New-York tribune., 1899-12-11


mostly Germans Irish. J.
New-York Dec. s. 1899
WHITE TEACHERS IN NEGRO SCHOOLS.
SOUTHERN MEN AND WOMEN SERVING IN
CHARLESTON. s. c.-PRoFEssIoNAL SCHOOLS
FOR WHITE AND coLoRED.
To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir The letter Of General Morgan in The Tribune
OF December T. giving some account OF the educa-
tional work for negroes Of the Baptist Home Mis-
rion Society. will impress those who are acquainted
with the institutions named eninently fair.
There Is one expression. however. on the general
work which should be modified II only the prin
ciple that every rule has It's exceptions. He says:
"Al the common schools for the blacks I'm the
South taught by negroes" and this is in
accordance with an impression that seems to be
generally prevalent.
There is one notable case In which the common
schools for negroes are taught chiefly by Southern
white teachers. That is the city of Charleston,
S. C.. where there two large public schools
the Shaw School, with enrolment OF over one
thousand pupils, and with eighteen teachers, OF
whom sixteen are white and the Smonton School
with enrolment OF eleven hundred I'm
which all the teachers are white. These figures
were given me by the principal Of the Shaw School
In April. 1898. and he remarked that he had some
times had as many as thirteen hundred pupils. He
taught over ten years six over five years, and six
from one 10 three years. Three teachers had been
In the school for twenty years. and then he added
THE teacher in negro school could not do her
self full justice until about the third year, par
tcularly If she unacquanted with the pc
cuarities OF the race. Some teachers take hold
OF the work more readily than others. and in
year or so do good work: others never do Unless
a teacher has executive ability and can keep her
class under good control, her work amounts to
little. In my judgment. coored children have little
respect for teachers who cannot keep them in good
order"
1t seems to significant that the Charleston
schools should be officered by this large number
OF men and from the white families OF
Charleston itself. and l cannot understand why
the facts in the are not more generally known
Even Mr. Washngton's new book on THE Future
OF the Negro while mentioning n number Of in
stitutions having Southern white teachers fails
to make any allusion to this conspicuous example.
But what proof can he given Of the practcabty
OF employing Southern white teachers. In associa-
ton with those from the North. that is so con-
elusive as this usage which has prevailed In
Charleston for OF years?
General Morgan emphasizes the remarkable sue
OF the medical department OF Shaw Unver-
sity under the instruction Of the physicians OF
Raleigh, and Mr.. Washington makes great deal
of the illustra tion OF the value Of
Southern white instructors cooperating with
Northern teachers. There Is another example al
most significant which was formerly presented
by law school in New-Orleans This school
started early as 1873, and was continued for
period OF seventeen years until 1880. with an aver
age attendance OF thirty-two and enrolment for
several years Of sixty seventy. Perhaps there is
better way of showing the work OF this school
than by citations from the official reports. The
port of 1895 says:
The law department graduated ten this year
seven white and three coored. A graduate OF SO is
large and successful practice Being a coiored
man, he was subjected to a very severe examna,
tion before admission To the MISSISSIPPI BAR but
he passed II triumphanty.
The report OF 1887 is similar: r...f
In the law department Of Straight university
We have the remarkable phenomenon Of white and
colored students sitting side by side In. In the same
families and are there because the instruction In
diploma dhe from this department admits student
inatlon.
And in 1891 a history Of the society having this
work in charge contains this passage:
The law department was early organized and
placed In the hands OF leading members OF the
city bar. 1t presented such excellent adva utages
a 0 9 wns aS T Of ss
It's lectures. In 1882 OF the fifty graduates from
colored. This department is entirely self-support-
ing. the professors accepting the fees of the stu
dents as thelr compensation.
One reads these statements with surprise Few
would suppose II 20 have been possible for such a
school 10 exist in New Orleans in the period from
1873 10 1890 and probably no one could be found 10
advocate its resumption; But It certainly Illus
that IL. that the best Southern white people are
not uninterested in the education Of the negroes.
II they ask to have It practical sensible and
ful. this is discredit to them.
Among the missionaries who have gone from
the United States to Africa some OF the greatest.
the most devoted and the most successful have
been men like the Rev. Daniel Lindley and DR.. !.
Leighton Wilson. who from the South. II
ought not TO be hard to believe that the churches
which gave such missionaries TO Africa have some
missionary spirit for the Africans about them. IL
only the right appeal were made to 1t: There IL
no question relating the welfare OF the negroes
at the present time which is more essential and
vital than this OF the right appeal to the mis-
sionary spirit Of the South.
c. S. D1CKERMAN
New-Haven. Conn. Dec. 6, 1890.