The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1918-09-13
MART|NSV|llE,
HENRY COUNTY
VA, NEGROES
Still Beg for School House --Clar =
ing Discrimination in Use Of
School Funds--Appeal to Of
ficiaIs---Promises Without Full
filment- .-Patric tism Unnoticed.

The patriotism and loyalty, the hero
ism snd supreme sacrifice Of the Negrne~
IN the great world war and the fact th 1t
the colored people OF Martinsville, Va
are, ~ithHut stint or complaint. doing ali
IN their power to bring victory to America
and her allies in order that the world
may he sale for democracy, has not in
nnsnced the Board of Educstion of that
ciIy OF JO,s inhabitants. about one third
OF whom are colored. to erect a schooi
building and provide the facilities for the
proper eduestion OF the Negro youth.
The town of Msrtin-ville. Va, 10 more
than TO years old, Is 10 one OF the rich
est, oldest and m"st aristocrstic s~ction-
OF the IN other State Henry county.
OF which Martinsville is the county seat
has large Nsgro " pulation Who are
thrifty and indu-trion-, owning tin.u,
ands Of dollars worth of real estate and
contributing largely Ia the upkeep, grow III
and development of the county. In
Msrunsville more than half Of the colored
heads Of families own their own homes
and pay taxes to b"th the city and coun-
ty- The relations between rle races have
always been the most harmonious and
individual Negroes can Obtain almost
any fsvor from leading white man Of th..
community. Vet Wien il c..mes Il the
spending of a lew thousands Of dollars
70 erect = school huilding for the proper
education of the children Of these peare-
fni, loyal Negroes, no amount Of petition
isg, sRitating and b~gging has been ef-
ieetive- For almost twenty years tile
colored children who attended u<bl,c
school were taught in the High Street
Baptist church, most Of which time in q
damp, dark, mrsty basement. Condi-
lions became sd uDt,earable that the
sympathy of the school official Was touch
ed aud they sought other quarters; (but
not until the officers of the church had
served notice upon them that they eouli
not get the basement of the church for
school pnrposes.) Still tue officials re-
fns~d u build a school honse aud Rich
ard Spencer. the leading colored mer-
chant Who owned a hall over his sr6rer.
consented to permit them to Use il for
school PURPOSES rather than have the
children denied the right of public school
training 10 from the basement of a
church these little black boys and giIls
Who are ciamoring To know" -
know Was moved up or in connection
With long flight of stairs into a hal.
over grocery store.
Several years ago when there were
saloons IN hariinsVille the officials went
to the NrgrOe- and told them that il
they would vote cut barrootns and vut.
ln "dispenszry' To he operated 10y th.
city, tile prOcreds OF which would be
Used for school PURPOSES, they would ~.
sssen hrst-clsss school house and their
school would share m the fund derived
from the sale "f ~hIskry. The Nsyroe.
helped u vote ont salsons and vote in
the "disprnssry' and for ten years or
more, or ur until the state OF Virginia
wss voted dIy, tie town Of MartinsviIl.
sold hxn"r. a large $4O,Oso school build
Ing Was rr-ctrd Tor " lit. children, latei
II wss enlarged aud high srh,s.l added
81 cO-t larger than tlie original co-t
and during all Of that time, and even
to tie PRESENT not one dollar has BEN
spent tO erect colored school. The
sTo~ing I,opulstion snd the high cost of
h,Ing csmI'-llr,I them to employ add
tiODai teacl'ers AID pay httlr m"it
salary hut -stn in tl,i- year Of grace al,
term f"r Ihr cOlored -ebooi y not over
sx montl,s and no traeler in IL g.t-
more than tD.oO per month and I-os-ill,
only one that amount
Were u not Tor tie private schools.
one tie Marunsvhle Christian In-titnt.
u1dsr the Principslsl,ip of that splendid
educator, Prof. jas. ~. TbOmas, and the
Presbyterian Psrochal scllOol taught by
kev. Watkins. the Negro youtlls of that
town aud vicinity would stand q poor
chslsce iOr even common school edn-
cation under ordinary conditions con
d0eive To sO,d health.
ihe publishers oi this paper are inter
estsd IN sshO,l conditions i'm Martins
vile becsu-e 70 j. their odd lame. They
c~n property IN tie county and have
rsiat'Ves-snd friends there of roth races,
sDd still have t-nder recOllections of the
oil home and I'eoPle. These same con-
dltions existed there ~h~n they we're boy.
and we're complained OF then and the
parents Who wanted to give their children
sg,od common -cl1ool e,iuc4tion had h.
send them - private schools - the pa
rents do now, and thr-~ conditions ar.
Disgrace W tl'e town aud reflection
on her gopi white citizens and should
he corrertei.
The schoDl officials snd the Whit pen
pc generally should nOt louger permit
soeb sisrins di-rTiminstion IN scbool To-
ciiltiss 20 eni-t. Tie coiored people do
not ssk Tor much and thirtJ ysars