The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-12-07
CENTRAL SCHOOL
NEEDED FOR
THE NEGROES
PEARL HIGH DOSEN'T MEET DE-
MANDS-INACCESSIBLE LOCA-
TlON-C0MMITTEE VISITS
WHITES.

dissatisfaction that has been evil
Cent ever since the Board of Educa.
ton located the Pearl High School in
! the inaccessible location which was
declared then and which becomes
more apparent was illogical, broke
out anew at the meeting of the
Board OF Trade this week when
strong resolutions were adonted cali.
ing upon the Board of Education and
the Glty commission to give a cen.
tral school with modern conveniences
that would be in keeping with tn
Just duties of the forty thousand Ne
gro CITIZENS Of the city, a large per
cent OF whom are tax payers. In fine
discussion at the Board of Trade il
developed that dissatisfaction has al.
ways eXls ed over the present location
OF the school. 1t was even broughi
OUT at the recent meeting at the Pearl
High School, where the Mayor and
several members of the Board of Edu-
cation smoke, and it is said some of
tne members q the Board were very
pronounced in\heir disapproval. not
only of the present location and
building but of the meager provi.
slohs made and the small amount of
money expended in what was sup
posed TO be very up-to-date and
modern high school. A number of
.those present are said to have Sc.
Verely criticised the administration of
school affairs. declaring that the
present building was no Improvement
In appearance and convenience. so TO
speak, over many of the grammar
schools of he whites 1t was shown
that cities like Knoxville, louisville,
Cov1ngton and others far smaller
than Nashville, with smaller Negro
population, eniov better privileges in
a modern high school than did Nash.
vile. In the discussions that have
arisen from time to time it became ap.
parent, declared one of the nromi.
nent members of the poard of Trade
that the Negroes have been double.
crossed. I'VE were promised if we
would support the white people in
getting a high school building we
woula be given one. We were prom
1sed that this high school would be
not less than one hundred fftv ~
perhans two hundred thousand dol
lars. a modern structure, centrallv
located. one that would he a credit tc
the citizens of Nashville. one that
would set the pace for other southern
cities, one that would be in keeping
with Nashville's frst place in the ed
vocational life of the South, ran,ins
as il does as an educational ceutor
Believing that the white people
meant what they said and they woul,
live up to their promise. we ioinef
in in helpino to nut over the bon1,
issued for the white school We di'
not even onnOse the late annex to I'll,
white high school, When thew sho1
have finished it, it will be enuivolan
to a university, both in its curricr
lum. its appearance and its moderr
appliances. But when we were final
ly given p building ii turns ont +,
be ehahhv. conn on-nlace. ord'nor
d, building that could have been nut III
at most for fiftv thousand dollars. fiv
blocks from anv car line. cannot h
reached except bv an inconvenion
route and when the weather is ba
the children are forced TO travers
many of the streets where there ar
no side walks It is out of the We
for the children on the east side an
those who live in the extreme soutI
ern port of tho civ must leave HON
in the real early part of the mornirc
Some before hreo1fast, in order t
reach school ut all.
Out of the two million dollar bon
issue which was to be used for schoC
purposes, the paltry sum of siXty-liv
thousand dollars, and this at an e.
aggerated estimation, was provide
Tor oar high school. We were prom
ised that old Knowles building, whic
is a disgrace to the city and whic
has been condemned by the buildin
inspector years ago. would be dor
away with. Mr.. Leland Hume,
member of the Board, severely crit
cised the smaf provision made fl
the Negroes and is credited as ha
ing said that the city commission di
well to come to visit Pearl HE
School by the shades of night so the
could not see the barn that was in I'll
back of the building.
The Negroes did not even oppos
tuC w dlnCI
Gently built in East Nashville, nor IL
purchase of the park in front of Il
school, giving them almost a, unive
sity with campus in front. repea
that the Negroes of Nashville did n
only help at the polls in securing ne
bond issues for educational purpose
but have contributed in every cal
paign for such schools as Vanderbi
University and Galloway Hospits
which is said to be part of Vande
bilt, and now that we were put of
a corner, one school taken away fro
us, AM a mere shed run up that {
ready shows signs of decay, we fe
we have been worse than doubl
crossed; and now they are asking f
new school for the whites with
sproposed plan to prepare Meigs al
Clifton to stop our people from ma
ing known these facts. We are d
manding as tax payers only what
due us. Look at the present Pea
High School, just ordinary, comm
red brick structure, not a particle
white stone, not particle Of wat
table; it looks like livery stable |
the side of the Elliott Gramm
School located atethe corner Of j.
ferson and Sixth avenue, North. Y
CONTINUED on page A.