Year: 1879

THE HOWARD SCHOOL.


It's Present COndlaiOa-Koem 70
InpsOysm sment. -tf'


II has besn my privilege ID be pres
ent at quite q number Of school exami


nations and Commencemsnts durinl


tho past month. The last exercise


attended was the Commencement Of TIL


Colored High School Of Philadelphia


held in Association Hall, on the 2Stl
of June. The exercises were grant
and did credit TO both teachers ant


scholars. u am very sorry canno
speak so favorably Of the condition ant
adv ancement of the Howard Coloret


School of this city. When on the 25tl
of June, on invitation, attended tn
closing examination. On entering


was quite surprised to see no provision


made whatever for seating visitors


was indeed more than surprised to se'


no effort made to secure seats for th'
aged mothers, who had come ont, ,leav


ing a days labor in whose earnings
perhaps was the Morrow's bread, II


witness the progress Of their dear chill
dren. ....
ADVANCEMENT OF SCHOLARS.
There are six teachers employed; twt
of these are colOred, the other four are


white. These teachers have six differ
ent rooms. After the examination com


mencsd the first thing noticed was,
that the school is not graded and as 1
natural consequence some of thu
scholars Of the lowest room, primary, arr
as far advanced as many in the I'd and
Sd rooms. The whole examination con
sisted in little reading, spelling and
arithmetic as far a. fractions; except
one Of the colored teachers. who had
succeeded in preparing some Of her
scholars on few questions in primary
geography which consisted mainly in
the situation, population and manu-.
featuring interests ofthe city Of Will.
mington.


l do not think that any Of us need
entertain the least fear Of there being
an Exodus from here to Kansas or an
other place soon with such a limited
know ledge of geography. | will also
say just here that was evident to every
unprejudicsd mind present, that of the
six teachers the two colored are really
doing more good and succeeding better
az teachers of their own race than the
white teachers are, and this is all very
natural, first because the colorsd teach
ers are necessarily more interested in
the work. And secondly, the scholars
though ever SO small can easily discern
the degrees Of interest. The number Of
scholars present on that day was about
$50. Now here are six teachers being
paid by the public's money and doing
no more work, and that not near as we'll j,
as have seen half the number of
teachers do in many such schools.


SOME OF THE CAUSES OF DISSATISFACTION


AMONG PARENTS AND THEREFORE, SCHOOL


NOT BETTER ATTENDED.


1t is not my object to rest the fault
with the teachers, it does not stop there
The fanlt is in the directors OF public
education. They should see that the
school is properly graded. lfit is in
tended for a preparatory school to some
higher school in the city it should be
so graded and taught. If it is tho in
tenton that the c0lored children shall
have only primary education then
grade the school accordingly and when
the scholars are through send them out
and do not keep them forever, year 'af-
ter year, going over the same things
and when they make application to be
taught in higher branches such as
grammar, &C., forever meeting the re-
ply from the teacher of not having
time.


These are only a part of the reasons
why the people are dissatisfied and
why the school is not better and more
attended. have said moth
ing ofthe feelings of those parents who
are trying to bring their children up
to be useful men and women when they
see the policemen going into the school
where their children have to be sent,
to help the teacher keep order. Nor
need attempt to describe the dissatis,
faction of the number of parents who
will not allow their children to enter
the school for fear of utter moral de-
pravity. Time nor space will not al
ow me to 60 10 details. The half has
not been told.


The COLoRED PEOPLE DEPRIVED OF THEIR


RIGHTS AS CITIZENS.


If it is intended that the colored
children shall be kept in separate
schools (Which l purpose to show is an
Injustice to them even II it were equal
n other respects to the white schools)
Why do them an additional wrong by
putting whits teachers over them when
olored teachers can and do fill the pos
tions with much more success can
los see why one portion of the schol.
Irs are too good to be mixed while
he teachers are not. There is on
Oue uOuOIaule way VI nuANluS tulS
problem and that is on account of there
upsrior mental development. This
peaks we'll for the latter but very bad.
y indeed for the former. If the colored
nan is Gas granted) an American citi
en- then what ever is an advantage to
america is an advantage to him.


Advancement in this city or state, or
wen in the United States can only b.
ontinued by the intellectual and moral
development Of the young. The pro-
ress Of every nation is the progress of
he people who compose it. 1t is evil
lent that the colored man is capable of
his development from the fact Of his
laving power like other men. The
'ower of intellect, Of love, of conscience,
t knowing God, of perceiving the
of acting on his own mind,
n outward nature and his own fellow
nan, these are all prerogative of every
nan's nature. Yet with all of these en-