The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-08
sCANDALOUs.

The publication yesterday evening by the
Efcayuue of d lbtter addressed to the School
Board by FL. T. LAWYER. and read and dis.
Gussed In secret meeting OF that body, has
excited universal establishment and condemns
| ton. Whether the statements made In the
letter be true on false, they were not In thel1
| indefinite shape proper 10 be nude public, and
VIC do not believe that any decent newspaper
| III America could DO influenced TO print such q
letter. Indeed, we have seen nothing In years
80 well calculated to shock and outrage al
sense Of deeency and oil principles Of common
Justice.
An individual. noted rather for his bud tenn
per and cratic mind than for his reliability,
sends to the School Board communication
charging that a certain gentleman had said,
Tint among the lady tenchers In the Public
Schools there were twenty prostitutes, and
that more than one member Of the School
Board had improper relations with them.
There was no specified chargs. made; there
was nothing positive In the letter, and there
was nothing In the character Of the eccentric
author Of 1t 10 give 1t. weights The board very
properly discussed II In secret session and APP
pointed committee 10 ses the gentleman who
was charged with having made the statement.
Tho circumstances demanded this but com
mon deeeney required that the matter should
not DO made public until the charge was proved
to DO entirely false or the guilty women wefe
designated and singled out from the good.
The Picayrn.e, however. with the scent Of n
hyena and tho appetite Of n buzzard, followed
up and obtained copy Of this letter, and,
after committee Of tho School Board had
inquired into the matter and found no ground
OF action, made 1t public.
Had ii not been for the wonderful enterprise
OF the New Orleans hcap,tne, this seandalous
letter would never have seen the light Of day.
But the gentleman who was accused Of making
the charge against twenty Of tho female
teachers had used his influence to award the
city printing TO the DEMOCRAT few weeks
ago In preferences to the Pieaunte, and the
Iicanhnne In Its imbecility, blindness and want
bf true sense Of deeeney. thought, by the
publication Of this horfible letter. to injure him.
In It's eagerness, however, TO iniure proni-
nent Democrat the Ptcnn4ne has perpettated
an outrageous wrong upon every lady
engaged In tho public schools. It
has printed o letter containing an infamous
and indefinite charge. which the evil-minded
may apply TO any and every good and virtu-
GUS woman belonging to the present corps Of
Of teachers. So vague and terrible Is the
charge, and 30 easy Of application by bad
men to the best Of unprotected women, that 1t
Is not improbable that lbertines In
this city may take advantage of 1t TO
blaokrnail timid and vrtuous women.
Every true woman, not only In tho public
schools. but In Now Orleans and the State,
must feel ineensed ut this indecent and UNI
warantable outrage 1t would not DO so bad
II the charge affected men only. Men are
able to take care of themselves; but for d
public journal thus, for tho qualification OF
It's own miserable pique, to make a publica-
ton which may draw suspicion upon hum
dreds Of good and pure women, is simply
seandalUus.
As for the gentleman whom 1t was designed
to iniure, we Gun state that he entertans the
highest opinion Of the great mass of the ID
dies engaged in the schools and would sacri-
flee his life rather than asperse or In any way
injure any one Of them