The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-03
WANTS THE TAXES DIVIDED.
Clair, That Our First Duty Is TO the
Whites.

Claim That Our First Duty Is TO the
Whites.
Editor Tho Times:
Sir-I have your letter, and While /,
for some reasons. regret the necessary
for speaking it is clearly my duty 70
reply. The interest OF the State demands
that every citizen shall take his share
in deciding the questions you ask.
First as TO the division and dispose
ton of the school taxes: L very decided
" think that the money paid by the
whites should be. and indeed must DC,
used for white children. That such an
opinion may carry any weight 1eel
myself obliged to give some reasons
for IL They arc evident from a glance
at the situation.
In this | not Influenced by the
question of negro education, except in
cidentally; nor indeed do you ask one
to discuss it primarily.
The opinion is based upon the fact that
the white schools need and must nave
three times as much money as IS no"
spent upon them. This fact and the rcaS-
ons for it are evident from a 1Here
glance at the situation. Briefly. to
state a marked and painful feature of
it, the average Virginia school of twelve
or thirteen is now doing what ] and my
schoolmakers did at ten or twelve; the
boy of sixteen, having in the meantime
lost one more year, is doing what he
should have done at thirteen; and the
boy of seventeen or eighteen is leaving
school uncducated. ] state this as the
result of careful professional ObSerVa-
lions. extending over many years. and
facilitated by large opportunities. l have
moreover submitted the proposition to a
number Of teachers, educated business
men and others, who taught or We're
taught before The war. Except for one
hesitatinS reply, it has met universal
assent.
MORE TEACHERS NEEDED.
Setting aside some misconception as to
what q child ought to know, and with
it the evil wrought by a bad example,
this unfortunate condition results from
the utter insutlicienCy of the number OF
teachers employed. 1t is a fact known,
as ! SUPPOSE, and depiored rs, am told,
by all Intelligent persons connected with
education in Virginia, that those of the
whites of all classes who, for lack of in
teuigence and indust;S-, are to be ''hew-
erS of wood and drawers of water, are
as millstones about the neclls of spirited
and intelligent childrcn and for lack
of teachers the latter classes have no
opportunity to advance. 1t has actually
resulted in the systematic postponement
of some subjects for years beyond the
time when they ought to be studied
Money alone can double or treble the
number of teachers.
In connection with the same subject,
I have ventured to submit another very
serious proposition to intelligent men
in various parts of the State: there
has been but one dissenting voice. Pos
sibly my enquiries have not been sufii-
GENTLY extensive. According to these OBJ
servations, however, the reasoning pow
er among our people has declined twenty
per cent. at the least within the last
thirty or thirty-tive years. This is seen
in jury trials and other tests ali over
the State. 1t is due to the fact that
here. and indeed throughout the coun-
try, children have been and are being
taught things and are not taught how
to learn them-true, to such an extent
that this may we'll be called the age Of
unreason. The traditions and inherited
thought of the State of Virginia would
have prevented this thing here, but
for the lack Of money to spend in educa-
ton. Just how this cause has operated
is sufficiently evident
SEPARATION OF SCHOOL TAX
The final conclusion is this (and here
the matter of negro education touches
u.s.: We have sacrificed one, and are
now sacrificing u second, generation Of
those naturally dependent upon us to
the SuppcSed oI real interests others
for whom we are but accidentally respon-
sible. Forced to declare that the money
now used for white schools is by no
means adequate to the purpose, knowing
that our responsibility TO and Tor our own
children is immeasurably higher than we
can owe for any others-now. at last, we
must give them all that we have
There remains no money for the negro
schools, except that yielded by negro tax
ha
and the State must do the best that can
be done with that.
HOW TO EDUCATE HIM.
You ask me how I think that or other
like money should be used. To answer
this question it is necessary to say that
the failure of the efforts so far made to
educate the negro to be a good citizen
has been due, not to vices inherent in
him. but to the two motives with which
he has gone to SCHOOL, He has done
this not that he might learn how to make
q better living, but because he has sup
posed that IT would work for him an
escape from work; not from the desire
totten charSed) that he might be equal
10 The white man, which desire in certain
views might be worthy, but from a worse
motive foreign to his nature)-that the
white man might be Inundated by the
thought OF this equality. One of these
motives he owes to natural laziness: the
other to vicious and. to our people, hos
tile loyal-league and foreign teaching.
This inspiration has done the evil work.
TO ELEVATE THE NEGRO.
1t follows that the only hope of good
is to offer him such an education as shall.
from its nature. keep new objects con-
stantly before his mind. and so, in time.
revolutionize his purpose and consequent
action. It will cost years of wise labor
to counterfeit the harm already done:
but there is no other hope. is
Every unprecedented observer sees that
the only negroes who are good citizens
are those who are working to make bet
ter houses. clothes and food for them