Evening star., 1902-02-15
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Interesting Account of Their
Rise and Growth.
SYSTEM BORN IN 1907
PAPER PREPARED FOR CHARLES
TON EXPOSITION.
First Teachers Were English Women
but Were Soon Superseded by
Free Blacks.

AS supplement- to the exhibit of the
local colored schools at the Charleston
exposition. Mr.. William A. Joiner. a men,
Der of the faculty of the Colored High
School. has prepared a pamphlet on tht
colored schools in the District, which con-
tains much interesting information. The
growth Of that system before the civil
war was so gradual and it's development
since that conflict has been conducted so
| quietly that the history of the system is
practically unknown even to old residents.
That 1t is an interesting history is mani
tested by the following extracts from Mr..
Joiner's review:
'The early history of colored schools Of
the District of Columbia is contemporary
with the history of the District itself. The
interest manifested in education by the
free colored people In those early days is
remarkable, when 1t is remembered that
they had not that intellectual development
necessary to render one converSant with
the advantages that knowledge can be-
stow. But they possessed a vague idea,
imbibed somewhere somehow, that with
in the limits Of knowledge lay the secrets
OF power and the essential elements of
success.
Hardly had the whites erected two
small public schools in the District before
the colored citizens became desirous of
| having like institutions
First School Dates From 1907.
"The first definite steps in this direction
were made by George Bell, Nicholas
Franklin and Moses Liverpool, all three Of
whom had been slaves and who had re-
Gently purchased their freedom. and who
came to the District from Virginia or
Maryland. In 1907 they erected one
story frame school house, just west of
the present site of Providence Hospital.
This school was placed under the charge
of white teacher named Lowe. Mr. Bell
was the leading spirit in this movement
and the Bell School, built later. was named
in honor Of this pioneer of negro educa-
ton in the District.
THE total population Of Washington was
at this time, white, AIS; colored, 49S.
"Of the coored residents, however. only
i94 We're free colored people, and it was
cordingly only this number who could take
advantage Of the provisions made by the
founders of the school, it being a crime to
teach slaves admit them to any school.
Assuming that the proportion of children to
any given number of the population was
the same as now, the free colored children
living in the city of Washington numbered
about l25. the white children of school age
numbering about 1.G00 or eight times as
many. The whites had two public schools
and several private schools. From this it
will be seen that the ccored people who
were free provided for themselves entirely
from private sources proportionately,
wen TIE Whites Win the pupllc Iu1fUS at
their disposal, provided for their children.
English Teachers Superseded.
about three years after II. Bell and his
associates opened their school in Washing
ton, Mrs. Billings. an English woman liv-
ing in Georgetown, established a school
for the colored children living in that sec
ton. These schools, together with several
others organized little later by English
teachers who In after years took charge of
the District schools. devoting time. energy
and often private means to elevating the
colored residents.
THE first colored teacher to take up the
work In the District was Mrs Anne Hall
from Maryland. Her school was opened
about 1909 near the old Capitol on 1st
street. About 1918, under the direction of
the 'Resolute Beneficial Society," school
was opened with the avowed purpose Of
giving instruction to those who were not
able to pay for it, the first free school for
colored children in the District Three
years this school remained under the charge