New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-11
The CIVIL.RIGHTS BILL,
Another Better from Ma. Conway.
Mixed Schools In the Light of Experience
Authorities on the subjeet-The Negro
Viewed from Various StandpoInts
he Editor Of the Ne,o National Era

SIR: Thanking you for the space so gen
to the Republican, on the Civl-Rights Bill
l come with another plea on the same sub
ject.
Our neighbOr and fellow citizen with blacl
skin has been knocking at the door of Jus
tice so long already, that the delay in open,
ing it to him is one of the most ASTONISHING
signs Of the times.
In my letter of last week l gave my OWE
experience with mixed schools, during near.
ly five years, in the State of louisiana This
| can reproduce by stating three simple prop
ositions, viz.
1. The law of Louisiana provided that the
schools should be as free to the colored as to
the white children.
| III. The Democrats of The State, and some
of the Republicans, asserted that the law, if
enforced, would destroy the public schools.
| III. The law ras enforced the schools
were not even injured, and at the close of my
term of office, the State had five times as
many public free schools as it ever had before
under the superintcndency of any of my
predecessors.
In this letter wish to republish the testi-
mony OF other educators, who, in their time,
have had to meet the same question now
raised by the opponents Of the Civil-Righ1s
Bill. In another letter l will give the opin-
ions of leading Southerners as to the good
and kindly nature of the negro, and as to
! his possession of those qualities which are
calculated to make him rs a public school
pupil submissive to authority, and generally
| as dccorous as his white schoolmates, neigh
bors and playtellows.
l. TESTIMONY ON TIE QUESTION OF MINED
SCHOOLS.
a. New Or'eans:: The Board of School
Directors, in report written by Rev. William
Robinson, its secretary, in 1871. and trans
united to the State Board of Education bv
Judge Henry c. Dibble, chairman of the
Board, says: "The requirements of the
school law have been faithfully observed by
the Board, and no case has come to their
knowledge of the exclusion of a pupil on ac-
| count of race, color, or previous condition.
Nor has tbs strict adherence to tie lap been attend
edGyony crMe m!faeoraJle results so freely pre-
| dirted, IN adeance Of tie honest trial Of an i'm
partial system Of education. AS a general
thing. pupils have preferred to attend at
| schools where their associates are of their
own race, but in the instances where, under
the action Of the schools have, to some ex-
tent become mixed schools, no digicuUy is ca
DPl1PDcpH n cchnn1 uyha
passionate impulse of the moment, the whole
number of white children was withdrawn be-
cause OF the admission of colored pupils, they
have returned to their places, and the school
is proceeding tremendously.
CD The TMrd Congressional District Of
Lo"isiana Rev. Il. *. Diossy, in his annual
report for 1871, says: "The subject of
mixed schools has in no wise embarrassed
my work; there is no question about race or
| color. In some localities the children of
both .colors attend school in common, and
sometimes eolored teachers have in their
schools numbers of white Children"
have given the testimony Of the School
Board of New Orleans and Of the Division
Superintendent for the Third Congressional
District of Louisiana, because these will in
dictate what may be considered the effects of
| the operation of the free-schoOl feature of
the Civil Rights Bill in the towns, cities,
and rural districts of the South. NV own
| experience as State Superintendent, is eX-
pressed in the propositions named above.
ALLOW me now to state as briefly as possible,
the experience of others on the same ques-
| ton:
(3.) Boston,: Hon. John ID. Philbrick,
superintendent Of the public schools of Bos-
ton, says as to mixed schools which had then
at the time of his writing, just come into ex-
istence: Perhaps the most material re-
suit to be Gscertained is that which has been
produced III respect to the attendance of the
two classes affected by the change. Ooston
chan:el from caste schools to free public
schools in lSjj.) If the attendance of colored
children is better than under the former ar
rangement, then it would be fair to conclude
that the change has been benefit to that
class. 1T, on the other hand, the attendance
Of white children has not, by the change,
been diminished, it will be reasona bly, inferred
that no serious injury has resulted to that
class. l have visited two schools which en-
brace most of the cOlorcd children who
attend the Grammar schools of the city,
took occasion to inquire of the masters and
some of the other teachers of these schools
respecting the effect Of the introduction into
their classes, of colored children. The reply
was: No evil effect has been experienced.
In other Grammar schools, where few
colored children were found, similar inquiries
were made and similar replies received. Nc
one complains that white children have been
withdrawn or kept from school because of the
admission of colOred pupils, or that any sort
OF difficulty had been encountered in bring
ing together in the same school-room chill
drcn of different colors. With my present
information on the subject, have no hesita.
ton in saying that, in my Judgment, the
cOlorcd schools of Boston were not disband
cd too sOOn."
| a. Worcester, Mass: The School Com.
mittee, speaking ofthe abolition of the colored
school in that city, says: ''The older colored
children in the separate school, have com.
pared unfavorably with the colored children
of the same age in other schools, simply fol
the want of the stimulus of com,paniOnshi,
in their studies.
(5.) Cambridge, Mass. The report OF
the School Committee says: "In the Broad
way school a singular fact was noticed, viz.
| ho If j; ~