Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-24

ent In other integrated or in
Observation-Disclosures Virginia
communities like Arlington.
Warren County. Charlottes-
vile and Norfolk.
Each Of the other areas has
an organized "save-our-
schools" movement under way.
but a three-day tour Of Prince
Edward failed to turn UP even
one such advocate among
white persons here.
Last year." said Supt. Nc
Ilwaine, "the supervisors, the
School Board and the white
citizens showed they we're OPP
posed to spending any money
for school construction Of any
kind"
About 4.500 white citizens
practically the entire adult
white population-filed with
the Circuit Court a petition de-
claring they prefer Ito ADAM
don public schools and educate
our children in some other
way if that be necessary to
have separate schools"
j. Barrye Wall, jr., attorney
for the Prince Edward Educa-
ton Corp. mentioned this Pc
tition as an example of the
! feeling among white citizens.
Prince Edward Factors
Other than the solid deter
mination of its white citizens.
there are other factors that
set this area apart from the
five other affected commune
ties:
/. Negro children constitute
81 per cent Of the total enroll
ment-1,747 Negroes to 1,487
white. There are slightly more
white children in high school,
499 to 463, but Negroes are in
the majority in elementary
grades, 1924 to 98S. tThe 1850
census placed the total popu-
lation at $3.50 white and $3.50
Negro.
2. Negroes have the newest.
most modern and costliest high
school. The colored r. r. Mo-
ton High School, built in 1858
for $948,000, has a replace
ment value today of over 81
million, according to Supt.
McIlwaine. Farmville High
School for white children, was
built in 1927 and 1887 at a
cost Of $4,000 and is valued
today at $450.000. The white
consolidated Worsham School,
has six high school classes,
was built in 1928 and has been
altered several times with a
present value Of $150,000.
3. Outside Farmville, Negro
and white residential patterns
are scattered. Thus, the posi-
bility of minimizing classroom
mixing by districts is much
more difficult here than in
areas with more definitely de-
fined white and Negro Sec
tons.
4. An estimated 80 per cent
of the inhabitants have lived
here all their lives. There is
no transient population to
speak of and relatively few
imported" citizens bringing
in other customs and attitudes.
Strike by Negro Pupils
Prince Edwards present ra-
cial problems pre-date the
Supreme Court decision by
several years but may be said
to have received their impetus
from a strike by the 400 Ne
gro students at the Motion
High School on April %. 1851.
Oliver w. Hill of Richmond,
counsel for the NAACP who
represented plaintiffs in the
Prince Edward case, said the
original Motion High School in
Farmville was Allied beyond
capacity" the day it opened in
1899. Temporary buildings
took care of some classrooms
"and the war came along and
they had a good excuse for
not doing anything about it,"
Mr.. Hill added.
Mr.. McIlwaine said school
officials were aware Of the in
adequate facilities and were
already well along with plans
for the present $948,000 mod
ern building when the chill
dren walked out Of classrooms.
Up to that point, both Mr..