The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-07-10

meeting OF the City School Board was
held Yesterday evening-PresideDt CARING
ton in the chair; Mr. A. Moses, secretary.
Present: Messrs. Scott, straus. Knight,
Courtney. Wexford, Rady, Moore, and Su.
periniendent Peay.
DR.. $. p. Moore, chairman OF the special
committee on additional school accommOda-
tions, reported that they had purchased a
lot on Marshall street near Hancock street
for 81, $50, aud contracted to build brick
school. house with twelve rooms, &c.
The report was adopted.
The building will cost land lott S10.500.
Upon the further recommendation OF the
committee the. Valley School was ordered 10
be improved by adding four more rooms,
and the contract was awarded to Messrs.
Sadler Il Wright at $3.50. Other pro-
posed improvements are in contemplation,
and the committee has been vested with
power 10 act.
at the meeting OF The School Board on
the 18th OF June the following petition OF
colored citizens was read AID referred TO
special committee consisting OF DR.. Moore,
Colonel Knight. and Mr.. Straus:
RICHMOND, Va, June. 1880.
10 the Honorable Members Of the Public
School Board Of The city Of Richmond:
Gentlemen We are delegation APP
pointed to bear you message from the
c0ored citizens OF Richmond; which mes
sage is embodied in the following preamble
and resolutions:
Whereas we have a large number OF un-
employed graduates OF the coloied Normal
and High Schools OF this city, who are
fully capable OF teaching successfully in
our public schools; and whereas the system
OF excluding cOlored teachers from colored
schools for the sole purpose OF employing
white teachers in their stead, practiced in
this city for the last ten years or more, has
in many instances been the remote cause
OF the premature death OF young and ta-
Tented eOlOred teachers, who died, as their
| friends say, from the bardshlps and expo
sures Of rural school life; and whereas we
do hereby guarantee, il allowed to do so,
| TO I'LL all our coOred schools with cOmpe-
tent cOlored teachers; and whereas the
course Of instruction in our cOlored schools,
unlike that in the white. is incomplete In
ITS grades, and not full in its studies; there
! fore be II
Resolued. That we, the colored citizens
and taxpayers OF Richmond, in mass-meet-
ing assembled, do most respectfully petition
your honorable board to appoint colored
teachers in all cOlOred public schools OF this
city and to raise the grade Of the same 10 a
level with that OF the white schools.
In advocacy OF the foregoing petition we
desire 10 be allowed to offer few remarks.
II matter OF fact, well known 10 you
all. that moral and intellectual altanments
| OF high order have hitherto failed TO secure
for colored persons positions as teachers OF
colored youths in any Of the public schools
OF this city except those at Navy Hi.l.
On the simple ground OF their ccor,
graduates Of tho coloreG Normal school
have hitherto been rigidy and persi'tently
denied the privilege OF teaching negro chill
dren ut the Baker-Street, the Valley, and
other colOred schools OF this city, though
holding certificates from you. which state
that they are qualified to teach in the public
-chOOls OF this state.
Is il lust in the sight OF God and human
ity 10 treat Us thus ? We cannot think so !;
and knowing that, sooner or later by you
or bv Others chosen TO fill your places, this
wrong must be corrected, we come to you
TO-DAY, instructed by mass-meeting oil
cOloreh citizens held in this city, at EOe-
nezer Baptist church, on the 2lst instant,
TO ask that coOred teachers he appointed 10
all our coOred pubic schools, and that the
course Of instruction be perfected in the
same. That this demand Is reasonable Is
very evident.
First Ii has been clearly demonstrated
in the city OF Richmond and elsewhere that
cOtOred teachers can more successfully ana
SafiSfdctOriiu discipline and instruct co.
Lored schools than lchite teachers can. For
the tru.hfuness of this statement YOU have
only to consult your own published reports.
The ninth annual report OF the School
Board and Superintendent Of Public Schools
Of the city OF Richmond for the year 1877
rs, the last report yet printed. contains
some interesting figures. Those that indi-
cate attainment in scholarship are especially
worthy OF careful perusal. Let one SIT
down and read over these figures, then
taking each group of schools separately,
add the figures which exhibit the results OF
the intermediate and final examinations re-.
spectiyely. and in each case let The sum OBJ
tained be divided by two, that the average
percentage OF each group OF schools may be
known for the entire year, and you have
the following table:
Average percentage OF schools by groups
for the scholastic year lS77'1S:
White STANDARDIZATION, 50 per cent. !;
Clay, 70 per cent. d; Leigh, 1915 per cent. !;
Central, 78 per cent. Bethel, 19.1 per cent; /;
Bellevue, II per cent.
| Colored Schools Valley. 7S.5 per cent. :;
Baker, 72.75 per cent; Navy Hill, 1915 per
cent.
From these figures it is evident that the
Navy Hill group OF schools, The only schools
in the city where the teachers are coloied,
attained the highest percentage for scholar.
skip OF all the cOlOred schools OF the city OF
Richmond, and excelled in scholarship the
following groups OF uhite schOOls-viz: :
Clay, Central, Bethel and Bellevue.
No less interesting are figures OF The
aforementioned report relative 10 attend
snce. The report shows that in per cent.
OF attendance the Navy Hill schools eX-
ceIed all other public schools OF the city OF
Richmond, both white and cOlored. having
attained the remarkably good standard OF
97.2 per cent.
So much for the facts OF the report rea.
tive to excellence in scholarship and pune
tuality and regularity in attendance. Now
for the differences.
In the first place, we conclude that al
though our cOlored teachers do not receive
As much institute training and obstruction
as their airer-compleXloned co-iaoorers, YET
| because OF their identity with the negro
race, their lofty aspirations, their social IN
! nuencc, their winning and patient love TOT
the youth they instruct, and their untlrIh&
efforts both in and ont OF school to elevate
and ennoble the dark millions OF the Soulh.
coiored teachers succeed better in colored
schools than do white teachers.
In the second place the Inference II uD'
ayoidable that the colored teachers oil the
city OF Richmond compare fayoraDiy win
her white teachers, and their schools suffer
nothing by comparison in discipline and IN
struction.
Isit, then, 10 the best interest OF the pub.
lie school system and Just TO the colored
| race 70 denriYe Us OF the privilege Of teach.