The Nevada journal., 1855-04-06
For the Nevada journal. /.
GRASS VALLEY, March 81, 1855.

GRASS ALLEY, March 81, 1890.
PAUL K. HUBBs, Esq, Supt of Public Inst:
Sir, l little expected that the brief note
addressed you short time since would cause
me to become the public target of your taunts
end inuendos Please review the matter and
observe our relative positions. Our public
school was attended for a short time by two
boys about twelve years of age, who were sus
pected Of being tainted with Indian or negro
blood 1t il true they are as white az many
others not suspected Of any such faint, but
! they were charged also with being bad bows.
and l was solicited to expel them from the
school, and did so with the concurrence of
another one OF the commissioners who informed
me that you had published direction that no
public moneys should be granted to schools in
this State, where white and colored children
were taught at the same time. | was wrath.
fully assaiied for cxpeling the two children,
and my authority for doing so most pointedly
questioned Such were the circumstances that
induced NE to write to you as follows 81 have
been informed that you have directed that no
school shall be benefited by the school money
for this State where white and colorcd children
mix as scholars Will you please inform me
whether you have given such direction .
Instead OF answering me directly, you
throw yourself back upon your dignity. and
with supercilfous hauteur reply that you had
not supposed it necessary to give any instruc-
tion upon that subject" and then you proceed
to taunt the enquirer by asserting your belief
chat the good sense Of the commissioners,
gentlemen who in general are highly esteemed
for their intelligence and careful discrimination
in the exercise of their duties did not require
it." You are not disposed to give me direct
Init tlnr ol-o lNbo, - d
impress my mind with the conviction that you
thought me destitute Of good sense" "intelli-
gsnce and discrimination or | would not have
troubled you with such q question. You are
not satisfied by thus rebuking your esteemed
friend for his impudence by private eommu
nlcatlon, but you must avenge your insulted
dignity by holding that esteemed friend up
before the world through the medium Of the
public papers as the target of your vitupera-
tive thrusts. and prostitute your position to
the qualification Of your vanity in seizing upon
the private note of person who wishes no such
display of has name, to keep yours before the
people, and vithal to pander to the sectional
prejudices of the southeren brethren of our
Republic, and de1patiate in sarcasm and inuendo
upon question that the word yes or no might
have answered. The propriety Of the question
you take so much pains to heap contempt on
me for asking, is worthy moments notice
The law requires the Marshals annually "to
take specific census OF all the children within
! their respective precincts between the ages OF
| four and eighteen years" The census Of all
| the children is to be taken, and all taxable
persons Or property contributes to swell the
fund that par l. pays for teaching, what oil ,r
a part Of the children? Here comes the ques-
ton if all are to enjoy the benefits of the
school fund, oil should be taught, and if So it
follows that in places where but two or three
/ colored children reside, they must If they en-
JOY the fund their parents helped create) send
to the school attended by the great majority
Of white children, or if not, then they must be
deprived alike Of their education, and the part
of the school fund properly belonging to them;
and do you consider this justice? first to fleece
the colored man of his money and then use it
for educating white children exclusively. and
: then to turn upon him as your letter reads, and
sneeriDgly tell him he must depend upon the
benevolent care of our citizens or his own
capacity to pay for it,
But you write me that you arc "believinS
that the law intended to elevate the self respect
Of the children and not to degrade them. =
Indeed elevate the selfrespect OF the children,
Lock ct the consistency of your position. The
with these dangerous colored children; they
play together, eat together, and are constantly
III each others company Yet no danger of
destroying their "selfrcspect" is indulged, until
1t Is proposed to teach them to read in the
same house in which these daily playmates are
taught. But the moment that occurs you are
overwhelmed with holy horror for the immi-
nent danger of the ''self respect of the white
children. You would not have them attend
school with nearly twenty times their number
OF white boys lest the "self respect" Of those
white children be ruined. Oh, no. but you
would devote the tax paid by the fathers of
the cOlored children to the education or the
white children, while the coored ones are thus
forced to remain in ignorance lest by learning
to read they degrade the white childyen, ard
destroy their "self respect"
In your address prefxed to the law, you
speak very eloquently of the deep and abiding
sentiments of honor and "high recttude of
character that marks the gentleman in after
life," resulting as the benefits of such schools.
Yet, if q coored child wishes to elevate HIM
self in th- way, and distinguish himself for
''honor and high recttude of conduct" even
though you take his money for the privilege,
you bid him avaunt; for if he is permitted to
learn anything that is taught to white children,
he will degrade them" But ifhe commits a
crime resulting from destitution Of that recti-
tude of conduct you prevent his obtaining,
you will spend many times the amount of
money it would require to educate him, in
vigorous punishment Of the crimes you thus
become the indirect cause Of his committing.
Is this consistency? Is this justice? Rather
than colored children should imbibe those
sentiments of honor and high rectitude of
character under the same roof white child
receives hs, you will arrogate to yourself the
imperious authority of ruling out such school
from the public schools of the State, for fear
of degrading the selfrespect' of the children
who you appear TO think in far more danger
from associating with intelligent, than ignor-
ant colored children.