The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-08-30
Motives and Policies.

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in an equal degree. We regard the policy
involved in that resolution as directly
tending to an impairment of the useful
ness of the colored schools, and eventually
to their destruction. We believe that the
white people of Virginia have a serious
and imperative duty to perform in respect
to this matter-a duty they should not
shrink from-one that should not be I'M
derestimated, or considered in any lesser
light than that of philanthropy and chris
tian civilization. 1t is known not only to
the white people of Virginia, but to the
colored people, that the condition in which
the colored people were found when their
freedom was declared was not of their
choice that they were the victims of adebas-
ing slavery and restrictive laws which pre-
cluded their mental and moral advance
ment For centuries they had been re-
garded as chattels, and classed more with
the brute creation than with intelligent,
sentient beings, with minds and souls to
improve and expand. Their condition
and the laws enacted affecting that condi-
ton. were repressive, cruel and unchris-
tian. They were invited to no mental
training. The school house was closed to
them. The statutory provisions of the
State forbid either their moral or mental
improvement. They had no business expe-
rience and schooling and the fact that they
had been born with soul and mind was not
recognized in ourslaws,or considered in the
political economy of the State. They were
classed as property.-treated as property,
as general rule. Even the marital rela-
ton, the most sacred of our social organ
ism, was not regarded as binding as to
them and hedged about with the sanctl-
ties which the institution of the marriage
| imposes. They were the 'hewers of wood
and drawers of water"-the wealth Great
| ing class of community, with no legal right
or power to appropriate the results of the
sweat of their own brow to their improve
| ment in any sense. Under these condi.
tions it'could not be expected that in the
short space of little more than decade
since the school house was opened to
them, they would be prepared to take
charge of and successfully manage great
educational system, exclusively under theil
control 1t would be an anomaly if they
could. Even the Bourbon party, with all
of its boosted enlightenment and intelli-
gence-its civilization and wealth-aftel
eight years of trial, utterly failed to meet
| the demands of the public schools, and
had so impoverished and demoralized the
/ school interests, that they were threat
ened with destruction under it's admins
| tration. Not until that insOlent faction
was driven from power by an indignant
| and outraged people, and the schools res
| cued from their ruinous control, did the
children of the State begin to realize their
beneficent results.
| With thisexperience and this undeniable
| fact staring them in the face and rising
before them as an accusing spirit, the
| Bourbons had the impudence, in their
| Lynchburg Convention, to demand that
| the colored schools of the State should be
| placed exclusively under the control of the
| colored people, and that two separate sys-
TENS be instituted solely because of a
| cruel, barbarous and uncivilized race
prejudice. 1t was not that they wanted
| to see the children of the former slaves OF
Virginia have the mental training and in
struction to fit them for the duties of cit
izenship-not that they wanted the public
| schools to prove benefactiOn to them
not that they wished to witness the men,
| tai and moral advancement of the colOred
race, that this resolution was adopted
but that the race issue might be drawn
in more distinct and marked manner
than it had been before, although it might
| result in the destruction of the cOlored
| schools in the State That resolution
was conceived in vicious and vindictive
spirit. 1t represents the vilest partizan-
ism and is presented as means to inflame
| the passions of the people and arouse a
bitter race prejudice, in the hope of gain
| ing political power. There is no kindly
consideration for the cOlored race-nO
high motive as it relates to the welfare
of the State-no patriotic ambition that
prompted in its adoption, and down in
their consciences the delegates to that Con-
vention know it.
We are opposed to the policy indicated
in that resolution for the reason that we
do not believe that the colored people are
prepared to successfully manage the col
ored schools under separate and distinct
organization. We have assigned the rea-
sons for this belief in the above paragraphs.
Is there any honest man, honestly speak
ing, who will gainsay it y If this be the
truth, could more cruel and harmful reso-
luton be presented to the people of Vir-
ginia for their adoption than that an
nounced at Lynchburg and issued as the
reflection of the wisdom of the Bourbons
of Virginia
We want to see the public schools prove
blessing to the whites and blacks of the
State. We want to see the colored peo-
pie advanced to the control of the co1ored
schools as fast as their qualifications will
admit. Until they have had ample time
and opportunity to qualify themselves, as
a race.for this important and serious duty,
we want to see the white people give all
the assistance in their power, by counsel,
advice and example, in making the COL
ored schools what they should be, and
contributing to the efficiency and per-
lection of the school system. We there
fore favor the policy that is indicated in
the present management-the appoint
ment of colored trustees where the inter-
est of the colored schools may Be subserved
by it, and the appointment of colored
teachers for colored schools, where they
are qualified for the duties thus imposed.
We oppose the policy distinctly outlined
in the Bourbon resolution, of adopting two
school systems-even if the spirit of the
law admitted thunder separate race man.
agement, for the reason that it would be
the first step towards the destruction of
the colOred schools, and an insiduous
method Of subscribing the wishes of the
opponents of the public school system.
These views are presented as comment
on the article in the Dispatch of the 25th.
1t will be seen from them that the VIR-
GINIAN and the Dispatch regard the school
nd ho