New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-02-13
Unreasoning Prejudice.

I
to public criticism. With the individual like.
and dislikes OF the denizens of West Biddls
street, who recently pctitioned the City Coun
Gil not to give any aid to the "Shelter 70,
Coiored Orphans" we have nothing 10 do
In their private capacity they have tho right
| to express whatever sentiments of contemp,
they may entertain for colored people gener
ally, and for colored orphans in particular
1t il one Of the high constitutional privileges
OF the American citizen to hate "niggers, ~
and as long as his aniInosity does not break
out into actual violence, no one has q RICH,
to interfere. There are those who think that
such unreasoning prejudice betrays n want
/ OF culture, Of which people living in a Chris
tan community ought to be ashamed, but
they do not say SO unless provoked BY some
such exhibition Of ignorance and yindictive-
ness as has been made by the memoriali,ts
| above referred to.
We have great respect for those who OPP
pose municipal appropriations to charitable
lnstituaions upon constitutional grounds.
Many eminent statesmen and jurists are OF
the opinion that 1t Is not the province OF
government to measure out beneyolence.
Neither State nor municipal governments
are organized for this purpose. Charity is a
virtue which appertains to the individual
citizen and not to the State. A legislative
ment and act upon the emotions and inn
pulses which govern religious and beneficiary
associations. The money which they appro-
pirate belongs not to them but to the people.
They arc merely executing delegated trLst,
and are supposed TO act within certain pre-
scr.bed limitations, beyond which they ought
not to go. The dispensing of aims not being
one Of the duties imposed by law or provided
for in State constitutions or city charters. it
Is question whether Legislatures or City
Councils have any right to make appropra-
tons to orphan asyluns and kindred ins titu-
tons. The only warrant that can be found
for such legislation is derived from the broad
principle that places the peace Of the State
above all other considerations. These schools
are considered as instruments by which crime
Is repressed, and the children of the vicious,
as well as the homeless orphan, are pre-
vented from growing into criminals.
The twelve persons who protest against
an appropriation to the "Shelter for Colorcd
Orphans" do not base their opposition upon
any grounds of public policy. A personal
dislike to colOrcd children is the burden of
their complaint. They do not ask that APP
propriations be withheld from ''St. Mary's
Industrial School," or the "IIome Of the
Friendless," Or the Baltimore Orphan Asy-
lum." These institutions care for white
children alone, and they are therefore not
obnoxious to the memoiialists. But they
cannot endure an asylum for children. On
the ID Of July, 1868, there was great mob
OF inturiated men in New York city who had
prejudlces against institutions of this kind,
so they went from street to street and set
fire to them. These petitioners do not want
to kill and burn-they only propose to starve
them out.
Let us look at the pitful reasons set forth
in this extraordinary petition. First, it is
charged that the trustees owned and occu-
pied house on East Fayette street, and,
having sold the same, removed thcrefrom
Now weshould like to know whether the es-
timable ladies and gentlemen who manage
this institution are not to be allowed to de-
eide as to where it shall DC located, and how
1t shall be conducted. If they found the
house in East Fayctte street to be inconve-
nient, badly planned, unhealthy, and not at
all adapted to the purpose for which it was
used, were they bound to consult twelve ofti-
cious denizens Of Bddle street before they
dared to seek another location? Were they
bound to set up their "Sheter for Colored
Orphans" at such place as might be pleasing
to these memorialists: Who appointed them
q committee to select a site for an institution
Tor which no one OF them did, or ever will
c Contribute penny?
In the second place, they arrogate to them
selves the functions of grand Jury, and pro
nounce the ''Shelter for Colored Orphans" a
nuisance, principally because it is a shelter
for colored orphans. The fastidous me-
moriaiists cannot endure the presence of an
asylum that admits colorcd children into its
wards. In their opinion. orphans of African
descent have no right to any such tender
treatment. In addition to the fact that these
children are cOlored, the memoriaists charge
that they are "unruly and dirty" Mrs. W.
X. Carson. Mrs. Alexander Turnbull, Miss
Pancoast, Mr.. Isaac Brooks, Jr., Mr.. Henry
W. Drakeley, Mr.. Francis Il. King, Mr.. T.
u. Anderson, Mr.. Galloway Cheston, and
DR.. James Carey Thomas declare this asser-
ton to be absolutely false, and they invite
the hostile memorialists and all other per-
sons to visit the institution at any time and
to judge for themselves. When a question
OF veracity Is raised between the memorial
lists and the persons we have named (who
are the officers and trustees Of the Asylum)
the public will have no difficulty in deciding
whom to believe. We have not visited the
"Shelter' since its removal to Biddle street,
but whilo 1t was on East Fayette street we
can personally testify that the children were
discipline was excellent. We doubt whether
any, OF the memorialists keep better order in
their own houses than was maintained at the
shelter for Colored Orphans"
We know nothing about the sum asked for,
and we can therefore make no reply to the
Mird objection to the appropriation men.
toned by tho twelve petitioners, namely:
that the amount is out of all proportion TO
the persons pretended to be benefited"
But TO the fourth objection the managers
have given an answer that ought to make the
cheeks Of the memorialists tinglc with shame,
ii they arc capable Of any such emotion.
They charge that " the children in the Asy-
lum are being brought up in idleness, and
educated to become worse than useless men,
bers OF society; that a number Of them are
old enough to he bound to service, but are
still retained In tho Asylum as objects of
charity" To this tho managers reply: "Of
the thirty children in the Shelter nearly all
have been received the present year-the
greater number arc under six years of age,
three only are over ten, and one Is nearly
fourteen. These four do nearly all the house.
work. They help to wash, to iron, and to
scrub. Only one colored woman Is employed
in the house to work and help in this large
family. The matron and her sister teach the
children 10 school, nurse them in sickness,
make nearly all the clothing, and keep the
house 10 more than common cleanliness. The
children are placed out as soon as ft for
service. Quite number during the past
year have found homes, where we trust they
will grow up to be useful men and women.