The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-04
Negro Children Refused Admis-
sion to LOWman School.
Thirty Presented Themselves at
Opening This Morning.
WON'T GO TO OTHER.
Teacher Waits in Vain in the
Douglass Building.
Parents Refused to Send Them
to Separate School.

w Hen the 1OWnlAn Hill school opened
this morning 80 colored children who
live in the district, presented themselves
with their school books and were re-
fused admission.
The Douglass school at Brooks and
Munson avenues was opened ready to
receive the colored children but none
went there and the school has been
vacant all day except that the teacher,
Mrs. Mary E. Langston, has been on
duty with fires going and the school
room is in readiness to receive pupils.
The situation is a result of the con-
troversy between the board of education
and the colored people of Lowman HILL
The board had the Douglass school, a
frame building of one story and two
rooms, moved on the location of the
original Lowman Hill school for the
use of the colored children. The white
children will go to the new school at
Eleventh and Morris avenue. The col
ored people objected to sending their
children to the Douglass building on the
ground that the location is not health
full and the building is not comfoE table.
A delegation of cOlOred people appeared
before the board twice with petitions
and made their complaints but the
board took no action further than to
order that the Douglass building be put
in good condition.
The colored parents announced that
they would send their children to the
Lowman Hill building when it opened.
1t was first announced that the Low
man Hill building would open on Tues
ing notified the new building was open
ed and the white children were sent
there Monday afternoon.
William Reynolds, who was one of the
spokesman for the cOlored people before
the board, said this morning: 1.-The
board stole a march on us by opening
the school Monday afternoon instead of
Tuesday morning as was first an
nounced- We sent our children to the
Lowman Hill school this morning and
they were refused admission. We did
it in order to make our demands. None
went to the Douglass school We may
bring the matter into the courts but
can not say what we viii do until we
have another meeting.
IF the Douglass school is put in good
condition we will send our children to
school there but we want the well filled
up and good water supplied and we
want the low ground near there drain
ed"
Superintendent Davidson said this
morning in regard to the Lowman Hill
situation: mo colored children present
ed themselves for enrolment at the
ored children did present themselves at
the new Lowman Hill building and re-
quested to be admitted Some of the
children were accompanied by their
parents. Mr. .Hoyes, the principal told
all such children that unless they pre-
scented permit from the board of edu-
cation that he was not authorized to re-
ceive them. In every instance the color
ed children retired after having made
their request for admission. They were
courteous in their treatment of the prin-
cipal and recognized that the principal
could not do other than carry out the
instructions of the board was present
in person and met some of the colored
patrons. Their attitude to me and TO
Mr.. Hoyes was uniformly courteous and
considerable. The colored people of that
locality have been at all times Darticu-
larly courteous when presenting their
requests to me- 1 have had nothing to
criticise in their actions and can only
speak of them in the highest praise.
THE new Lowman Hill building was
opened yesterday afternoon with Mr..
George H. Hoyes as principal and Miss
nahan and Miss Allie Whitemore as his
assistants. About a hundred children
were transferred from Potwin. Clay and
Polk schools TO Lowman Hill yesterday
afternoon. This number has been in
creased by this mornings enrolment
Others will be transferred as soon the
organiza ton of the schools shall have
been completed. The reason for opening
the building on Monday afternoon in
stead of on Tuesday morning as was
first intended was due to the fact that
the enrolment at the Polk building is
so large that II was impossible to re-
tain the Lowman Hill children at Polk.
there not being sufficient seating capac-
ity in that building.
Douglass building was opened on
Monday morning. Mrs. Langston, the
teacher in charge, was there ready for
duty, but no children reported for en-
rollment yesterday nor have any up to
noon today. The recent storm has de-
layed somewhat the completion of the
that are to be made on
this building. The brick walks are yet
to be laid, but the material is there
The rooms on the inside are nicely
papered, the wainscoting has been
freshly painted, and by resolution the
floor is to be painted. The exterior of
the building will also be painted, and |
the property otherwise put in clean and |
shape. I feel that the two |
rooms when finally completed will be
equal to any other school rooms in the |
city,