Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-01
THE NEGRO IN THE SCHOOLS.
An Interesting Interview with the
State Superintendent Of Pub
lie instruction.
what He Thinks of the Action of the
Coiored state Convenfion-sumne
Civil Rights Biii Means Death 10
UBouuIar EdueaffGu.

civil rights bill and the action taken by the
Colored State Convention with regard TO
public schools. a representative of the
UNION AND AMERICAN called upon Col.
John NJ. Fleming, State Superintendent of
Public Instruction, last evening, and had
the following conversation with him:
Reporter-What do You think Of the
action of the Colored State Convention?
Supt. Upon the action of the Con-
vention, as affecting the general status Of
the colored race, or political parties in the
State, / have now n criticism TO make, but
will limit what have to say to the subject
over which, have official supervision. Leay-
ing out of view whatever opinions NAV en-
terrain concerning the ''civil rights bill' now
pending in Congress, and looking alone to
its necessary effect, if it becomes a law, up
on the public school interests of the State,
/ cannot regard the action of the Colored
Convention as other than hostile to the
public school system of Tennessee, and
really at war with the best interests of such
of the colored people as desire to give
their children the benefit of a COM
mon-school education. The Convention
seems to have proceeded upon the idea that
the colored children are denied school priv
lltEtS ullutl lllC law thdS atC bf
the white children. The truth is, the law
is absolutely impartial in its provisions, as
affecting the two races, The same school
age is prescribed for colored as for white
children; they are counted alike in the ap-
portionment of school moneys; they are
entitled to pursue the same studies; they
are subject to the same school officers and
to the same general school regulations,
and no special regulations are tolerated
that prefer the rights of one race to those of
the other. COlored people are eligible as
teachers, school directors, county superin-
tendents and State superintendent, just as
they are eligible to the civil offices of the
State or General Government. The only
distinction between the races recognized by
our school laws is in the mode Of organ
izing the children into schools. The Both
section Of the law is as follows:
Sec. 80. Be it further enacted, that the
public schools shall be FIRE to all persons
between the ages Of six and eighteen yeas,
residing within the school district, and in
special cases, those children residing in diff
ferent districts may be educated in school
under such regulations as NAV be pre-
scribed by the Directors Of the districts liz
tereSted; Provided, that white and cOlOred
persons shall not be taught in the same
school, but in separate schools under the
same general regulations as TO manage
ment, usefulness and efficiency.
So, you will observe, the public schools
are in reality free 10 all persons between
! the ages of six and eighteen years, and sub
| iect TO the same regulations, though the
| law, for the good of both races, provides
that white and colored persons shall not be
| taught in the same school, just as it might
| have provided, without impairing its iH-
| partiality, that males and females should
/ be taught in separate schools. So that,
strictly speaking, the law is absolutely IN
partial, for if it be complained that
! cOlored children are not permitted
| to enter the white schools, il
might with equal propriety and force b.
! complained that white children are not
permitted to enter the colored schools, as
| they are not. There are cOlored schools in
| some localities where the white children
are not sufficiently numerous to consti-
tute a school, and vet the law would moi
/ permit such white children TO attend the
| cOlOred schools. 1t is impossible TO so 10
cate the schools, al present, as 10 place
them within convenient reach of all the
children in every neighbOrhood in the
State, owing to the sparseness Of the popu.
latiOn in many sections. The conse
quence is, in some localities one race SUI.
fers; in others, the other-the colored the
more frequently, being the more
sparse. | mention this to show
that the only possible ground for complaint
is that the two races are kept separate IN
their schools, provision without which nc
| e enbn,ls xx-O,,l1 hat-a haa
adopted, and to strike out which would now
| speedily and utterly destroy the whole
| fabric. think, therefore, if the delegates
to the COlored Convention were really de
sirOus Of promoting the educational in
tereSts of their own race, they were eX-
ceedingly unfortunate in the selection Of a
mode to accomplish their end. The op
pOnents Of public schools in Tennessee
could have desired no more effective
auxiliary than that convention.
Rep.-How has the present school law
operated in regard to the colored people?
Supt. Far more satisfactorily than
had anticipated. When l first came into
Office l expected TO encounter much oppO-
sition en- the account of colored schools.
But, in the main, the people of the State
accepted the law with much cheerfulneSs
and a general disposition was mani
tested to give it a fair trial. The
school officers in the various counties have
generally executed the law with due regard
to the rights of both races, and but little
noticeable opposition has been made 10 the
organization of colored schools. The colored
people, too, seemed satisfied with the sepa-
rate school arrangement, many of them in
most parts of the State-in fact, nearly all
with whom have talked-haying assured
me that they preferred separate to mixed
schools. As a result of the operations OF
the law, may state that since it went into
effect, only thirteen months ago, 74j
colored schools have been organized in the
State, and out of colored scholastic pOpu-
lation Of 102, 900, as many as $1,000 chill
dren have attended the schools, being more
than 36per cent. The white enrolment is
a little over so per cent. of the white scho-
lastic population.
Rep.-You think, then, the passage of
the civil rights bill, with the school fea-
ture in it, would be disastrous to the pub
lie schools of the State?
Supt. F.-There can be no doubt of it.
For reasons that need not be argued and
that no one needs to learn from another,
mixed schools of white and black children
cannot prevail in Memphis. Were they or
dered by law they would not be attended;
and were they attended, the result would
be rather Juvenile war of races than a
profitable rivalry in studies. The people
cannot be brought to regard the schools
as merely civil organizations subject
only to political government; the school is
too close to the family circle not to be sub
ject, in great degree, to social laws and
influences. There are certain social incom-
patibilities and repulsions which neither
legislation nor judgments of courts can rec
oncile or destroy. These may be called
prejudices, but, as Senator b Ownlow well
said in his recent letter, these prejudiceS
are facts which no statesman
can ignore. Already, the detrimen-
tai effect of the proposition to in
clude public schools within the operation
of the civil rights bill has been severely
felt in Tennessee. The mere tendency of
the bill in Congress, with possibility OF
its passage, has begotten hurtful apprehen-
siOns. The county courts of quite a num-
Der of counties that last year levied addi-
tional school taxes, have this year either
deferred action OH the subject or referred
the matter to the people. School officers
throughout the State have been
| for some time uneasy and
distrIstful. have, myself, been, and still
am, in hesitation in regard to projected
measures ofSchool policy which an enforce
rff l.