New-York daily tribune., 1856-03-18


equal in any sense; that he and bis are politically
Helots and civilly serfs; that they can be nobody
and nothing. There are Public Schools here, to
which all white children are admissible, bat he
must never darken their doors except to make the
fire and take up the sshesfor the education OF tho
5000 Free Colored children of The District there
is not only no provision made, but they are sterny
forbidden to avail themselves Of that which s made
for others. A grest-grandchld of a signer of the
Declaration, whose mother was quadroon, who
should undertake on the strength Of his blue eyes,
fair hair and light complexion, to smugge himself
into Public School here would, if detected by
some keen observer, be expelled with indignation
at his audacity.
OF course, the victims of this injustice are not
models of wisdom, virtue, thrift or dignity. II
Slavery made Uncle Toms of all its victims, direct
or indirect, how could we hate it as it deserves
The negro finds himself prized by the whites
with whom he is mainly brought in contact in pro-
portion to his sacrity and facility in mnsterins to
their appetites and pandering to their vices; and
the lotier his integrity the more dismal his chance
of getting on in the world. Is this the discipline
likely to teach him selfrespect and devotion to
principle
There are Public charities for the Poor OF this
city, but the coored Poor not entitled to share
them; the Aims House is for Whites; the distr-
button of Food aud Fuel at public cost to the ne
cessitous ia for them alone. l am assured that no
blsck person is permitted to share OF this bounty
unless some white person intercedes for him. Yet
this is the helpless worthless race whose members
.can't take care OF themselves"
believe there are two frstrate schools for
Colored Boys somewhere in the city, but only ona
fer Coored Girls This was established by North
ern philanthropy inspired by its principal, MISS
Myrtilla Miner who has given the last 1--WE years to
its foundation and conduct. 1t is located at the
extreme northwest Of the city, near the line Of
GEORGETOWN, on q lot of three acres, which has
been purchased for the purpose and nearly or quite
paid for. This purchase was found indispensable,
after the school had been hunted from place after
place by the mean prejudice and jealousy ofthe bascr
whites of its neghborhoOd. Repeatedly has Miss
Miner been threatened with mob violence, simply
because she was carrying on school for her young
sisters of the despised and Outcast race; but she
perseyered through all, and has at length secured
location at the Court end of town. inconvenient for
most of her scholars (now some thirty or forty in
number, but quite secure from those manifesto
tions of Democratic devotion to Equal Rights
which the white hostlers aud stable-boys OF I" the
Avenue" often incline to bestow on oil attempts to
raise those who are grade or two below their
social level.
In Miss Miners school there are all shades Of
color from jet black to what would pass anywhere
for the red and white of the pure Caucasian blood
but which is Known to be partly African neverthe-
less. She says she finds differences of capacity,
certainly, among her pupils just as in the white
schools she has taught, but they are in no wise
governed or modified by the greater or less in
fusion Of African blood, but Blacks or comparative
Whites are stupid or clever, dull or quick, una'-
fected by their respective degrees of relationship
to Africa.
| hope Miss Miners school will be sustained,
and will be the inctement and parent Of many
larger and better 1t is not yet time to ask the people
of the District to make provision for the educa-
ton of their poorest and powerless class well as
for other children, but that time will come. Mean-
while let the benevolent and able do what they
toward demonstrating that Education is as neces-
sary and beneficial to the Colored Race as to
Others and thus refute the Athestic pretense that
part of the human family is fit only to bear bur-
dens and serve as meniaIs for the residue. II. q.