Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1877-12-07

TON, THE SOUTH WILL RULE IT"
Mr.. J. Il. Beadle, correspondent Of
the Cincinnati Gazette, with whom We
spent some time in the public schools
Of our city, last Friday, wrote a very
interesting letter TO his paper from this
place, under date Of November 23l,
from which the following extracts
possess a local and general interest:
vIcKsBURG
is the worst stuck up place pve seen lor
some time. As the train I'M In | thought
all the time we were just entering a tun-
mel, and, though without baggage,
l gladly gave 4 darky a quarter to help me
up TO the Lamadrid House. II one goes
to the rear Of hotel, he is confronted by
q clay bank; II to the front, he is at the
head OF three pairs OF stairs which lead
down 10 the top OF the hill, whence there
Is a gentle slope OF about hVe feet In four
to the river, The city formerly had river
navigation; now 1t has lake navigation.
The difference is important In this anoma-
lOus country. The river once ran around
like an inverted L, setting hard against
the bluffs; here lately 1t has broken across
the point, and now steamers turn below
and come up to the city. The question OF
tho hour Is evil she shOal up" ! hope
she won't, but Pm half afraid she will.
Ifshe does, Vicksburg will have TO move a
little ways down stream, and that's all
there 10 about that. Ny mission here Is OF
a character most unwarlike, and | have
spent the entire day in
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Of VIcksburg, both white and colored, and
with tho hAppiest results. The law oil
Mississippi makes no distinction whatever
between the races, but In practice the
whites necessarily get q little ahead. Let
us begin with statistics: The population OF
Nicksburg is now set down at l2,4i3, d.
yided thus: white, 0,63s; colored, O,Sl0
hut the city limits have been reduced
since this census was taken, cutting Of a
district In which blacks were numerous,
and II Is barely possible the whites are In a
majority In the city proper. For last month
month the scholars were 591; the colored,
4i4 Daily average attendance OF whites,
500; OF cOlOred, 800. Total percentage Of
attendance. SS{. At least four-fiihs II the
colored children arc Of mixed blood. From
thess figures we learn three facts: that the
whites patrOnize the schools much neltcr
than the colOred; that the lighter cOl0red
are more prompt han the pure blacks, and
that the common schools do not contain
more than half the total population OF
school age. COlored schools are all taught
by c0lOred teachers-nOminally colored,
though sOme are white as the average
kuckeJe. or these, several were educated
at Uberlin; others In New York, and one or
two in the South. am under great Obliga-
tlons TO Hon. L. K. Bent, superintendent
Public Instruction for this county, for us
sistanCe In my researches. He ~ a Michi.
gan man, was appointed here In 1872 by
the Republicans, and afterwards reap
/ rntnRad -hs eha iYaFnn,raNa n URatRt-tnK Ia
stance OF civil service reform, viz: keep.
ing a good man when you get him, OBJ
served that the "run" Of the schools was
somewhat old fashioned, particularly the
"spelling match" between the buys and
girls (whiie) OF the highest intermediate
dcpaItl ent. All was worthy OF praise
except the 'urder.' That wouldn't pass
muster elsewhere. Tue racket was lrclt
| was particularly struck win the general
hcalthiulness Of the children; the girls IS.
p~ecially looked blooming and gay, enough
20 to delight a parents heart. For two
years past there have been but four deaths
ut Of all the sch0Ols, one Of them OF u boy
who was drowned. The teachers attribute
the good health 10 the system Of 81 mnas'
tics (CalGsth, Gics: pursued; Tor that Is
hese carried Ia Il perfection ! have never
witnessed Elsewhere. The exercises oi
the girls Misses from ten IT, fourteen.
were a pleasing sight. Each carried u
pair u wooden uumb bells. Theft motions
were accompanied by music on on organ.
and sometimes by songs; and when IL wa
over the glowing cheeks and hrigh euet
eyes showed that they would rctUrn Il
study with n fresh supply VI Erst-c'ass rec
cOrpusclcs for the brain. Let not THIS
minutiT be despised. The invalid scnuiaI
knows too well what 1t IL TO lack gGOl
blood TO sustain u good brain, and ! uus
the coming generation may aY i'd the grea
error OF the last-a cultivation too oXclu
sively mental. Ia the Col0rcd schuu's tlt
progress is about average. 1t appears I
he admitted By all that the Young negia
though be learns ever b. rapidly at list
soon reaches u pOin; beyond which hi
prDgress,is a drag But II there be II wa,
uut Of this present trouble the Missi,sip
plans will lind Il. Here In these school
arc growing up u generation OF wIitcs tina
never owned slaves, and q generation 0
[ blacks that never were slaves; and IN
!. very few years the will possess the !aGl
And this leads me on 70 present
Z SOME MORE POLITICAL CONCLUSIONS
suppose everybody Is agreed by thiI
time that under uur Constitutional sys
tenn one section Ut the country can no
very well be governed by another, by
7 series OF gen raj orders. In some inrm OF
ulutI hlHalbhiIVl must EHNtIH LtIstll, ]
she Is to be decently governed. The veX
ed question Of National as against StatI
sovereignty, | shall not now attempt L
decide. Practically, II Ia settled that
while the nation Is sovereign, the state Il
endowed with plenary power as 10 inter
nal police. II further appears that there
can be no difference between States. Au
tOnomy Is secured 10 each.
Again, II must be seltevident to al
, NOrtherners, except, perhaps, Wendell
i Phillips, that the late slave class are ignO
rant, tlmid, and somewhat improyldent
4 II this were not so, then would the teach
! ings Of all his OTy be reversed II slaver'
. had any other effect, II 1t made wOmeI
chas'e and nc vice, honest and temper
ate, then we should oil go on the auction
+ block ut once. Mrs. Stoves "Uncll
Tom" was very rare specimen. "Dred'
and "Gassy" are more like the man AM
woman slavery would be apt to produce
That the backs. II race lines are ale,
: rurty lines shO I'D organize bad Govern
ment Is as inevitable as that rank weed
; should grow on a rlch an uncult vatet
{ soil, aud that the whites should : kick' /
q equally natural. or course they rebelleI
as soon as they got strong enough. sur
|, pose any smart man can cit down In
study up North, and prove c~oncluslvel,
3 that the majority ought 10 govern, Blu
when you get here the majority can't gov
ern, and that's the end OF the argument
/ What then? Some say we must help th
: local majority to govern, no matter II 1t /
/ blacks. And this military govern