Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-17

and Philadelphia.
On the occasion of our visit we went lit
tie beyond the usual order OF things by ex-
pressing desire to visit the school-rooms
and inspect the work of the pupils. Where
upon Miss Schofeld slipped out of the room
and we could not restrain the inference that
she was notifying the teachers to get ready
for inspection and have things put into ap-
ple-pie order and visiting trim.
oLD-FAsHIoNED MELODIES.
The show time for visitors is during
chapel exercises, when the entire school is
assembled for Bible reading and prayer
and singing. This last is the most attractive
feature for visitors, who listen to ''Swing
Low" .steal Away, . "The Gospel Train"
"One More River to Cross 'sMary and
Martha, . and other religious songs sung
with the melody and abandon only to be
found among the colored folks. 1t is in the
chapel that Miss Schofeld shines as the
patron saint, the devoted missionary, the
majestic principal. Under her eagle eye
and firm mouth the silence and setness of
those $50 children were SO intense as
to almost chill the blood of those
upon the platform. The smallest
child was as dead quiet as a tombstone, and
the older ones were as grave and solemn as
it love and laughter had never been in
scenes, this spectacle was not so imposing
as those who Sin the North live in palaces
and know nothing of the schools of the COM
mon people.
1t was quite rich to hear their wonder
and surprise over the attainments and per-
formances- OF the pupils that were far, far
behind those of the common schools of the
North. They were so gushing and full of
praise thatit seemed plain that only black
skin had power to reach their sympathies
and find the KEY to their emotions Kind
ness, charity and benevolence are always to
be admired and appreciated, but when it
comes to simply 'coddling" the colored
folks, only because they are black, while
the little white pagans in the slums are
wholly ignored, it is too much like the mis-
sionary work of sending flannel shirts to
the Hottentots, while the denizens of the
back alleys at home are left to freeze. 1t is
really astonishing what affection and con-
cerD are manifested by good people for the
heather and the Indian and the African,
who are far away, while the poor in their
midst are ignored as uninteresting and in
tolerably disagreeable.
YOUNG LOVES DREAM.
But to get back to the Schofeld school,
where the sweet singing and beautiful be-
havior of the bright young darkies took
hold of the sentimental side of the visitors,
and it is to be hoped reached for their cash
as WE'LL Four or five of the teachers in the
schools are colored, while two are white.
The head instructor is Miss Criley, of East
ern Pennsylvania, who struck us as very
able teacher. In the highest, or normal
department, there were II bright young
girls and young men preparing to become
teachers. The Oldest pupil in the school is
SO years of age. Several grown young men
were in one of the lower departments, and
were struggling i'll their arithmetic lesson
with the deep pmystery of cancellation. Some
married men attend the school whose wives go
out to work and cook in the meantime. Miss
Schofield was heard to say that young loves
dream was the worst thing she had to con-
tend with in the way of government The
young folks thought little of playing
"hook' in the woods near by to daily with
the divine passion, even though the charms
of spelling, the allurements of arithmetic,
and the delights of the higher branches
beckoned them within the classic walls.
Great masses of clothing, books, papers,
and of every conceivable thing, even to old
nails and rag-bags, are sent by friends in
the North to the school. The available
clothing and supplies thus donated are sold
to the colored people of the town. The fees
for each pupil. The religious services are
unsectarlan.
THE BIG HEAD.
Objections are made by some that the
school produces the disease so we'll known
among statesmen as the ''big head" and
makes the young colored men disinclined to
do anything but sit on the fence and wish
they had an ofice-while in the girls it ere
ates soul above housework and buttons.
Others contend that the school does evil by
fostering hostility between the races, who
have to live together. Whether these criti-
cisms have any basis of fact, We, an out
slider, do not pretend to say, but to us it
seems clear that much more is being done
for the colored race in the way of education
than for the whites. The former have the
better schools, the greater advantages as to
colleges, and will ere long become power
that can neither be ignored nor despised in
the line of politics.
Moreover the doctrine of equal
rights for men and women alike
is being strongly inculcated by
Miss Schofield and the other teachers and
this in State where nobody's rights are
respected under the law, save those of the
white man-in State where women are
subjected to, and dominated by the worst
features of the old common law. 1t is rather
unfortunate for the cause that Miss Scho-
field bears a strong resemblance to the
strong-minded woman, as pictured by the
fehds of the opposition. She is not bright
and affable and smart and tactful and ge-
NAL as Susan B. Anthony, who has the
happy faculty of getting on the warm side
OF wise men, still less has she the sweet, at
tractive manners of Lucy Stone, or the
warm motherly, delightful ways of Mrs.
Livermore or Mrs. Stanton. She has
rather the aggressive, independent, push
ing style of the spinster who sis sot
in her way" and bound to have it if
the world should turn upside down. One
of the positive characters who, when not
endowed with consummate tact, give point
to prejudice and ground to opposition. But
with the benign countenances OF the sweet |
Quaker, Lucretia Mott, and John G. Whit |
tier, and Abraham Lincoln, and William !
Lloyd Garrison and others upon the walls,
and the story Of their lives related for ex-
ample and precept, the cause of equal rights |
can hardly fail to grow and prosper. And !
talking of education it may be said that the
election laws of this State, which have been |
devised to defraud the illiterate negroes of
their votes, are proving to be the strongest |
incentive to their requirement of the ability
to read and write, thus proving that
Except wind stands as never it stood.
1t is an i'll wind turns none to good.
BESSIE BRAMBLE.
Slight Error.
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