Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-12-19
[CoMMUNIcATED.
COIOred Schools.

MR.. EDIToR:-It would be esteemed a
favor by many of your subscribers if you,
or any one of your numerous readers, would
enlighten us on the subject of the work
ings of our colored schools.
AS citizen of the county not inconsid-
erably interested in what concerns the in
terest of the taxpayer, in common with
them, am anxious to find out how So, $40
70, levied on the white taxpayer, finds its
way in the pockets of nonresident negro
school teachers, who have complied with
no single requirement of the school law,
without which a white teacher could not
get place. or a dollar of his pay. The
law establishing these schools passed in
January, 1872, and went Immediately into
operation. Owing to the way they were
put in motion, am satisfied the black
feature was lost sight of by nine-tenths of
the people of the county.
Under the law (chap. 374) the Board of
School Commissioners for the county were
authorized Ito establish one or more pub
lie schools in each election district for all
colored youths between six and twenty
years of age" These schools were "to be
under the supervision and control of the
trustees of the district in which they were
located-that is, the trustees of the nearest
white school (chap. SO, sec. 1-2)-and be
under the same rules and regulations as
schools for white children. The same
branches to be taught and the same stand
ard of qualification, both educational and
moral, were to be observed.
Who appointed the colored teachers in
1872? AS the writer is not posted, as to
all the colored schools in the county, we
will take up one and run through its his
tory, and if it proves to be fair represen-
tat1ve of the rest, we can't see why it
should be exceptional. The query is, by
what authority was any money paid out
to those self-constituted teachers?
We propose to take school No. 1, in the
Sd election district, in lower Nanjemoy.
Soon after the law went into operation
last year, the trustees of No. 1 white school
received applications from persons who
held certificates of qualification from the
county examiner, and in the usual way
made an election and informed the party
of the fact. The trustees of this school
were also, under the law, trustees for No.
colored school, but short distance Off
How was it with this school? No appli-
cation was ever made to the trustees, con-
sequently no teacher, by them, was ever
appointed for it. But it was not idle, for
simultaneously with the white school it
went into operation under the charge of a
brick dust colored daughter of African
descent who was run down from Wash
ington, together with several others of the
same stripe, for the position l presume
At the expiration of this woman's first
term, her report was handed to the trus-
tees to be by them signed. This was the
first recognition, en- the part of the ne
groes, of any authority those gentlemen
had in the premises. Indeed the trustees
had given the subject so little thought or
reflection that they themselves were not
posted as to their duties with reference to
those schools. This report was thought
lessly but reluctantly signed, and this too
superinduced by the party informing the
trustees that she had been instructed by a
school official of the county to call on
them for their names. Her subsequent re-
ports were signed likewise.
The fact of her reports being duly sign
ed, might seem prinaG f0cie evidence of her
election as teacher of the school, but such
was really not the fact. l am not done
with No. yet.
The second scholastic year commenced
on the 1st October last. Duringthe vaca-
ton preceding the opening of the public
schools, the trustees received application
for this school from well qualified party,
resident of the county, who presented the
usual certificate of qualification from the
county examiner. To give all desiring to
do so an opportunity of making applica-
ton, the appointment of teacher was de
layed until about week before the schools
were to resume operations When the
trustees met there was but one applicant,