The Afro-American., 1895-08-17
NEW FLORIDA INFAMY.
A Law Which shOuIdb be Resisted
From Start TO Finish.

From Start to Finish.
From The New York Independent
In printing copy Pf that abom-
Unable Sheats Law, forIfdding white
and colorel pupils to be taught in
the same classes, Or boarded in the
same building in any thoolin in Flor
ida, public, private orlparociaI, we
did not call attention to the fact
that it effects ot.onlY teachers but
patrons Of such schoola-that is pa
rents may be imprisoned from three
to six months il the county jail.
This raid, which the superin-
dent Of public schools las organized
particularly against the normal
school at Orange Park, will prob
ably affect it, even though, as we
are glad to learn, the American
Missionary Association proposes to
60 on in spite Of it. 1t is only one
part Of a general movement to break
down the colored schools and frus-
trate negro education
Gs.-s4e-.: ss<strs daala,.oa
that, "fOr the most part there is no
discrimination against the colored
peoples" and yet, from his own fig
ures, it appears that while the State
maintains one school for every Is
white children Of school age, it sup
ports only one for every 102 color
ed children of like age; and furth-
er, while the State pays an average
salary each month S36.5O for teach
ing an average white school of 33 5
enroll pupils, Or S10S fol each pu-
pill, it pays only S29.10 for teach
ingan average school Of f59 2 colored
scholars. or $50 for eacl one.
The recent re- 4pportidlmentof the
State school fund comp3ls nineteen
counties, containing more than
three-fourths Of the colred popula-
ton Of the State, to loa in their
school fund over $1,000, in order
that twenty-six counties, containing
less then one fourth Of Ehe colored
population, may again in their
school fund little ov,r $4,000. |
The purpose Of this wal not even
dissembled.
The system of school certificates
instituted in 1898 SENS quite |
sufficient to close up thee-fourths
Of the colored schools u a few
years. The examinations are such
that white teachers hayemuch diff |
ticulty in passing them. In Lake
county, with ffty-four wlite schools
and fifteen colored, at Il May ex-
animation only twenty bur candi-
dates applied for certitdtes.
Of these twenty-one we're white |
and only three coIored. One pass
ed for first grade certificate, one
for second grade and seven for
third grade; nine in all To supply
tifty-nine schools. "A equity super
intendent recently admitted that
the effect Of these examihtions, as
naN conducted, would be to retire
aaafiy orquite all the col6ed teach
Ala in d few years. Whn asked
BIT he did for white teehers he
said, SIN their cases we hive to use
discretion" Of words to tht effect.
Mr.. Sheats in his zeal fin the ed
Of the negro wislttl to cut
him off from all white hip TOUT
side what he might be pkased to
furnish in summer schools and In
stitutions) un!1er pretenseof pro
tecting colored teachers ID their
right to teach their own rae.
Yetin hisown report, 116schools
mostly eoioreslF u ught
1t all Last year Tor went IF hy one
q teach them he Amerisn
atl
teach all pupils, white orIblack,
Who apply for instruction Rt Il
ange Park sind u ere we'll b
srs ready 80 rIu TIE risk 81