The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-07-26
Mr.. DOUGLAS RESIGNATION.
What the Wooster, Ohio, Voice AS
signs as His Reason for Not
Coming to Newberry.

In the issue Of The Herald and
News of Friday it was stated that 1t
was reported that Mr.. R. Steele Doug
las, who had been elected principal
Of the high school, had declined, but
that Mr.. McSwain, secretary Of the
board, had not heard officially Of Mr..
Douglas declination.
The following appeared in the
Wooster, Ohio, Voice Of July Is, and
it is on this publication that the re-
port of Mr.. Douglas declination was
based:
A Wooster Man Up Against the Race.
Last week Richard Steele Douglas,
a graduate Of Wooster university,
class Of 1910, was elected to teach
English and history in the Wooster
high school, and thereby hangs a tale.
Mr.. Douglas applied for the prin-
cipalship of the Newberry, South
Carolina, high school, and was elect
ed by a unanimous vote. When in
formed of his election he announced
his acceptance and the matter seem
ed to be settled But Immediately
some of the citizens opposed the elec-
tion of Northern man to administer
affairs and teach in a Southern school
and fight began.
The main ground Of opposition to
Mr.. Douglas was the fact that he was
graduated from a Northern college
that admitted negroes. And to be
certain that Wooster's doors are open
to negroes, one of the opposing party
wrote to President Holden for infor-
nation, and the president sent the
following reply, by his secretary:
Mr.. W. Y. Fair, Newberry, S. C.
My dear sir: In reply to your favor
Of the Goth inst. I beg to say that
the-@%University of Wooster is CO.
educational and We do not bar any
student, be he white or black, from
admission to our institution, if he is
competent and of a good moral char
acter. Jesse Mcclellan.
This reply was Immediately pub
lished in two NeWberry papers, and
the following clippings from articles
published in these papers appeared:
"No one here knows him. He was
recommended to the superintendent
by the president of college in Ohio
where the superintendent went to
school. The president out in Ohio
says over his own signature that he
makes no distinction in his school
because Of color This young man
was educated under this color blind
president and recommended by him
as a suitable person to teach South
ern boys and girls. What if this young
man is also color-blind? Has the
board investigated?"
Another writer says: 1T is unfor-
tunate that we should have at the
heads of our schools, superintendent
and principal of the high school,
young men educated under environ
ments distasteful to our people, and
from a social standpoint so far as
the principal is concerned positively
harmful to our school. For our young
women will likely shy at any young
man coming from such surroundings,
however fair and reputable and free
from taint he may be-
It would be difficult to conceive of
any thing more narrow, prejudiced
and unreasonable than the spirit ex-
hibited in these clippings. And it is
altogether contrary to precedents,
and out of tune with the spirit Of the
New South to boycott teacher be-
cause he had been graduated from a
college whose doors are open to men
Of all races And the spirit of the
opposition is contrary also to the
broad and excellent spirit manifested
by the board Of education, which is,
doubtless, the spirit possessed by the
majority of the good citizens Of New
berry.
Besides, these chi7alrous opponents
of social equality between the races,
who assume that Mr.. Douglas would
teach and practice social equality,
assume too much and are ignorant OF
his conception Of the eternal fitness
Of things. It is quite safe to believe
that though be is a friend Of the black
man he is not color blind, and is,
therefore able to draw the color-1ine
where the Creator Of all intended that
it should be drawn.
Mr. DOUGLAS has decided not to 20