St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-10-05
Education for the Negroes.
Prepared for the NJ o. Picayune By Dan1 Denre

Education for the Negroes.
Prepared for the " o. Pcayune By Danv bennett.
COLoRED TAXPAYERS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
In the redort of the commissioner of
education for 1886 7 we find the following
on page $50: "In 1856 1857, $3.50 were
disbursed for colored schsols in Kentucky,
of which s 6 per cent were from colored
taxpayers, and Ola per cent from white
taxpayers.
''That the people, says Superintendent
Picketts, in his report for 1886, which
should be considered rather as retrospect
of an important educational period, should
by their own act draw the revenue from
the white schools at SO large a rate each
successive year, to supplement the meager
sum contributed by the colored people, is
the most remarkable fact in the school
history of Kentucky. That it should all
be accomplished quietly and successfully
without interruption of the schools, lead
ing, at the same time, to a higher qualifi-
cation of teachers, because reunired, and
consequently to higher standard in. the
schools, makes this an era in her history"
According to the report of the commits
sioner of education for 1867 the school
population of the eighteen Southern
States and the district of Columbia was
whites, 1853, Col colored, 1929, Gil. Ex-
penditure for colored schools, about one
third, 1914 600; estimated that about
SO per cent of this is paid by colored tax
payers $494 1876; paid by Southern white
taxpayers for negro schools, So, 246, 274;
colored population of the Southern States
over 6,000,000 colored population of the
Northsrn States, $50, 900; colored schools
in the free States, 391 ; colored scholars
school age-in free States, 81, 125; the
average expenditure per capita in the pub
lie schools of the free States is between
$15 ana $50, at $1S, $500, $50; white pop
ulation of free States in 1880, 30, DOC, 900 !;
white population of Southern States, about
100000
The negro schools of the South cost
thirteen million Southern people ten
times as much as the negro schools of
the North cost thirty million Northern
people.
These calculations need changing from
year to year to keep pace with the increase
of population of both races North and
South. They differ materially in the re-
The five and quarter million dollars
payers to educate negro children, while
hundreds of thousands of white children
in the South are growing up without edu-
cation, is not all that the Southern negro
has to be thankful for. The following
statistics of Southern teachers in negro
public schools, higher schools, industrial
schools, colleges, etc, are from the report
of the commissioner of education for
1861:
Public Schools-Colored school popula-
ton 1929 Gil, teachers in the public
schools, IS, I'll.
Normal schools SO, teachers 405, pupils
report of 1884 1890.
Schools for Secondary Instruction (Which
tends largely to two courses, the classical
and the scientific)-Schools Al, teachers
252, pupils 1894.
Universities and colleges %, teachers 222,
pupils 3799.
Schools of.theology %, teachers 95, pu
pills $50.
Schools of law 4, teachers "a, pupils ISL.
Schools of medicine and pharmacy %,
teachers :, pupils 20S
ALI of the above schools and colleges are
in the Southern States there are not
colored schools of any kind in the North to
be of any interest in statistical infor
nation.
There are 661 colored schools in the free
States having an enrolment of 81, 142 (cen
sus of 1880.
In addition to the schools and colleges
and universities above noticed for the
negroes of the South, there are II indus
trial training schools with 50 instructors
and $50 male and 500 female students !;
16 903 volumes in libraries income $685.,
41S.
The South has also provided deaf and
dumb asylums, and asylums for the blind,
for lunatics and for feeble-minded negroes,
etc. Millions of dollars have been appro-
priated by Southern legislatures for COL
leges and other schools and institutions
for the colored race, not included in the
FIVE and quarter million dollars paid an
nualIy to educate negro children in the
public schools.
Ever since the war, now more than
quarter of century, Northern philanthro
phists have been sending money to South
ern negroes to the extent of many million
dollars to build churches and schoolhouses
and for the education and benefit of these
negoos. who have received an amount of
money and favors from the Southern and
Northern people, which, in addition to the
freedom conferred upon them, should make
them rejoice at such magnificent favors and
wonderful good luck.