Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-04
Mixed Schools. DC.

To the Editor Of THE Evr:;ISG STAR:
Your correspondent. "Colored Man." in his
article of the 2Sth July fails to yindicate his
claim to frankness. In the actual condition of
public sentiment it is quite easy for him to
alarm white people By shouting ''miXcd
schools, and coored people by the Cry 1.-The
colored teachers must go!' But where are the
facts to justify either alarm? There have never
been any mixed schools in tho District; there
are none proposed; the school rules do not re-
cOgniAe them; no trustee has ever offered a
resolution in their favor; the Commissioners
are opposed to them; so are most OF the white
people, to put it gently; and 'Coiored Man.
seems to think it the duty of co!ored people to
60 INTO spasIns at the bare mention of them.
Why. then, does he try to scare us by flourish
ing this raw head and bloody bonesi
And as to disnissng the colored teachers for
colOrcd schools, there Is no danger of it, Before
1874 while there was. a separate board for col
ofed schools some white teachers were en-
ployed in them. Since that time; that is since
white trustees have had two-tlirds majority
in the board. the steady policy has been pur-
sued OF employing cOlored teachers whenever
competent ones can be found: so that now
there Is but single teacher of the condemned
tint. In the county cOlored schools, governed
by the white superintendent and having white
supervising principal, there is not single white
teacher. What ground. then. has .'Coored
Man for his attempt to get up d panic among
colorcd people?
He asks il propose ''to change this (exist-
ing) state of things" I answer no; it suits me
better than it does him. He asks, too. if pro-
pose to Impose upon the colOred schools as
managers DeOpe of another racer" / answer
Yes What has made cOored people SO
grand that nobody can be in authority over
them except one Of their own race l. native,
am governed. in various ways. by SCotchmen,
Irlshmcn and Negroes. with a big n If l do
wrong may be arrested bya col0red policeman,
bound over 10y Yankee Judge. sent to jail by
all Egyptian. indicted by grand jury and tried
by petty jury of mixed nationaiities, before q
Scotch judge. And l send nv children to
schools governed in part by coiored trustees.
''C0lored Man must not ride too high a horse.
What ':ColOred Man. is really after Is sssep-
arate OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES is, separate board.
He would break down the present system.
From the vicious way he lashes out against per-
sons OF mixed blood. he may want board for
the pure blacks. Why not have third one tor
the mHattOes and quadroons? And fourth
for the Jews! And q fifth for the Irish ? And
80 on for each nationality. II a board is an s.ed-
ucationai force" as he says 1t is as good for one
race as another. On the same principle we
might have separate courts. police systems.
Commissioners, and gas, water and sewer ar.
rangements. Everybody could then have an
once and be educated to public business! Such
education is too costly for the public purse.
The unity of the board, accomplished in 1874
was step forward. What there is good in the
publ!c schools has been promoted; what good
remains to be done in them depends upon Keen
Ing them In close comparison with the white
schools aud up to the same standards Sepa-
ration would be decay. What is wanted is good
character and scholarship among the trustees.
without regard TO color. These are my views.
WHITE MAN,