News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-06-12
A SOUTHERN LETTER.
The Meagre Educational Facilities of
Georgia of Public Schools
The Highways-The Chain Gang
COnfederaues, Nc.
ATLANTA. GA. Nav O. 1900

Confederate, &c.
ATLANTA, GA, May 9, 1890.
Mr.. EDITOR In my last | was
saying something about the contrasts
between this section and New Eng
land. If you should ride 800 miles
IN this state on one of the oldest rail- |
roads, and not see a school house in !
the entire distance, you would not
wonder at the great iIliteracy exist
ing. That is about the state of the
case. A few public schools are held
in shanties called churches, but these
are few, and most of them of no &C
count. None except those in cities
are what might be called free schools,
for the parents usually have to pay
IS cents per week for each scholar
sent. In Atlanta, there are some fine
school buildings with good schools,
but not near enough to accommodate
the children entitled to their privi-
leges; and even here needless restric-
tons are made, as for instance: when
the authorities prescribed that every
scholar should bring a certificate
from a certain physician that he bore
a vaccination scar that in the opinion
of the physician was a sufficient pro-
lection against the contagion of small
pox. The fee for the certificate was
SI.oo, l believe. This order caused
a good deal of vigorous ''kicking,"
and it was modified so that the GER
tificate of any regular physician was
accepted. That the city grows so
fast, that it will soon outgrow pres
ent school facilities, is probably the
cause of its lack of room just now.
The races are schooled separately, |
with teachers of the same color, or
''color-in-law, Ga person of one-eighth
negro lineage is held by the law to be
"colored," even should he have a
fairer and winter skin than a cauca-
SIAM l see no objection to the sep
aration of the schools, if equal privi-
leges are accorded, except on the
score of expense and convenience.
Considerable care is exercised to
make them equally good in the lower
grades; but hardly think they are,
and am informed that according to
population, schools for the colored
are not as numerous as those for the
whites. ] often hear the remark
made that nine-tenths of the taxes for
schools are paid by the whites, and
therefore the colored schools get |
more than an equal share of it,
which, prima facie, looks PLAUSIBLE.
But after all it is the colored mans |
lab0r that pays or causes the taxes
to be paid, and money once in
the treasury is the property of the
state, and the humblest and smallest
contributor 0z0nS an equal share of it.
The lack of education is seen al
most everywhere, and it is painful to
behold. 1t is not uncommon in max
ing trade, when the time comes to
sign the papers, to have the party of
the first or second part say, "You
will have to sign my name for me, as
l do not write" The last legislature
made provision for longer terms of
school in the future, so there is ray
of light ahead.
The compensation for teachers is
insufficient, and dependent upon Ii
cenSe fees and uncertain appropria-
tions. In prosperous county not
far from here the teachers get but As
per cent. of the price agreed upon,
and it is all they will ever get. Some
counties appropriate the money re-
ceived for liquor licenses to the pub
lie schools, then if vote of license
or no license is held the liquor men
use that as strong argument on
their side, then if the county "goes
dry" the schools suffer, if the officials
happen to favor the ''wet" side. Only
the United States surplus money and
something from the state can be de-
pended upon, and this varies.
OF the educational work being done
by northern philanthrophy neither
time nor space can adequately depict
its magnitude or the grand results it
has achieved. | will only say that
those schools, of all grades, but more
especially those of the higher are
scattered all over the south, in which
''the head, the hand and the heart, "
are trained for usefulness. Had it
not been for these schools, no one
can imagine the condition the South
would have been in to-day. Proba-
bly, the agency most largely contrib
uting to this enterprise is the Metho-
dist Episcopal church. 1t followed
the conquering Union armies into
this field and planted schools and
churches. Some we're held in build
ings donated by the government and
others wherever a place could be
gained, even utilizing railroad cuts.
That church expended S24I, 100000
last year, and wants to make it an
even quarter of million this year.
These schools are for both races and
give instruction in all the branches
of science, and most of them are
splendidly equipped. Other churches
are also doing good work.
| The failure of the Blair educational