The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1909-03-26

First Baptist Church, East Nashville,
ficials of state, county and city to
inquire about this paper. now call
your attention to the Corrupt Influ-
ences in the Negro Department of
the Public Schools and ask are you
going to be silent on the rumors that are
filling the moral atmosphere of Nash
vile? For more than three years, as a
patron of the Nashville public schools,
having both children and grandchildren
attending the different schools, | have
been made to shudder because of the
wild, disgraceful rumors that are
constantly being circulated in Negro
society concerning the teachers in
our schools, their conduct and the
private character that seems to sur
round them. My attention is just
called to two editorials in the Nc
Dowell Times, of Keystone, w. Va.
The Negroes in that city and county,
seemingly, are having the same to un-
dergo that we, the Negroes of Nash
vile, have to undergo, that is, their
school management is in the hands of
white men and all that a Negro has
to do to become a teacher Of Negroes
is to cater to the satisfaction of GER
tain white men and they can teach in
Negro schools regardless of what the
Negroes may wish, think or say. Can
the Negroes long endure this? Has
not patience ceased to be a virtue
and endurance come to an end? We
feel like crying out like the Grecian
of old, How long, o Catiline?" Last
week the. Nashville daily papers re-
ported that one, Of the leading princi-
pals Of this city had been indicted
before the grand jury for the seduc-
ton of Negro girl under fifteen
years of age, The same paper stated
that this was a very aggravated case
and that the girl had been pupil in
the school in which this Negro teach
er was principal for a number of
years. The writer of this article is
acquainted with the teacher men
toned and has ever held him in high
esteem-in fact, has many times
pointed to him in the presence of his
children and grandcnnoren as a man
worthy of their emulation | suppose
there are a thousand other patrons
of the city schools of this city and
readers of your paper who have done
1 likewise. Now what shall we as Ne
groes do? Shall we keep silent? We
have no representative on the Board
of Education to whom we can ap
peal. If carried to the courts we
have no representative upon the
jury; if carried to the City Council
we have no representative in the
City Council. All that this Negro
will have to do will be to cater sat
isfactorily to the white men whose
children need not come in contact
with him, and he can pass off. Agar
we cry out, 20 Catiline, how long?'
I We have kept silent too long. 1t is
an open rumor in Nashville that the
! leading teachers in this city are par
ties to and proprietors of one Of
? more dancing honky tonks where the
little misses who attend the cit!
schools are advised by the teacher
to spend their evening from to l.
o'clock in this dancing hall, notwtih
standing the forty-two Negro Baptis
). and the fifteen Negro Methods
, churches with their thousands o
members making up large majorit
= of all the Negro population who ar
y religiously and consclentiously OF
I posed to dancing and class it wit
Q revealing and other immoral and inde
q cent sins for which they will excon
n municate members from their church
II es. Yet because these school teacl
ers are employed by white men an
because these white men know notl
ing and care less of the wishes O
public sentiment of the Negroes, the
employ teachers to run the Negr
o schools and encourage them to lea
such examples to the grief and di
gust of the negro patrons and pa
ents of Nashville Some of the N
lie gro teachers, male and female, boa'
a. to the Negroes that they are undo
ID no obligations to Negroes for the
N employment A lady teacher in or
ID of the Nashville schools, of hig
n standing, and one that / had admire
h. above many others, said not Ion
h. since in my presence that she had I
confidence in Negro men as ma
Of ayers and that if her employment d
or pended upon the wishes of the Negl
to men in Nashville she would be wit
| cut employment and would not NAL
e. application as a teacher: that 81
We only sought to have the good grace
n and wishes of white men and her Ell
of ployment was safe and secure, r
to gardless of what Negroes might sa
IA / Immediately excused myself fro
nd her presence and have been excuse
ad until this dav. Another schoolma'a