The true Democrat., 1913-02-01

closed on account of not being able
to keep up the average. Cause why?
Roads and the creek. The road lead
ing to the ford of Big Bayou Sara at
that point is impossible, only for light
buggies and empty wagons.
A country school patron writes ask
ing us TO give one Of our "able adl'
torials" on the school question. We
don't at all mind coming to any ones
assistance that rightly needs it, but
cur editorials denominated ''able"
seem able only to lose for us the
school boards jObwork: as yet moth
ing else has been accomplished. How
ever we do not work with self-inter-
estGd motives, so will present the
school patrons plea, which is voiced
as follows:
call the peoples attention to the
outrage about to be put upon US
that of giving the white children
only an eight months term and in
creasing the colored teachers sala-
RES and giving the negroes a four
instead of a three months term.
We, the taxpayers, must have our
children deprived of school to give
the darkey his dangerous smattering
Of learning"
We do not agree with Patron" so
far as improving the COlored schools
is concerned. We heartily endorse
anything the SCHOOL, Board does in
giving justice to the colOred people in
this respect. They should have what
is coming to them in proportion to
the amount of taxes they pay. All
Of US conVersant with the facts know
how large the actual discrepancy is
between what they get and what is
due them, and how the white chill
dren reap the benefit. In fact we
are so OldfashiOned as to believe,
inferring from all the teachings Of
the Bible as We do, that one reason
this country is not more prosperous
is because of our injustice to the ne
gro.
AS to the harmfulness of "a smat-
tering' we are not sure either, as
our experience is that a servant, who
can read, write and cypher the least
lit is more easily explained new
things to than the utterly untutored
negro.
This is considered all rank heresy
by too many of our people. but mere
opinion does not affect the verities
of justice, which are eternal We
shall try to encourage rather than to
discourage the School Board in this
direction.
This does not include approval OF 4
curtailment of the school session for
white children. This parish was one
of the first parishes. if not the very
first, to afford a nine months ses.
sion, and it must not retrOgrade from
til record. Retrenchment surely
can be made in some direction by
which the extra funds can be found,
without depriving the negroes of
their morsel of schooling. .
1t seems strange that with fewer
schools than formerly and a smaller
nopulation the cost of running the
schools has evidently been mounting
higher and higher. There are more
frills and more paternalism, more Of
you-scratch-my-b a C k.and-J'u scratch
yours in school management than
even in the old days when the School
Boards of the State were accused Of
employing teachers from political or
charitable motives. These new things
cost, and they cost too much if they
deprive our children of "a months
schooling plus the holidays for teach
ers' institutes.
We sincerely believe that the mem.
bers of the School Board are truly
desirous of doing their full duty by
the people, but they have come un-
der the malign influence of what
may be termed the Aswell-Harris re-
gime that still holds sway in the
state, and which while doing good
work in some respects, is making
the people pay entirely too much for
3 penny whistle.
At the next meeting Of the Con-
Se,V9tion Commission resolution
II