, 1885-02-14
In NEW ORLEANS.
THE ATTENDANCE OF coLoREn
CHILDREN AT THE SCHOOLS
Exceedingly Anxious to Learn Up to a
Certain Point-Eneet of Education
Upon tho coiored Laborins
Mana Problem.


New Orleans Cor. Chicago Iimes.i
In passing through the streets OF New Or
leans the stranger is impressed by tho large
humber Of colored girls and boys whom he
secs going to and from th~eir-sahook. This
schools for colored children are very largely
attended in New Orleans, and, as a rule, the
pupils are said to b. quite proficient in tho
rudimsntary ranches They learn to read,
write, and do sums in arithmstic quite
readily, but worry few Of them. i am told,
exhibit any desire 70 climb the hill OF knowl-
edge much higher. They are exceedingly
anxious to learn-up 70 a certain point: but
when that point Is reached they consider
themselves fully Heducated,7 and, with rare
exceptions, are not ambitious to explore the
mysteries Of science or wrestle with the class
les But some Of these exceptions are really
notable. At the Leland university, an in
s~titution in the suburbs Of the city, which
has IN endowment out Of the Peabody fund,
there are a number OF attendants who have
become excellent classical scholars Ono OF
them-an old man Of 90 and quite black
who. ten years ago, could neither read nor
writa English, has not only acquired a good
knowledge OF that tongue. but has also
become highly proficient In Greek and Latin
i am told that he Is familiar with q wide
range Of classical literature, aud that he will
devote the remainder OF his life to the teach
Ing OF the dead languages.
Very few, indeed Of the rising colorsd gon-
tlemen in this city are growing up in abso-
Lutte illiteracy. The colored youth who can
not read tho daily newspaper. or write a lot
ter to his girl" finds himself a target for
the ridicule OF his associates. The desire
TO escape the reproach Of being an Ignorant
Niger leads many colored boys and girls to
study their readers and their spellsrs who
would otherwise neglect them, aud thus a
sense Of pride rather than a thirst for knowl-
edge induces them TO put forth efforts to
keep pace with their more eager and ambL
tious companions.
The little smnttering Of education which
most OF the coiored youth OF to-day are re-
ceiving In the city-on the plantations the
ringers" are not so forward-does not in all
cases. l Am told, AVE a tendency to increase
their Immediate usefulness to the com-
munity. There Is universal complaint to the
effect that few colored women under 30
make good servants. The old and the mid,
die aged-those who were born In slavery
and whose heads have not been turned by
shook larnin'"-are in great demand for
household work, because so / was told by a
New Orleans lady-they Hhmow their places"
understand their duties. and are not consumed
by adevouring ambition to shine in the world
OF society and Of letters The col ored female
who Is ~educated, " on the contrary, is prone to
look upon household service as somewhat
beneath her, and only accepts 1t as a dernier
resort. She Is not anxious TO excel In the
art Of cookery, or to gain a reputation as a
waiter or a chambermaid. She demands
special consideration from her EMPLOYER
upon the score OF her attainments and ac-
complishments. and her object in life is to
make a brilliant" matrimonial alliance, to
rise in the social scale. and to become the
H. - ---- L.
ton is very laudable, to be sure, and all that,
but IL Is exceedingly inconvenient to those
who are dependent upon her for their daily
rations
And SC. with the young colorsd men who
are graduates from the primary schools.
They do not care TO DO coachmen, or bar
bers, or whitewashers, or teamste1s, or por-
tiers, and only accept such employment un-
der the pressure OF dire necessity, and until
they can do something bettor. They wish to
be letter-carriors, or policeman, or bank
cashiers, or palace-car dignitariesl This
Is a laudablo ambition, but highly
inconyenient to the naughty Caucasian who
may employ one Of these scholarly per-
sonages in the capacity of team
ster, for instance, or a Whitewater.
"We like to see the colored men getting
along" said a former Shareholder to me
a day or two ago after he had been enumer-
ating some Of tho shortcomings OF the "odu-
Gated niggers7 when engaged In humble en-
Payments. ave like to SEQ them acquiring
knowledge and accommodating properly, and
displaying an ambition to rise in life. We
keep up their schools and help their churches
and try to Encourage them In all their efforts
to better their condition But, really, in so
doing, we seem to be destroying the sources
of supply for many departments OF labor,
and more especially OF female labor. The
problem which Is thus being raised really
promises to be a serious one, both for the
colored people and for the whites."