Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-06-22
THE HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT.
A Correspondent Who Offers Some sugges-
lions and Makes Some Criticisms.

To the Eaior Of he Regisssr.
SIR: Inasmuch as the action of the city
Superintendent in admitting pupils from
the colored school to the graduating class
of our public schools has, by 3 decided vote.
received the endorsement and approval OF
the Board of Education at It's last meeting.
and as such action is an innovation upon
all past practices. and believed to be direct
" counter to the law upon the subject IN
its letter and spirit, it becomes little inter
estipg to forecast the probable action OF the
Board, when. it shall be called upon to deal
with other matters of similar import and
bearing likely to arise in the near future.
Having refused BY decisive vote to dtaW
the color line in the senior or graduating
classes, it is safe TO assume that the Board
as it is now constituted; will fud little
difficulty when occasion offers IN
effsciDg the color mark in the
intermediate and primary classes as well
Indeed, ifthe recent action of the Board In
this regard can be sustained, there Is no
good reason why there should be any dts
elimination on account Of color in any OF
the departments. On the contrary there
may be many and excellent reasons why
the Board if sustained BY public sentiment
should be excused if not justified in ignor-
ing the law as they have done. Not to
mention others, as for instance the breaking
up OF unreasonable race prejudice, ETC.,
etc, there is the argument of economy
one Just now Of great moment to our tax
payers. Why keep up the wholly useless
burden and expense Of separate estab
lishment? If all can be brough together
harmoniously and satisfactorily, by all
means let US do away with separate teachers
and principal for the colored school and
throw all white and colored pupils together.
The first step in this direction has been
taken. The second is now in contempla-
ton, and, no doubt, will soon follow the
first. 1t is, briefly, to build $4,000
school house in some central locality, to be
occupied as a high school. All on the
score Of economy, mark you. 1t costs, per
DR.. Jepson's estimate, which he says has
been submitted to several experts who have
not it appears, been able to discover any
flaw or vulnerable point even in the solid
array Of fact and statement in his great
and exhaustive argument in support OF the
scheme-it costs about $50 a head per an.
mum, to pass pupils through the grammar
schools Of the city. A pretty good price to
pay, by the way, when the fact is taken into
consideration that the parents of
fully seventy-fve per cent. of the chill.
dren attending the grammar departments
of the various schools are abundantly able
to provide out Of their own means for their
education.
The project then is to bring all the gram.
mar schools together into one new 100000
building. Here we have consolidation and
miscegenation. But then we have economy
also. An annual saving Of Sc, 900 or 1000
which must not be lost sight Of
Eut to pursue this matter no further. 1t
must be evident that the Board is prepared
to 60 as far as the farthest in the direction
they have apparently marked out for them
selves. This then being taken for granted,
does it not become at once q question OF
deep interest to parents, to that large and
worthy class of our citizens who
have been accustomed to send their
sons and daughters to the public
schools? To them the proper and
discreet management of our schools must
ever be an object of jealous care and con-
Germ. To them it is of infinitely more con-
sequence to know not what the Board has
done or may propose to do, for of that there
can be little uncertainty, but to know how
far and to what extent the Board will be
endorsed and its new departure sanctioned
By the scquiescence of the community,
colored as we'll as white. | use the word
colored sdvisedly, for there not particle Of
evidence going to show that the respec-
table colored element in our midst has even
been consulted, none whatever that the ar.
rangement proposed by our overzealols
members Of the Board meets with their
wishes. Ifthe alluriDg prospect of a close
and intimate association with the
whites held out to them by several
of our Christian societies has hitherto been
found unavailing to prevent their separate
church organization; it i5 just as likely
they may be found quite willing to torego
the advantages Of such association if such
advantages have to be purchased at no less
cost than the abandonment of their own
separate school establishments with teach.
ers and principals of their own color.
Poor WHITE"