New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-04

ceSSlty.
Allow me now to say something touching
the difficulties in our way. These are surpris-
ingly numerous, unaccountable and mex
cusable. / will endeayor to name some OF
them:
The first and greatest is the inadequacy
of our school revenues. +.
The second is the prolonged existence Of
passions engendered by the late war, and
still cherished by many who cling to the
idea that any system of learning mage
necessary by that unhappy event should DC
rejected.
The third is the disorganized condition IN
which the war lett the affairs OF our stare
a condition which required much tlne' eA-
pense and care to improve:
The fourth is the general ignorance OF the
people in most of the rural districts touch
ing school organization, rendering 1t almost
impossible to- secure, competent men OF
women TO carry on our work:
The fifth consists in the stringent require
ments of the constitution. as well as those
still more severe which are contained in the
school acts passed by the General Assem-
bly. recurring the admission to the school
of all applicants. irrespective OF race or
color
The sixth difficulty consists in the ma
licious, eroundless, vindictive opposition of
that portion of the public press which is
edited by men who seem TO have been
asleep during the past ten years: who seem
to think that the black man is still slave;
that there has been no war; that no blood
has been shed; that education must still be
regarded as the prerogative of class; that
when small fraction'of a people sees fit to
oppose a system of education the mass must
acquiesce; and that they have not only the
right to defeat great public measures, but
also to. ruin the character and business OF
individuals whom they may not admire.
especially if they, like themselves, should
chance to have come here from another
section of our country. rrr- .-r
| have not ignored the existence of a
strong local prejudice in this community
against our school system and its friends.
| do not now ignore it. have always re-
Acognized it. / now recognize it. | consider
it the business of others to be governed by
their preiudices, if they see fit; but do not
recognize the right of any class, or any per
son, to extend their prejudices. whatever;
nor of any newspaper editor, SO as to make
them the rule of my life or conduct. AS
an officer, have taken an oath, the moral
obligation of which rises far above local
prejudices. This governs me in the discharge
Of my official duty. Itook it voluntarily.
1t obligated me to enforce the constitution
of our State; to enforce the law passed by
the Legislature and to discharge my duty
to the best of my ability. have served it
in the past have not swerved from the
path of legal duty thus far, nor do intend
to do so in the future. If any of the pas
sions engendered bv the war have any life
still, no one deplOres it more than L. If it
be true that any of these are now in exist
ence, they should disappear from our edu-
cational pathway-the sooner the better.
| have never asked teachers or school
directors whether they took any part in the
late rebellion or sympathized with it, nor
do intend to do So
1t is matter to be devoutly hoped that
there is not a particle-of this unhappy feel
ing in the breast of any one in this In
stitute; but, judging from the conduct of a
few within the past two days, l am led to
infer that this hope is not we'll founded.
Gradually the people are recovering
from their poverty and their prejudices.
The difficulty growing out of the legal re-
quirement to admit colored children into
any of our schools on an equality with the
whites, is one which has taxed my con-
science, my judgment, and my sense of
personal interest, beyond the reach of
human calculation. Often have | been
tempted to yield to the popular clamor
against the admission of this class of our
educable youth.
Often have been asked to put my per-
sonal comfort in the scale with my earnest
convictions, in the hope that my interest
might outweigh my love of principles.
Often have / been asked whether it was
not needless that | should become scott
and reproach to the proud and the; fash
ionable because of my devotion to a moral
obligation.
l have found it difficult to stand up in
this community for eight years the un-
wavering, uncompromising friend of the
newly enfranchised element. For this
cause l have suffered the curses of the vul-
gar and the contempt of some of the pro-
fessedly educated and refined elements of
the community.
This cross was hard to bear. A crown of
thOrns would not have given me much
more pain than l have endured on this ac-
count.
Family, the sacred precincts of my home,
the grave itself was invaded by vile news
paper as a means of Furnishing me, because
l recognized and enforced the black childs
right to admission to our schools. as re-
quired by law.
This was severe, it was heart-rending, it
was an ordeal through which, trust, no
one here will ever have occasion tofpass.
But, thank God could not defeat the force
of my conscience. / dare not violate my
oath. l would not ignore the law. could
not add to the oppression and wrong already
claiming and degrading hundred thousand
black childen. | said to myself, lit is far
better that | should suffer for a principle
than by ignoring it prolong an injustice
which affects the life, and vigOr, and health,
and happiness of not only this great num-
Der of children but of the commonwealth.
itself.
The principle involved has been rigidly
enforced. My oath of Office was not vio-
lated. The law has been enforced. The
schools have not been destroyed. Justice
has triumphed, and to-day our schools,
though open to all, regardless of color, are
in more hourishing condition than before
we took control of them. The colored
children generally, and of their own choice,
attend school by themselves, while the
whites attend in the same way.
There are some colored children in the
schools attended by the whites, and it is a.
matter of pleasure for me to be able to state
that they are not treated with incivility or
The population of our State is gradually
Since the close of our own I'M
happy war large numbers of menhave come
here from the, North and West who have
brought families with them. The termina-
ton of the war in Europe will unquestion
ably result in a large tide of emigration
from both France and Germany to this
State. Probably our educable population
will reach three hundred and fifty thousand |
inside of the next ten years. To provide |
for this large number we must |
maintain the public schools we now have
and establish five times as many more.
Private schools will never answer the de-
mands of this vast want. They may serve |
the necessities of an aristocratic few, but |
they can not supply the needs of the great |
mass. On this subject will take the lib |
erty of quoting the language of State Su-
perintendent Fitzgerald, of California
'Ihe gravity of this question of popular |