools originated, the Punishment of the teach. |
ing OF French from the Public Schools of the |
second and Third Districts passing over the
plainly sectional, if not selfish, design of with.
drawing 80 much, more or less, from the COM |
mon school fund of the First District and |
deliberately appropriating share of adyanta |
gss, ETC., secured by its residents when It was |
The old Second Municipality, and towards which |
others never contributed one dollar, and to an |
proach which they never sought-what practi- |
caolhty is there in the project If liberalities
are TO be divided out SO as to share with those
who never contributed towards them. will il.
after all, profit the Schools
In the First District, twenty one directors in
the Second twelve, in the Third twelve. and in
the Fourth twelve, with difficulty find tima 10
pay attention to their various duties A Laos
number, therefore, could not be efficient
Heaven save us from the Babel of fftv oa3
ongues in body, which would have to con.
ader at every meeting at least forty regular re.
orts, probably double the number of irregular
sports, at least 1--WE are certain) one hundred
etitions, thirty applications, numberless cases
discipline, etc In the eye of common sense
he idea of consolidating the Public Schools is
nsurd and we hope our Legislature will care
aiiy regard the past, the present and the flu
ure before concluding on such step.
Bee To-day's Supplement-. I
Nc - 4