OCR Text |
Show GREELEY ON MIXED SCHOOLS Mr. Greeley, shortly after his nomination nom-ination for the Presidency, addressed a meeting of colored people as follows : 'In the next place wo must consider tho fact that the African people in our country will remain for an indefinito feriod a peculiar people. Certainly, trust that with tho outgoing of slavery slav-ery and the political changes necessarily necessar-ily resulting therefrom, there will be less antagonism, less repulsion, be tween men of different races, than thero formerly was. I trust the day is not far distant when the common rights of blacks in public conveyances and in public meetings and institutions institu-tions will be reeognized as they were not recognized of old, and as they are but imperfectly recognized still. 1 trust that their political equality, lately established, will load to a recognition recog-nition of their equality in other respects re-spects than this; but, after all, while I desire and expect that invidious and galling distinctions will gradually fall into uisuso, i still nencve unit tnero are differences of race which political equality will not efface, but which will remain long after tho memory of slavery slav-ery has faded, to a faint tradition. 'Biood is thicker than water;' and tho lime will probably never come when men of races so diverse as ours and theirs will mingle socially with the same freedom that men of either race mingle with their own people. Thoro will always be recognized a decided difference, which need not bo disparity, need not be inequality, but still a difference. dif-ference. I hope tho time will come when our educational institutions and seminaries will be open to men of all races with a freedom, with a hospitality, hos-pitality, which has never yet been enjoyed. I trust tho time will come when no man's color will cs-olude cs-olude him from any church or any religious organization whatever. But though that time should come, I am not at all sure that the colored race will not, as they now do as a rule, pre- have churches and feminarien and colleges of their own. Nor am I clear that this would not bo a wise choice. So then, I say, with regard to our common com-mon schools, whero a rural district contains con-tains but twenty-five or thirty families, it is simply impossible, where two or three of those arc colored, two have separate schools, and in these cares, to say that black children shall not go to school with while children is to say that they shall not have any schooling whatever. But in communities such us this, while, if were a bltick man, I should not ask for a separate school, yet I should still say if the whites chose fo have separate schools I should not object to it. I should only ask that the schools for my children should be made as good, as efficient, as the schools provided for other men's children. Then, if tho majority chose that the minority should be educated in separate schools, I would say, 'Gentlemen, 'Gen-tlemen, be it as you pleaso ; 1 have no choice in the matter.' A gentleman or lady nover discuses the question. Was it proper to refuse mo on invita-tation invita-tation to my neighbor's party. He or she accepts the f'act.nnd lots the reason take care of itself. Precisely so with regard to religious fraternity or associations associa-tions for maintenance of divine worship. wor-ship. I would advise the colored race never to make a distinction, and never to refuse one. It the whites chose that the blacks shall not be members on equal terms of general ooogrcgations, I would except exclusive congregations, not as my ohoice, but as tho choice of the dominant race." |