Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-24
NEGRO EQUALITY rNrHksUifooLv.

For long years past Connecticut has
maintained mixed schools, the public
sentiment and law alike forbid6ing arg
exclusion on account Of race or color.
With the exception of two or three sep
arate schools, maintained ON a liberal
basis satisfactory to all, the races Mix
freely throughout the State educational
system. and negroes are often seen ii
the high schools ard academies. There
are three blscbs in Yale College, one of
whoa graduates this year. Notwith-
standing all this the Secretary of the
State Board OF Education ssys in his
recent report; The pride and indie
pendenoe Of the people would oppose
Congressional dictati1n on this subject.
They are jealous of their Just Stats
rights. AS one interested sn the edu-
cation Of the eoiored people, being a
trustee in the Hampton school, in Yir-
ginia, and having inspected many other
colored schools in the South. ] should
regret the passage Ct the Civil Rights
bill Ii would destroy the free school
system of the South, and prove most
disastrous 10 the colored people them
selves"
In proof Of this the secretary cites
the experience Of North Carolina,
where the fanaticism of Radicalism hae
attempted to force State system of
mixed schools. the result being that
while the whites literally support pri-
vate schools, the negroes have no
means of education whatever This
black mass Of helpless ignorance makes
the old North State figure in the Gen.
sus as the most illiterate in the Union.
Her Tennessee offspring well under.
stand what a gross libel this is on the
dominant race Of oar mother State.
The Connecticut Secretary next re-
fers to the adjoining State of Virginia
| which lost far more than her share ei
the three thousand millions Of proper.
ty destroyed in the South by the war
an aggecate amount, notes the secre-
tary, larger than all the property OF
New England" In Virginia, however
wise counsels prevailed, and there has
been no attempt TO force mixture Of
the races. As a consequence, a widely
ramifed common school system hat
grown up in the past four years
worthy of being termed al
extraordinary work for so short
period Separate schools are provi
ded for the blacks, and no complain
was ever heard TIL desperate Radical
ism threw this fresh fire brand of civi
rights into the Southern field. Tn
Connecticut School Secretary conclude
that this bill would make the Who'll
school system insufferably cdiuus il
this latitude, and intensity the rae
prejudice already existing, in lieu o
allaying it. Prejudices are more dee
rooted than opinions. Argument ma
change the latter, but cannot affect th
former, because prejudice is unreasor
ing, no matter how unreasOnabl,
Social aifinities or antagOnisms, whett
er the result of spiritual, moral, int
lectyal or physical laws, cannot be CT,
ated or annulled by civil statute
: Hitherto in this country, public schoo
have been organized exclusively und'
State laws and local management
Created by the State, they are subie'
e to no outside control. Their usefulne
t and efficacy must always depend upc
the interests and cooperation of Il
people. In every town or distriC
= their condition must answer TO loo
> public sentiment. They cannot be il
Z ported. and forced upon any commuT
ty. They must grow up with tho pc
u pie and be sustained by them and f
e them.