The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-25

A recently-adopted law in Florida,
recommended by the superintendent OF
education, makes ii a punishable offense
10 teach negro children and white child
rem in the same school, The full text OF
this extraordinary piece of legislation is
as follows:
Re IL enacted by the Legislature OF tho
State of Florida;
sEcfIoS J. II shall be penal offence for
any individual body Of inhabitants, corpora
tion, or association 60 conduct within tins
State any school OF any grade. public, private,
or parochial, wherein white persons and
negroes shall be instructed or boarded within
the same building, or taught In the same class
or at the same time by the same teacher.
SEC. 2. Amy person or rers n violating the
provisions OF section of this act by patroniz-
ing or teaching in such school shall. on con.
viction thereof. bo fined in sum not less
than $3.50 nor more than $500, or imprisoned
in the county Jail for not less than six months
for every such offence.
SEC. 3. All laws or parts OF laws in conflict
with the provisions OF this act are hereby re-
pealod.
SIC. a. This act shall take effect Sept. l.
1895.
We are familiar enough with the legis-
lation OF some of the Southern States
designed to shackle the negro and keep
him in condition OF political bondage,
but it has remained for the State OF
FLORIDA to carry the "black law" idea
into the schools in this fashion. No
eolored boy or girl can attend a "white
school, and what is more, no white
children can be taught in a black school.
The conditions of population and actual
school attendance indicate that this in
famous law is assigned TO check alto
gether the education OF colored children.
At any rate, that is the tendency of the
law itself, however much its purpose
may be explained to be based on the $50
cial equality bugaboo-the elevation of
the negro at the cost Of the degradation
OF our race" as the extraordinary state
superintendent OF the Florida school
system puts 1t. Such plea is distinctly
a begging of the question. The actual
process of the law will result in forcing
the retirement o: nearly all the colored
teachers in Florida and close up most OF
the colored schools.
"Sociai equality" we are convinced,
has little to do with the negro problem
in states like Florida and South Carolina.
The leaders of the colored race MAINTAIN
that it does not, and their practice in
more enlightened communities, where
they are politically and socially free,
demonstrates the sincerity OF their pro-
test Of the fallacy OF the "sooial equality
bugaboo. The tendency OF the negro is
to "flock by himself" even where no
law or even public sentiment compeis
him to. He has not been assimila vet
and is of distinct race and ii Is usually
a matter of pride with him to maintain
that distinction until by natural process
he is absorbed. And surely no excuse of
lear OF ''social equality" can explain
away the abominable Florida black law.
The public school system of Florida was
,uilt up and established by Northern |
White teachers during the reconstruction
lays Of 1868 to 1870. The Afro American
chools are now mainly taught by COL
red teachers who have been developed
y the missionary work among them.
he whites in Florida have taken no part
n the education OF the blacks. Northern
money as we'll as Northern men and
'omen have developed the private insti-
utions which turn out colored teachers
Dr. the colored schools, and ministers OF
he Gospel. The whole educational fabric
wes nothing to the State OF Florida
'hich has now undertaken to strangle it.
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