The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-24
Trouble at Lincoln School
Comes to a Head.
Sixty White Children Refuse TO
Attend School.
PARADE ON STREET.
Walk Up and Down Near Build
ing in a Body.
Say They Will Not Return I'm
til Negroes Are Excluded.

The strike at the Lincoln school,
corner of Fifth and Madison has come
to head. This afternoon practically
all OF the pupils of the Seventh and
Eighth grades are out on strike and
they are parading up and down Madi-
son street having the times of their
lives. declaring they will never enter
the doors Of the school again until the
negro children are ousted.
There is one boy reciting in the
Eighth grade this afternoon and he is
paralyzed with fear. He won't strike
on account of his teacher and he fears
the taunts of his companions.
The boys and girls are both on the
war path. The girls are as enthusias-
tic about their condemnatiOns as the
boys. and their shrieks of Down with
the niggers" and mo niger school
for us" blend with the bolder voices of
the boys. The walkout included about
sixty pupils. A few of them are from
the lower grades who are striking in
sympathy. Some of the parents of the
strikers are in sympathy with the chill
dren and letters to that effect were
received at the state Journal office
this morning.
The children threatened to strike
this morning. but Principal Magaw
persuaded them to march into the
building. A large number of older
people were at the school entrance
when the children marched in this
morning watching for any develop
ments. Conspicuous among them were
two detectives who kept an eagle eye
on the children. Many colored people
were there and this afternoon num-
Der of the children took their books
home.
A little table of the colored attend
ance above the Seventh grade shows
the reason for the strike. Out or ~
children in the Seventh and Eighth
grades there are 80 colored.
The threatened outbreaks in the d1f-
ferent schools are the result OF the
whites being educated separately In
their own schools until they have at
tained the Seventh grade, and then
having a large influx of colored pupils.
The colored pupils naturally expect
and demand the same treatment that
the whites receive and of course anil
mostly is stirred up among the white
pupils.
Rumors of strikes and walkOuts in
the different schools and in Lincoln
school in particular have been rife for
some time. w. S. Magaw, principal OF
the Lincoln school, talked at length
this morning regarding the situation
in that school, but this was before the
Walkout.
There has been no walkout of any
character such as has been reported,
stated Mr.. Magaw. There may be
smouldering feeling of discomfort
among the white children, but it has
not vet come to the surface If there is.
In the city schools equal opportunities
are granted to all students irrespective
of race or color. AS far as 1 have
been able to learn there is nothing of
personal animosity between the races"
In the upper grades at Lincoln
school there are in one room seven
teen colored students out of thirty
nine In the highest room of the
school there are fifteen out of fifty
one students who are colored. This
makes a total of thirty-two out of
ninety or 1888 per cent who are col
ored pupils This is representative of
the different schools of the city. The
colored pupils in Lincoln school are
transferred from Washington and
Madison schools.
The school authorities state that
they have the situation well in hand
in the different schools and that
Though there may be rumors of trou-
BILE among the students that there will
be no outbreaks of a race nature. This
assertion, however, does not lessen the
necessity for larger facilities for color
cd students where they may be reared
and educated apart from the white
children. and thus be secure from the
race feeling which is liable at times
to become bitter and cause no end of
trouble.