Evening star., 1869-06-07
L.rAIITY ATPLAcz- OF AmrsEMEsr.-Fhts

E.UALITY AT PLACE OF FAMTsENEsT-FhIs
v-es the law recently enacted by the Councils
providing that it shall mo- be lawful 10 maxi
~ny distinction or account OF race or color in
r-gaTd 10 admission 10 places OF amusement
= IS Into effect and there is naturally consider
sole interest manifested as 20 The result The
T-oTrietors OF the various places Of public
Tuu~ement seem to appreherd that it will
work very dIsas;rOuSIy 70 their business
sEd some OF them propose TO test
re legality Of the act IN the courts.
W find, TOO, that IaadIEg citizens without
--Sard 10 party lines tear that the -iIect wll bt
e. iDJuEe the Prosperity of Ine city. They
a-gue that the prosperity OF Washington
depends largely upon It being made au agree
acie place of resort for visitors who can All ard
80 pend money here, people who come 10
Washington tor the winter a. they go 10
s>a-s;oga or Newport tor the summer l. is
E-srd that these visitors who At home in COM
uunItIeS OF the most advanced republican
itsas have EeyeT been accustomed 10 be sand
wiched with negroes At the Theatre or the
Opera Will give Washington q wide berth If
compelled TO accept such propInQuItv here
These fears probably are grounGless. We
doubi If many cOlOred people Will avail them
selves OF the privileges gwen them BY the
isw-tbat Is TO say they Will not be inclined to
fOrCe themselves into uncongenIal society. All
will remember the huboub OF alarm at the time
Of the Inauguration ball over the supposition
that hundreds of cOlOred people would claim
their right to De- there; Vet not a single colored
person presented himself tor admission. The
cOlored people are acquiring a good deal of
seIf-respect, and are not disposed to thrust
themselves. socially, where they are rot
wanted. What they would probably ask Is
that they may De admitted to equally eligible
prefer to have their own quarter IN each part
of the house-for instance, a portion of the par
quette. ;he Dire circle, the orchestra, &c.
The complaint of the cSlOred people has been
we believe. not that they are debarred from
mixing with the whites IN the same seas, but
that hey have been restricted to the most in
fsrIOr portion of the house, the gallery 80 far
=, we can hear, the respectable colored people
sre quite as much averse to forcing social IN
tsrnIxture with the whites the latter can
possibly be. What they want IL political
equality, equality before the law, equality at
the polls, equality In the Workshop They
feel pride IN their separate social, educa-
tIonal. and religious organizations; their
Coiored societies, cOlOred schools, colored
churches, &c., aud we have no doub, they will
ere long have their own theatres and o. ner
places OF amusement. They thus guilty tte
habits OF self-relIance and self-respec,, i'm
measurably beyond " hat they would do merged
IN similar organizations managed by whi,es
No visitor 10 the colOred schools, for instance,
CaG faIl 10 see how much vim and elasticity is
gwen to the efforts OF both teachers and pupils
tiom The fact that they are working ION their
own hook, and have their own record to
make. And ~ would not be easy 10 persuade
the coIored Odd Fellows, the coIOred Masons,
OT ihe congregations of the numerous active
and Influential cOIored churches OF the city
fhat they would gain anything by throwing
~ their separate Organizations to merge with
She v nites