Atlantic monthly Volume 34

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1874 ... "But what if the public schools should, by such a procedure, be broken np; what then would be the value of this right?" They answered the question by "We had not thought of that. It was probably a mistake; but we followed the advice of our member of Congress, who said to us, ' That is the way to get equal schools.'" This same member of Congress afterwards admitted his mistake, and said that he would vote against mixed schools, and would induce his many friends to do the same. A colored member from South Carolina said to the writer about the same "All we desire is to have equality in the schools. We do not wish to enter the white schools. We have now by our State laws the right to do so, but do not choose to exercise it." Other colored members made statements to the same effect. When some Northern Congressmen, who favored the mixture of the races in schools, were told of this, they were both surprised and disgusted, one of them saying that, if this were so, he would drop from the Civil Rights Bill the clause relating to schools, and another declaring that he would not, nnder any circumstances. These negro petitions are of doubtful paternity, and by no means represent the sentiments of the great body of the thinking and sober-minded colored people of the South. On some public occasion a crowd of people are told that they can have their choice between colored and white schools; but they are not told that in attempting to secure this right they will hazard all the means of education which they now enjoy, and will probably hare neither a choice of schools, nor any schools at all. Wherever they have had their attention directed to this point, they have regretted having taken any action on the subject, and would recall ...