The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1910-12-09
To the Editor of the Globe:

To the Editor of the Globe:
Through the medium of your valued
newspaper | desire to say word to
the colored people regarding the i'm
portance OF good public schools. It has
been some months since | have had
anything to say on this important
subject. wish to repeat that which
/ have tried to emphasize from time
to time, that there are few, If any
subjects, which are of more vital and
far-reaching Importance to the masses
of our race in the South at the pres
ent time than that of building up
good public school system.
Only a very small per cent. of our
people can ever go to a large board
ing school, or any kind of college, or
industrial school for their education.
The masses must depend upon the
public school in their neighborhood
for whatever education they get. II
the public school is failure the mas
ses grow up in ignorance, and
so | am making this direct appeal to
every minister, teacher and business
man and woman throughout the South
to take a personal and deep interest
in the condition of the Negro public
schools.
First of all, we should bear in mind
that we are American citizens and
that we should have our rightful
share of the public school fund.
Where we are not getting our just
share of the public school fund,
direct appeal should be made to the
public school authorities for a more
JUST uiS'r-j bution of the public school
iunus. ms kind of appeal should
Ge repeaIeu aeo'n and again until we
should not give up or -ionS stiu IN
cases where the public schGI, author.
tiles are not willing or unable - aiva
more money. 1t will be no excnsa
to the future generation of children,
if they grow up in ignorance, to tell
them that they might have been ed
ucated, if the public school authori-
ties had done their duty.
In travelling through the South, |
have observed that wherever a good
public schoolhouse is provided, in
most cases, the result is, that that
community will have q good teacher
and a school term Of respectable
+ length.
| advise then, that every commu-
nifty set to work to secure either
through the public fund or from pri-
vate gifts in that community a good
public school building. In many
cases, where people are not able 20
give money toward the erection Of a
good schoolhouse, they can give the
use Of their teams to haul lumber, or
they can give material or give with
out charge so many days work each
week, but in some way, every commu-
nifty that is now without a comfort
able schoolhouse should set to work
to secure one.
In many cases, the schoolhouses in
which the children are taught are not
fit for pigs to live in. The roofs
leak, the floors are full of hcles, there
is no stove, and in many cases, the
benches and other furniture are sc
rude and worthless that it is impos
sible for teacher and children to stay
in such houses without being in con
tinual misery.
A schoolhouse is not completed un
til it has been either painted or white
washed on the inside or outside
neither is a schoolhouse complete I'm
? til it has been ceiled or plastered OF
the inside, and every schoolhoust
, should be thoroughly furnished will
good seats; teachers desk, will
4 good blackboards, ETC., before |
7 should be considered completed It il
/ almost as cheap to build a goo
schoolshouse as it is to build poo
one
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