The Afro-American., 1895-10-19
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

have Increased UfanLAS1 9@A499A de
eomodations, especially sns NORTH
western section of the CT Is al-
SO requisite that there She pe III
creased facilities in priIna Schools.
III East Baltimore, a visi tue ssehool
on Ashland Avenue will surely prove
convincive. that the colored citizens
and tax. payers have every reason to
anticipate that the public author
ties. will s Jeedily, and without much
decentralization and delay give them
a decent and respectable building in
nInce of HE miserable rat-trap doing
service as a school building But IN
addition to all this the school author
ties should be urged, petitloned and
petitioned, importuned and 1mpor'
tuned, until the prayer is heard and
with respect to the adopt
ion of such measures as will gradual
lv weed out all the white teachers in
schools at present, and by as gradual
y process refill vacancies thus occas-
toned with colored teachers from tn
list of eligibles. There is nothing II
connection with our schools at pres
ent. Of more practical interest and
concern than the accomplishment OF
this thing.
We do protest most earnestly and
vigorously against the present Mix
ed schools as being bad precedent
gently paving the way for mixture
which will cause row some Of these
DAYS. 1t is unjust SO far as Afro
Americans are concerned. 1t takes a
decided advantage of them. If we
are to have separate schools, and we
are perfectly satisfied and contented
to rave them thus. they ought to be
wholly so, as much as are the schools
provided for white pupils. The Dem
ocratic school board Of Baltimore
whether they like to admit itor not,
have already put into practice and
maintains this very day the principle
of mixed schools. IT it be right IN
principle fora white person to teach
colored children. by this very same
principle it is equally right for col
colored person to teach white child
ren. And III case the latter should
be regarded as an outrage and hui
initiation of Anglo Saxon llood, the
SINE statement with regard to Afro
Americans can be made with as much
force. Then again, if the colored
graduates of the High School are in
eligible to teach in the white schools
why should the white graduates be
eligible to teach in the colored
schools? Why should one class Of
citizens enjoy more privileges iE this
matter than other citizens? If the
colored High School be what it is
claimed for it, then its graduates are
thoroughly qualified to teach in the
public schools of our city, and since
the school board will not employ
them to teach white children, and
they have Just as much right to EN-
plov them in white schools as they
have to employ white teachers in col
ored schools, then they ought to turn
the white teachers out and give the
colored teachers a chance to teach
the members of their own race. 1t is
grossly unfair to give the white grad
yates " monopoly of school privileges
and ut the same time only throw
crumbs at the colored gra mates.
What has become Of the consciences
os the members Of the School Boards
Certainly our celoree preachers
ouoht to be interested in this matter!
Certainly our colored business men
ought to appreciate the greatness of
the issue From a financial stand
point think of the money which is
kept out of the race channels and
which would be felt in many ways,
IN our churches and institutions.
Our young women and men ought to
have these places. The moral and
social good of our children demand
tho change. Talk about social equal
ity, if a white woman who teaches
coIored hildren does not become a
social factor among her children, il
is difficult to understand how she car
perform her dut' as a teacher. And
W having great respect for our white
women, the School Board ought not
10 force them to mix in a c1ssaaiial way
i in a colored school.
God Almighty has constituted u
social beings. Eliminate the socia
element of school life and what kinC