History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880
Chapter 121 : SCHOOLS FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB AND THE BLIND.Inst.i.tution for the Colored Blind and De

SCHOOLS FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB AND THE BLIND.

Inst.i.tution for the Colored Blind and Deaf-Mutes Baltimore, Md. 1 30 North Carolina Inst.i.tution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind (Colored department) Raleigh, N. C. [ab]15 [a]60 ----- ----- Total 16 120

[a] In 1878.

[b] For all departments.

_Summary of statistics of inst.i.tutions for the instruction of the Colored race for 1879._

Inst.i.tutions for secondary States. Public schools. Normal schools. instruction.

----------------- -------------- -------------- [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [C] [D] [E]

Alabama 162,551 67,635 6 28 1,096 6 25 1,292 Arkansas 62,348 13,986 1 4 72 1 . .

Delaware 3,800 2,842 . . . . . .

Florida 42,001 18,795 . . . 1 5 140 Georgia 197,125 79,435 2 . 301 7 25 1,349 Kentucky 62,973 19,107 1 . . . . .

Louisiana 133,276 34,476 3 2 126 3 3 200 Maryland 63,591 27,457 2 9 265 1 . 50 Mississippi 205,936 111,796 2 10 142 2 4 45 Missouri 39,018 20,700 1 6 139 . . .

North Carolina 154,841 85,215 5 17 542 6 17 527 Ohio . . . . . 1 4 64 Pennsylvania . . 1 . 300 . . .

South Carolina 144,315 64,095 4 14 929 6 24 1,026 Tennessee 126,288 55,829 7 42 1,378 2 2 76 Texas 47,842 35,896 2 6 207 2 3 123 Virginia 202,852 35,768 2 36 560 3 8 405 West Virginia 7,279 3,775 . . . . . .

District of Columbia 12,374 9,045 3 7 114 1 . .

--------- ------- -- --- ----- -- --- ----- Total 1,668,410 685,942 42 181 6,171 42 120 5,297

Transcriber's Note: The following column heading text appeared directly above the respective columns. The text is shown here only to minimize the table width.

[A] School population.

[B] Enrolment.

[C] Schools.

[D] Teachers.

[E] Pupils.

_Summary of statistics of inst.i.tutions for the instruction of the Colored race for 1879._--Continued.

Universities and Schools of colleges. theology. Schools of law.

------------------- ------------------ ---------------- Pupils. Pupils. Pupils.

States Teachers. | Teachers. | Teachers. | Schools. | | Schools. | | Schools. | | | | | | | | | | | Alabama . . . 3 3 14 . . .

Georgia 1 13 71 1 3 113 . . .

Kentucky 1 12 180 . . . . . .

Louisiana 3 22 443 3 4 92 1 4 28 Maryland . . . 1 6 29 . . .

Mississippi 2 16 453 2 4 48 1 1 6 North Carolina 1 9 151 3 8 73 . . .

Ohio 1 15 150 1 7 16 . . .

Pennsylvania 1 9 74 1 7 22 . . .

South Carolina 1 10 165 1 2 28 . . .

Tennessee 2 26 213 3 12 107 . . .

Texas 1 . . . . . . . .

Virginia 1 . . 1 10 86 . . .

District of Columbia 1 5 33 2 13 134 1 3 8 -- --- ----- -- -- --- - - -- Total 16 137 1,933 22 79 762 3 8 42

_Summary of statistics of inst.i.tutions for the instruction of the Colored race for 1879._--Continued.

Schools for the deaf and dumb and Schools of medicine. the blind.

-------------------- ------------------ Pupils. Pupils.

States Teachers. | Teachers. | Schools. | | Schools. | | | | | | | | Louisiana 1 5 8 . . .

Maryland . . . 1 1 30 Mississippi 1 1 4 . . .

North Carolina . . . 1 15 90 Tennessee 1 9 22 . . .

District of Columbia 1 8 65 . . .

- -- -- - -- --- Total 4 23 99 2 16 120

_Table showing the number of schools for the Colored race and enrolment in them by inst.i.tutions without reference to States._

Cla.s.s of inst.i.tutions. Schools. Enrolment.

--------- ---------- Public schools [a]14,341 [a]585,942 Normal schools 42 6,171 Inst.i.tutions for secondary instruction 42 5,297 Universities and colleges 16 1,933 Schools of theology 22 762 Schools of law 3 42 Schools of medicine 4 99 Schools for the deaf and dumb and the blind 2 120 ------ ------- Total 14,472 700,366

[a] To these should be added 417 schools, having an enrolment of 20,487 in reporting free States, making total number of Colored public schools 14,758, and total enrolment in them 706,429; this makes the total number of schools, as far as reported, 14,889, and total number of the Colored race under instruction in them 720,853. The Colored public schools of those States in which no separate reports are made, however, are not included; and the Colored pupils in white schools cannot be enumerated.

Virginia has done more intelligent and effective educational work than any other State in the South. The Hon. W. H. Ruffner has no equal in America as a superintendent of public instruction. He is the Horace Mann of the South.

It appears from the reports of the Freedmen's Bureau that the earliest school for freedmen was opened by the American Missionary a.s.sociation at Fortress Monroe, September, 1861; and before the close of the war, Hampton and Norfolk were leading points where educational operations were conducted; but after the cessation of hostilities, teachers were sent from Northern States, and schools for freedmen were opened in all parts of the State.

The Colored normal school at Richmond, and the one at Hampton, were commenced in 1867 and 1868. Captain C. S. Schaeffer, Bureau officer at Christiansburg, commenced his remarkable efforts about the same time in Montgomery County.

School superintendents for each State were appointed by the Freedmen's Bureau, July 12, 1865, and a general superintendent, or "Inspector of Schools," was appointed in September, 1865. These superintendents were instructed "to work as much as possible in conjunction with State officers, who may have had school matters in charge, and to take cognizance of all that was being done to educate refugees and freedmen." In 1866 an act of Congress was pa.s.sed enlarging the powers of the Bureau, and partially consolidating all the societies and agencies engaged in educational work among the freedmen. In this bill $521,000 were appropriated for carrying on the work, to which was to be added forfeitures of property owned by the Confederate Government.

Up to January 1, 1868, over a million of dollars was expended for school purposes among the freedmen. In Virginia 12,450 pupils are reported for 1867. Mr. Manly, the Virginia superintendent, reports the following statistics for the year 1867-8: Schools, 230; teachers, 290; pupils enrolled, 14,300; in average attendance, 10,320; the cost as follows:

From Charity $78,766 From the Freedmen 10,789 From the Bureau 42,844 -------- Total Cost $132,399

The amount raised from freedmen was in the form of small tuition fees of from ten to fifty cents a month--a system approved by Mr. Manly.

In the final report to the Freedmen's Bureau, made July 1, 1870, the Virginia statistics are: Schools, 344; teachers, 412; pupils, 18,234; the average attendance, 78 per cent. This year the freedmen paid $12,286.50 for tuition. Mr. C. S. Schaeffer and Mr. Samuel H. Jones, who remained in Virginia as teachers--the former still at Christiansburg, and the latter, until very lately, at Danville--both acted as a.s.sistants to Mr. Manly. A considerable number of school-houses were built in Virginia by the Bureau, including the splendid normal and high school building in Richmond, erected and equipped at a cost of $25,000, and afterward turned over to the city.

After the conclusion of his superintendency, Mr. Manly continued for several years to do valuable service as princ.i.p.al of this school.

"The Freedmen's Bureau ceased its educational operations in the summer of 1870, and in the autumn of that year our State public schools were opened. So that, counting from the beginning of the mission school at Hampton in 1861, there has been an unbroken succession of schools for freedmen in one region for nineteen years; and at a number of leading points in the State--such as Norfolk, Richmond, Petersburg, Danville, Charlottesville, Christiansburg, etc.--an unbroken line of schools for fourteen years and upwards. These efforts, however, of the Federal Government toward educating the rising generation of Colored people, could not have been designed as any thing more than an experiment, intended first to test and then to stimulate the appet.i.te of those people for learning. And in this view they were entirely successful in both particulars; for the children flocked to the schools, attended well, made good progress in knowledge, and paid a surprising amount of money for tuition.

"But, considered as a serious attempt to educate the children of the freedmen, the movement was wholly inadequate, even when contrasted with the operations of our imperfect State system. The largest number enrolled in the schools supported by the combined efforts of the Bureau, the charitable societies, and the tuition fees, was 18,234, in 1870. The next year we had in our public schools considerably over double this number, and an annual increase ever since, always excepting those two dark years (_tenebricosus and tenebricosissimus_), 1878 and 1879."[118]

"Two inst.i.tutions for the education of the Colored race, founded before the beginning of our school, system, are still in successful operation, but remain independent of our school system. One of them has some connection with the State by reason of the receipt of one-third of the proceeds of the Congressional land-grant for education. I refer to the well-known Hampton Normal and Agricultural Inst.i.tute, and the Richmond Colored Inst.i.tute. Nothing need be said in reference to the Hampton School, except that its numbers and usefulness are constantly increasing under the continued superintendence of the indomitable Gen. Armstrong. Its reports, which are published every year as State doc.u.ments in connection with the Report of this department, are so accessible to all, that I will only repeat here the testimony often given, that in my opinion this is the most valuable of all the schools opened on this Continent for Colored people. Its most direct benefit is in furnis.h.i.+ng to our State schools a much-needed annual contribution of teachers; and teachers so good and acceptable that the demand for them is always much greater than the supply.

"The Richmond Inst.i.tute has more of a theological intent, but it also sends out many good teachers. As a school it has prospered steadily under the excellent management of the Rev. C. H. Corey, D.D.; and it will soon be accommodated in a large new and handsome building. Both these inst.i.tutions receive their support chiefly from the North."[119]

It will be seen that the tables we give refer only to the work done in educating the Negro in the Southern States. Much has been done in the Northern States, but in quite a different manner. The work of education for the Negro at the South had to begin at the bottom. There were no schools at all for this people; and hence the work began with the alphabet. And there could be no cla.s.sification of the scholars.

All the way from six to sixty the pupils ranged in age; and even some who had given slavery a century of their existence--mothers and fathers in Israel--crowded the schools established for their race.

Some ministers of the Gospel after a half century of preaching entered school to learn how to spell out the names of the twelve Apostles. Old women who had lived out their threescore years and ten prayed that they might live to spell out the Lord's prayer, while the modest request of many departing patriarchs was that they might recognize the Lord's name in print. The sacrifices they made for themselves and children challenged the admiration of even their former owners.

The unlettered Negroes of the South carried into the school-room an inborn love of music, an excellent memory, and a good taste for the elegant--almost grandiloquent--in speech, gorgeous in imagery, and energetic in narration; their apostrophe and simile were wonderful.

Geography and history furnished great attractions, and they developed ability to master them. In mathematics they did not do so well, on account of the lack of training to think consecutively and methodically. It is a mistake to believe this a mental infirmity of the race; for a very large number of the students in college at the present time do as well in mathematics, geometry, trigonometry, mensuration, and conic sections as the white students of the same age; and some of them excel in mathematics.

The majority of the Colored students in the Southern schools qualify themselves to teach and preach; while the remainder go to law and medicine. Few educated Colored men ever return to agricultural life.

There are two reasons for this: First, reaction. There is an erroneous idea among some of these young men that labor is dishonorable; that an educated man should never work with his hands. Second, some of them believe that a profession gives a man consequence. Such silly ideas should be abandoned--they must be abandoned! There is a great demand for educated farmers and laborers. It requires an intelligent man to conduct a farm successfully, to sell the products of his labor, and to buy the necessaries of life. No profession can furnish a man with brains, or provide him a garment of respectability. Every man must furnish brains and tact to make his calling and election sure in this world, as well as by faith in the world to come. Unfortunately there has been but little opportunity for Colored men or boys to get employment at the trades: but prejudice is gradually giving way to reason and common-sense; and the day is not distant when the Negro will have a free field in this country, and will then be responsible for what he is not that is good. The need of the hour is a varied employment for the Negro race on this continent. There is more need of educated mechanics, civil engineers, surveyors, printers, artificers, inventors, architects, builders, merchants, and bankers than there is demand for lawyers, physicians, or clergymen. Waiters, barbers, porters, boot-blacks, hack-drivers, grooms, and private valets find but little time for the expansion of their intellects. These places are not dishonorable; but what we say is, _there is room at the top_!

An industrial school, something like Cooper Inst.i.tute, situated between New York and Philadelphia, where Colored boys and girls could learn the trades that race prejudice denies them now, would be the grandest inst.i.tution of modern times. It matters not how many million dollars are given toward the education of the Negro; so long as he is deprived of the privilege of learning and plying the trades and mechanic arts his education will injure rather than help him.[120] We would rather see a Negro boy build an engine than take the highest prize in Yale or Harvard.

It is quite difficult to get at a clear idea of what has been done in the Northern States toward the education of the Colored people. In nearly all the States on the borders of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers "Colored schools" still exist; and in many instances are kept alive through the spirit of the self-seeking of a few Colored persons who draw salaries in lieu of their continuance. They should be abolished, and will be, as surely as heat follows light and the rising of the sun. In the New England, Middle, and extreme Western States, with the exception of Kansas, separate schools do not exist. The doors of all colleges, founded and conducted by the white people in the North, are open to the Colored people who desire to avail themselves of an academic education. At the present time there are one hundred and sixty-nine Colored students in seventy white colleges in the Northern States; and the presidents say they are doing well.