The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-04-20
Popular Education at the South.
(From tic New York Tribune.l


in a community made up of diverse
racas and co1ors, is at once difficult
and Fital. Especially where one of
thosk races has just emerged from
bondage to sl1e other, which regards
such emancipation as its own defeat
and !pverthrcw, is this problem pre-
sented in its.mobt formidable aspect.
The Soutaerla States, prior to our
late struggle, were very lightly taxed,
and with good reason. Property was
omnipotent jim Legislative halls, and
did not choose to tax itself heavily.
So is dispensed with common schools,
and with allsH1anner of public proyi-
sion for the support of those unable,
to support themselves. The poor
whi les were d4nsely ignorant, and
cho] e to renaain. so; the blacks were
dung and 'pnwerless; the wealthy
gave their own children such school
ing as they might and let the rest go
without.
Emancipation and enfranchisement
changed ali this, but far sooner in
conception thar in execution. 1t was
easy to enact chat all children should
be educated; not so easy to enforce
that requirement.. Even the great land
owners werts 1ieedy and in debt; their
broad plantations yielded them little
or 10 incomes; they could not sell
theIr lands-~ cbi,ld hardly give them
awaSy. The poor of whatever color
weIse Gerry poor they had too little
work which was often scarce and
wages meagre; and then the poor
whites, having always been accounted
superior class while they were su-
premely illiteSate, were not unnatur-
ally distrussful of an education offered
thden in common with the negroes
VIII I'm they had always looked down
updn as interiors. Under such auspi-
ces' were school houses to be built,
books provided, and teachers secured,
bya people jast emerged from an ex-
hal sstive, calamitous civil war, which
| forf three years had subjected their
States to tile dAsolating tread of al
terhately advancing and retreating
armies. What wonder if success were
no. at once aehieveda
[r. Tholaas w. Conway was made
Superintendent of Education for Lou-
isi4na under Srach auspices. The State
had had an Auditor under whose rule
the school fund was stolen, as the pro-
cekds of mEtny tax and loan have
bd| n stolen IN other departments of
that States service /; every thing was
to be done. set the means were de-
pitrnbly ihtsrficient. Then this asles-
tien of race or caste was formidable
impediment men who hated to pay
their vastly Enhanced taxes clamoring
against the Extra burden involved in
| tie provisibn of school houses and
sd looling for Che negroes who lin their
cd dhception) were still rightfully their
p1bperty, JEeir slaves.
Two yea1!s have since passed, and
~. CONWAY officially reports a graft
fling prograss. More than one thou
sind schools have been established
aid are now i'm full operation; no par
ish being without one or more of them.
The whites, who at first declared that
tSeir children should never be educa-
| tH in coIanion with negroes, have in
many instances reconsidered the mat
| ter and coEde to a wiser conclusion.
| Teachers IN abundance have been
found, tl;engh in some districts no
school had lever before been taught.
Some of tie first teachers, finding
their vocation odious, resigned; but
their places were promptly and salts
factorily fiIled. The Superintendent
himself wis often threatened, but
stood firm ! so did his assistants and
most of the teachers. Most OF the
white children who deserted when
they found that "niggers were also
to be taugf have returned, and the
aggregate attendance in 1871 was
much greater than it had been in 1870
The statistics of attendance are moi
aill, but We Judge that about one-thire
III all who should be in the schools arr
actually I'm attendance, which is con
aderably better than if none were.
| AS to color or race in the schools
she reportsays:
As a rule, the children have chosen to at
thnd schools made up principally OF those
their own races and their parents preferres
that they shguld. Yet, in many of the school
N.tnlte anu CqipFetI pttpits Ao5. ~
.ether and where this exists it is not to-
,uch to say that the latter are treated " wit,
Greater Kindness by their fellow pupils than
ender similar circumstances, they would D
q many Nosshern cities Those children VIII
wore temporarily withdrawn from some Q
the schools, liisder the impression that hars
aud coer0iEe measures would be adopte
hen the legal authorities assumed a,co eontro no
IRE gradually returning to their places, an
nesds oalN continuance of the firm We
Moderate c6nfse thus far pursued to eonyine
ali who are accessible to reason OF the tails
oy of the arguments brought against tn
. present seb5ok system.
q The Assistant Superintendent TO
he Secc ID Congress District OF tn
State, Ma E. S. Stoddard, reports t
Mr.. ConJ by:
Twenty -Nree of the teachers in my school
{ in,re eolortds and of the pupils 1910 are whit
and 1890 aIe dolored. All the pupils in tn
: private schools are white; giving a propo
zion of white and colored receiving the bel
af;ts off education of 3O43 of the former to 46s
&c tba latter .ffhus If will appear that a Large