New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-13
9e'r Orleans gepublita1,.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE UNITED STATES
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS
Popular Education mt the South.

colcrs, ls at once difficult and vital.
Especially where one CT those races has
just emerged from bondage to the other,
which regards such emancipation as its own
defeat and overthrow, is this problem pre-
sented in its most formidable aspect.
Inc Southern States. prior to our late
struggle, were very lightly taxed and with
good reason. Property was Omnipotent in
Legislative halls, and property did not
choose to tax itself heavily. So it dispensed
with common schools, and with all manner
OF public provision for the support of those
unable to support themselves. The poor
whites were densely ignorant, and chose to
remain SO; the blacks were dumb and pow
erless: the wealthy gave their own children
such schooling as they might and let the
rest 60 without
Emancipation and enfranchisement
changed all this, but far sooner in concep,
ton than in execution. 1t was easy to en-
act that all children should be educated;
not SO easy TO enforce that require
ment. Even the great landowners were
needy and in debt; their broad plantations
yielded them little or no income; they could
not sell their lands-could hardly give them
away. The poor of whatever color were
very poor; they had too little work. which
was often scarce and wages meagre; and
and then the poor whites, having always
Detn accounted superior class while they
were supremely illiterate, were not unnat-
uraily distrustful of an education offered
them in common with the negroes whom
they had always looked down upon as in
teriors. Under such auspices were school
houses to be built, books provided and
teachers secured, by people just emerged
from an exhaustive, calamitous civil war,
which for three years past had subjected
their States to the desolating tread OF alter
nately advancing and retreating armies.
What wonder if success were not at once
achieved!
Mr.. Thomas W. Conway was made Su-
per!ntendent of Education for Louisiana
under such auspices. The State had had
an Auditor under whose rule the school
fund was stolen, as the proceeds of many
tax and loan have been stolen in other
departments of that States service; every
thing was to be done, vet the means were
deplOrably insufficient. Then this question
of race or caste was formidable impedi.
ment; men who hated to pay their vastly
enhanced taxes clamOring against the ex-
ira burden involved in the provision of
schOOlhOuses and schooling for the negroes
who lin their conception) were still right
fully their property, their slaves.
Two years have since passed, and Mr..
Conway officially reports a gratifying pro-
gress. More than one thousand schools
have been established and are now in full
operation, no county being without one or
declared that their children should never
be educated in common with negroes, have
in many instances reconsidered the matter
and come to u wiser conclusion. Teachers
in abundance have been found, though in
some districts no school had ever before
been taught. Some of the first teachers,
finding their vocation Odious, resigned: but
their places were promptly and satisfac
torily filled. The Superintendent himself
was often threatened, but stood firm; SO
did his assistants and most of his teachers.
Most OF the white children who deserted |
when they found that .niggers" were also |
to be taught have returned, and the aggre- |
gate attendance in 1871 was much greater |
than it was il 1870. The statistics of at |
tendance are not full, but we judge that |
about one-third of all who should be in the |
schools are actually in attendance, which |
is great deal better than if none were.
As to color or race in the schools, the re-
port says
las rule, the children have chosen to |
attend schools made up principally Of those |
OF their own race, and their parents PIE
ferred that they should. Yet in many of |
the schools white and colored pupils NAV |
be seen together: and where this exists it |
is not too much to say that the latter are |
treated with greater kindness by their tel |
low pupils than, under similar circum- |
stances, they would be in many Northern |
cities. These children who were Temporal |
lily Withdrawn from some OF the schools, |
under the impression that harsh and CO. /
ercive measures would be adopted when |
the legal authorities assumed control, are
gradually returning to their places, and it |
needs only continuance of the firm vet |
moderate course thus far pursued to CON
vince all who are accessible to reason OF
the fallacy OF the arguments brought
against the present school system"
1hn font % ~,
ond congressional district of the State, Mr..
L. S. StOddart, reports TO Mr.. Conway:
''Twenty-tbree of the teachers in nv |
schools ale cOlOrtd and of the pupils 1910
are white and 1890 are colored. AL the
pupils in the private schools are white,
giving proportion of white and colored
receiving the benefits of education of 3O43
of the former to $500 OF the latter; thus it
will appear that larger percentage of the
colOred population is receiving the advan-
tage of education than of the white. This
will demonstrate what is asserted else
where in this report. that greater degree
of appreciation of educational advantages
is manifested by the colored people than
by the whites" This officer says: That
where white children are found attending
with colored they are universally the chil-
dren Of intelligent parents"
Assistant Superintendent DiOssy reports
from the third congressional district
THE subject of mixed schools has in no
wise embarrassed my operations. There is
no question about race or color: accommO-
dations are provided for all the children:
and teachers, white and coored, male and /
female, from all sections of our country. are |
employed whenever their qualifications will
allow. In some cases, the children of both |
races attend school in common and some |
times cOiOrcd teacher has in his school |
numbers of white children Such is the |
confidence which has grown I'D among the
people in our school work that large num-
Der Of private and many denominational
schools reported a year ago have been
merged into our public schools"
One of the school directors of the parish
Of Assumption says:
"In certain localities, children of both
colors attend schools in common. and in
such the improvement is astonishing. This
is to be accounted for, l suppose, by the
constant emulation between the two races"
j. Sella Martin, colOred man, who is
assistant superintendent OF the schools in
the fourteenth congressional district, re-
ports:
1.-THE strongest prejudces have yielded to
the teachings of necessity" and also that,
Notwithstanding his color, he has been
treated with courtesy by the cid citizens.
Mr.. Z. Warren Smith. principal OF the
Bienville school in New Orleans, says:
Il find, by special report of my assistants,
that two,thirds of the pupils are white and
Cne-third colOred. 1t is seldom that the
usual peace and good order of the school
are disturbed by any exhibition of prejudice
on account OF race or color. Both classes |
are equally ready ard DESTROYS to. learn.
and certainly by myself, and think also
by my assistants, is impartial justice meted
out to ALL"