Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-07-29
DR.. KELLY MILLER AND
THE MESSENGER

| I notice that the Messenger is very
much excited over my alleged atti-
, tude on mixed schools or separate
/ schools in the North. The last issue
OF this interesting magazine con-,
tanned as its feature article "KELLY
MlLLERS MISTAKE" 1t is an
nounced that the discussion will be
continued in the next issue. The in
iallible editors of the Messenger are
famous for Selling upon the mistakes
made by others. Their own mis-
takes, if they have any, so far have
not been so widely exploited.
l was surprised to note that the
co-cditor was wanting in his usual
scholarly research and accuracy. He
; derived his information through the
rcfracting medium Of a Chicago
| weekly instead of from the original
source, which was easily available to
him. Last October l contributed to
, the Educational Review an article on
| "The Education Of the Negro in the
North" which, it seems, has Just
come to the bclated attention of the
Messenger by q devious and round
| about route.
! In this article I did not advocate
separate schools, but merely raised
, the question Of the relative inspira-
tional appeal of the two modes of
tuition. l have given long study and
wide observation to this question,
and am still devoting careful thought
: to it. But have never ut any time
! or place, by utterance or inference,
expressed belief in the principle Of
, separate schools, in the North or in
the South. Neither Christianity nor
democracy can contemplate the sepa-
ration. The school is much more
ethical than the church and much
more democratic than the State.
! When our oldest university suggests
discrimination against students on
account of race, a hue and cry is
raised from all over the nation. But
both church and State make race
distinctions with IMMUNITY. The
school is the one place which should
be kept free from all forms Of preju-
dice. 1t is useless for the learned
editor of the Messenger to display
his crudition in two labored essays
to convict me of sentiment which
1 never held. l do not believe in
| separate schools, separate churches
or separate cars. l may be forced
to receive them, but never willingly
accept them. l always protest in
thought even when from prudence I
acquiescc in action. But as l have
studied Negro education in the South
and in the North, and have watched
the workings Of the two types Of in
upon the Negro child inevitably
forced itself upon my attention. I
might stop here to say, in passing,
that so far rs the Negro is concerned,
public schools in the proper sense of
the term do not exist anywhere in
the United States. The so-called
mixed schools are white schools
which the Negro pupil is permitted
to attend as tolerated recipient, but
the Negro is not Il cO-eQual factor,
or even a proportional factor, in con-
! tributing to or deriving from the
system the desired influence and
power. In great city like Pitts
burgh, where the managers and
teachers are all white, and more or
less actuated with the hauteur of
racial attitude, the Negro pupil cam
not feel that he is receiving the full
force and inspiration of public in
struction with free and untram-
mellcd spirit. Even in places where
colored teachers are employed they
are almost always young women in
the lower grades who impress no di-
receive influence and arc confined to
the narrow lines of specified instruc-
ton. The whole race was delighted
to see Miss Maria Baldwin, of Cam
bridge, function efficiently and in
tluentially as an eighth grade prin-
cipal in this famous college town.
But she represents both statutory
and solitary exception which the
most sanguinc scarcely hopes to see
duplicated in his day.
The Negro pupil in the North has
not in the past and is not now de-
irving from the public schools the
full benefit which they should I'M
part. There are one and a half mil
lion Negroes in the North whose chill
dren are in touch with the best school
facilities and advantages which our
civilization affords. Who is bold
enough to say that they impart to
the Negro child all that can be de-
sired?
Let us throw into comparison the
schools Of Washington under Negro
supervision and those Of Northern
cities where the Negro has no di-
receive say. Washington is surpass-
cd in Negro population by New York
and Philadelphia, and equalled by
that Of Chicago. And yet the ma
tional capital has more Negro pupils
on the secondary level of instruction
than these three cities combined. The
: inspiration effect of system can be
fairly gagged by the number of pu-
pills stimulated to pursue higher
courses of study. venture the
statement that Washington schools
have sent more colorcd students to
Harvard than Boston, more to CO.
lumbia than New York city, more to
! the University of Pennsylvania than
Philadelphia, and more to the Uni
versity of Chicago than Chicago.
There are three colorcd female doc
j tors of philosophy, all Of whom are
products of the Washington public
schools. When we consider that
! large number Of the high school
graduates each year enter the Nor
nal School to prepare for teaching,
r