The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1903-03-19

MY DEAR SIR :-As you saw proper Ia
your last Issue 10 publish an article from
the pen.of Rabbi J. s. Raisiu, denouuc-
Ing the Board Of Trustees Of The Port
Gibson Public Schools. and at the same
time published an editorial commend
ing Mr. Raisin's article, We therefore
ask you to publish this, IN order that
we may appear IN the true light beiore
the public. for we have nothing 10 hide,
aud are not ashamed Of shat we have
done IN the matter complained OF, and
all We wish to do is 10 put The matter be-
fore the public IN It's true light.
In the first place before Ihe beginning
Of the present session We passed an or
der excluding two Of one Lou Higgins
children from the white public school,
under our construction OF Section 4ooo
Of the Annotated Code Of Mississippi,
1902, which is as follows: "The trus
tees have the power 10 exclude children
Of 6nhy OF vicious habits or children
suffering from contagious or infectious
diseases, from the schools"
In our humble opinions we, after q
thorough investigation as 10 the habits
and surroundings Of said children, came
to the conclusion that if this statute did
not apply to the children in question,
then il was dead letter, and therefore
made the order. III making this order
we did 1t, not to crafty our own person
al ends, or to infiict any wrong on the
children In question, but we acted on
what we thought then was right, (snd we
are OF the same opinion still) aud did
it for the good Of the school, and also
acted on that high aud noble principle
that Is the foundation Of every good gov
erument, the greatest good to the great
est number.
On The 6rst day Of the present session
the children iu question went 10 the
school, and were sent home by the presi-
ident of the board OF trustees, and be
was informed that Mr.. !. McC. Martin
had advised the mother of the children
to send them to the school regardless
Of what the board had done. Alter the
president Of the board had sent the
children home, he went at once to Mr..
Martin and told him all of the facts in
the case, aud Mr.. Martin then said that
he would advise Mrs. Higgins a. LEI the
matter drop, and we suppose be did so,
as we have heard nothing from him fur
ther in the matter. Some time after
that we were summoned to appear before
the County Superintendent to show
cause why we did not admit the chill
dren Ia question to school. We did ap-
pear, aud offered proof in support Of our
contention. The Superintendent de-
cided against as. and we appealed 70 The
State Board Of Education. The papers
in the case were sent up shortly before
Christmas, and we had heard nothing
further from the matter until Friday
evening, March the 4th, when We re-
ceived notice through the County Super
intendeut that the Stale Board had de-
cided adversely to US.
Now the FIRST error that Mr.. Raisin
makes is, he says: "She won her suit
in one Of the Supreme Courts Of our
State" We are not aware that there Is
more than one Supreme Court in this
State, and very sure that this matter has
never been before it. 1t therefore fol-
lows, that the question involved has
never been adiudicated, and It Is possi-
Bile, II not probable, that we we're right
in our opinion. His next error is: "The
children went ioyfulIY to school. But
alas for mans inhumanity for man, on
that very day a meeting was held, and
In that very school the law was openly
and avowedly broken in broad daylight,
in sight Of the pupils present, and back
the little orphans with tears on their
cheeks we're sent home." Now this last
statement. which Is in quotation marks,
il absolutely untrue, and as false as il Is
for anything to be, as far as 1t relates to
any meeting being held that day By tie
board Of trustees at the school house or
elsewhere.
The facts are, that the board had not
at that time had any notice Of the result
Of the trial before the State Board, that
Is legal notice, aud We simply Instruct
ed the principal Of the school that II the
Higgins children came to school to send
them home, which she did. In fact two
members of the board did 90 TO the
school that morning, to-wit: Mr.. r. G.
McCay and Mr.. c. A. French. But they
went there on other business aud attend.
ed to 1t, aud the Higgins chilareu were
not mentioned by them or ia their pres
ence. Now how this could have dis.
sorled in suchla way II that Is. what the
learned gentleman was driving al, we
are at a loss to see. sf.s sea
The fact Of the business Is that we did
not have legal notice Of what the State
Board had done In The premises until al.
ter the last issue of The Reveille, IA
which the article Of Mr.. Raisin appeared
Now in the irst place we thought thai
we we're right, and we Iiligated the mal-
ter before the County Superintendent,
and appealed from his adverse decision
10 the Stale Board aud, as 4 matter ol
course, We were not going 10 admit the
children 10 the school until we had le'
cal nntice from The proper party of whaI