New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-02
Mixed Schools.

mon schools in the District of Columbia in
which caste prejudices will not be nurtured,
is now agtating the people of this commu-
nifty. A large and enthusiastic meeting of
those friendly to the mixed school measure
presented in the Senate by the Hon. CHAs.
SUMNER. was held in Union League Hall
last week. We hope for the speedy passage
OF the bill of Mr.. SUMMERS, in order that
the mad current of prejudice against the
negro may be checked and also that the
baleful influence upon the children of the
colored race of being taught by separation
from the whites that the whites are superior
to them may be destroyed.
Throughout the South all the schools
should be mixed. From our observations
during trip to the South we are convinced
that the interests of the poor whites and the
colored people are identical Both are igno-
rant, and both are the tools of designing
educated white men and the poor whites
are more particularly used to further schemes
opposed to their own best interests. In that
section everything that will bring the poor
white man and the colored man closer to-
gether should be done they should be taught
to make common cause against the rich land
holders of the South who never REGARDED q
poor white man of as much importance as
they did slaves. Educate the poor white
children and the colored children together ;
let them grow up to know that color makes
no difference as to the rights of man that
both the black man and the white man are
at home; that the country is as much the
country of one as of the other, and that both
together must make it valuable country.
Now in the South the poor white man is
taught that he is better than the black man
and not as good as the 100000 shareholders
OF former days; the result is that the slave
holders command the poor white man to
murder the black man, to burn down his
school-houses, and to in every conceivable
manner maltreat him, and the command is
obeyed. This tends to make the ex-slave-
holders more powerful, and Is of no good to
the poor white, who is really as much despised
as the negro. The cunning ex-slaveholder
sets those who should be his enemies to
fighting each other and thus diverts attention
FROM himself. Educate the colored children
and white children together in your day and
night schools throughout the South, and they
will learn to known each other better. and
be better able to cooperate for mutual
benefit,
We want mixed schools not because our
colored schools are inferior to white schools
not because colored instructors are inferior
to white instructors, but because we want to
do away with a system that exalts one class
and debases another. The assertion made
at Union League Hall by Prof. j. NJ LANG
sToN THAT, with half a dozen exceptions,
he had never found well conducted negro
school," might lead many to believe that,
because of the inability of colored educated
ladies and gentleman to teach, we wish to
force colored children into white schools.
This is not so. In the city of Washington
we have colored ladies teaching who, in
ability, will compare favorably with the white
ladies teaching in this District. We know
whereof we affirm. In our visits to schools
in this District conducted by white teachers
and to those conducted by celored teachers.
we have been able to discover no superiority
in the discipline of the schools conducted by
white teachers over those conducted bv col
Ored; and in the county we have been
assured by some of the school officials that
the best conducted school is conducted by q
colored teacher.
Our idea of mixed schools comprehends
the employment of colored as well as white
teachers, and of neither unless they are COM
petent. Anything less than this would be
fostering the very caste distinctions of which
we all complain. 1t is saying to the colored
child you may learn and acquire an abund-
ance of intelligence but you must never hope
to know enough to be able to teach a primary
school composed Of white children and colored
children. We can point to ladies and gen.
tlemen of our race who can as successfully
pass rigid examination as white applicants
for schools can and if Mr.. LANGsTON will
us to schools conducted as white
schools and to schools conducted as negro
schools we will undertake to show him as
much earnestness and devotion on the part
of teachers of colored schools as on the part
of those of white schools. We look to mixed
schools to teach that worth and ability are
to be the criterion of manhood and not race
and color.