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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS —Sept. 3, 1954 —PAGE 15 Ashmore Book Traces Origin of School System the NEGRO AND THE SCHOOLS. By Harrv S. Ashmore. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, N. C. $2.75 and $1.50. he Negro and the Schools, pub lished by the University of North Carolina Press on the eve of the United States Supreme Court ruling in the school segregation cases, has earned general acceptance in both the South and non-South as the most complete and objective work of its kind available to educators and lay men who are concerned with the practical results of the historic new legal precedent. The book, written by Harry S. Ash more, a native of South Carolina and now executive editor of the Arkansas Gazette, traces the history of bi-racial education in the United States from its inception in the post-Civil War period to the time of the Supreme Court decision. Here are set forth the major legal trends under which the states were allowed to maintain “separate but equal” public schools under the Plessy doctrine enunciated by the Supreme Court in 1896, and over turned by the Court in May. But the legal history is developed in the con text of the continuing change in race relations in the nation—the univer sal acceptance of legal segregation in the Booker T. Washington era in the South, the return of the franchise to the Negro in the thirties and the un leashing of new political forces, the admission of Negroes to Southern universities in the post-World War H era, the ending of segregation in the armed services, and the new anti- discrimination policies adopted by both major political parties. Here too is a charting of population trends in the periods of great out migration of Negroes from the South, which have pulled down the regional proportion of Negroes to whites and altered some of the basic social com putations which had determined the patterns of racial relationships. While making no attempt to argue the case for or against segregation, Correspondence Continued From Page 1 on the publication of a monthly publi cation from September, 1954, througn January, 1955, and a semi-monthly publication from February through June, 1955, a total of 15 issues at an estimated cost of $1,000 per issue. Other unknowns include the number of persons other than our regular correspondents who will be needed, and the exact cost of printing and mailing. Our present budget projections, we believe, are minimum and modest, and we expect to re-examine them after the first three months or so of operation. Our Board has felt it wise not to attempt to look beyond June 30, 1955 with respect to the opera tions of the Reporting Service. The decision on this matter can best be niade after six to nine months of op eration. Request for grant Now that our operating plans and budget have been developed, we wish to request that a grant of $99,200 be wade by the Fund for the Advance- went of Education to the George Pea body College for Teachers, as fiscal agent for the Southern Education Reporting Service, for the purpose °f supporting the initial establish ment and operations of the SERS for we period beginning' June 6, 1954, wid ending June 30, 1955. This re quest is based on our initial budget estimate, a copy of which is enclosed along with the minutes of the first f < ?^ nee ^ n § s °f our Board and a copy ° * r • press release announcing the es ablishment of the Reporting Serv- lce. We would appreciate the oppor tunity to review with officials of the anH t he ade 1 uac y °f this budget £ , the requested grant at the ti °q. t ee or f° ur months of opera- imilarly, we would appreciate e opportunity to review the whole q estlon °f the future of the SERS The Negro and the Schools sharply defines the major problems now fac ing the Southern states—whether they choose to move toward inte gration of their traditionally separate schools, or attempt to maintain seg regation in the face of the Court deci sion. The book also contains charts and tables with the latest figures, states by state, that go into the meas urement of both the progress and deficiencies of the dual school system. The book is the first product of research conducted by some 50 ex perts in the various fields involved, most of them staff members of South ern universities. The undertaking was financed by a grant from the Fund for the Advancement of Ed ucation, an independent agency es tablished by the Ford Foundation. Three subsequent volumes are sched uled for early publication, developing the researchers’ findings in more de tail in the fields of public school ad ministration and finance, the actual experience of non-Southern com munities that have made the transi tion from segregation to integration, and the experience of Southern uni versities with integration. These will also be published by the University of North Carolina Press. The Negro and the Schools was ex tensively and sympathetically re viewed by most of the nation’s news papers, and has been universally praised for its objectivity. It is be ing used as a handbook by many educators as they carry out one of the work’s major premises—“in the end the new patterns will have to be hammered out across the table in thousands of scattered school dis tricts, and they will have to be shaped to accommodate not only the needs but the prejudices of whites and Ne groes to whom these problems are not abstractions but the essence of their daily lives.” The book is available in both hard back and paper editions at all book stores, and also may be ordered in quantity at discount rates directly from the University of North Caro lina Press, Chapel Hill, N.C. after the first six to nine months of operation. Naturally, we are not at this time suggesting or requesting that the Fund for the Advancement of Education commit itself in any way to support beyond June 30,1955. We appreciate the fact that the Fund has already made a deposit of $2,500 to the George Peobody College for Teachers to be used in defraying costs of initial establishment of the SERS and we understand that this amount will be treated as an advance payment against the anticipated grant herein requested. Provisions have already been made with the business office of Peabody College to maintain a full and ac curate record of all expenditures of the SERS and to render a full ac counting to the Fund for the Ad vancement of Education for the peri od beginning June 6,1954, and ending June 30, 1955. It is also understood that any portion of the requested grant which remains unused will be returned to the Fund. Sincerely, Virginius Dabney (Note: SERS has since been incor porated under Tennessee law as a general welfare corporation.) New York, N. Y. July 14, 1954 Mr. Virginius Dabney, Editor The Richmond Times-Dispatch Richmond, 11, Virginia Dear Mr. Dabney: am delighted to respond to your letter of July 5, 1954 to Mr. Clar ence Faust, in which you request support for the recently established Southern Education Reporting Serv ice for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1955. We understand that the Board of Directors of the SERS will maintain an impartial reporting service to pro vide accurate and unbiased informa tion concerning the adjustments which various communities in the southern region make as a result of the Supreme Court’s recent opinion and forthcoming decrees in the five cases involving segregation in the public schools. We understand further that the aim of the SERS is to assist responsible local and state leaders in the southern area, and particularly school admin istrators, in developing practical and constructive solutions to their own particular school problems by sup plying them with objective facts about the developments in other communities. We also understand that Mr. C. A. McRnight, editor of The Charlotte News has agreed to serve as executive director of this program for the coming year, that headquarters have been established in Nashville, Tennessee, and that ar rangements have been made to re cruit a small staff to work with Mr. McKnight. In addition, we under stand that eighteen field correspond ents have been selected to provide the basic information from the Dis trict of Columbia and the seventeen states whose public school laws are affected by the recent Supreme Court opinion. We note from your letter that the proposed budget for the coming year is an initial estimate and that you propose to review the whole question of the future of the SERS after the first six or nine months of operation and that at an earlier date you will review the adequacy of the estimated budget. We shall, of course, be pleased to discuss these questions with you whenever you feel it ap propriate. We note that in your let ter you emphasize that the Fund could not or should not commit it self to additional support beyond June 30, 1955. With these understandings, I am pleased to advise you that the Fund is granting $96,700 to George Peabody College for Teachers, in accordance with your request, to support the ac tivities of the Southern Education Reporting Service for the period be ginning June 6,1954 through June 30, 1955. This grant supplements our earlier grant of $2,500, described in my letter addressed to Mr. Herbert Clark of George Peabody College dated June 23, 1954, thus aggregating a total allotment of $99,200 to this program for the period indicated. We have received word from President Hill that the George Pea body College for Teachers will be happy to render fiscal and accounting services for the SERS from the pres ent time through June 20, 1955. We are delighted with this arrangement and I am taking the liberty of send ing President Hill a copy of this let ter. We assume that you and Mr. Mc Knight will submit a report of the activities of the SERS shortly follow ing June 30, 1955, including an ap propriate financial acounting for our records. As is customary in such cases, any portion of the funds not used for the purposes of this grant are to be returned. We propose to make payments un der this grant according to the fol lowing schedule: $25,000 in July, 1954; $25,000 in October, 1954; $25,000 in January, 1955; and $21,700 in April, 1955. It is the Fund’s policy not to make public announcements of grants, but rather to leave this to the grantee. We would, however, appreciate re ceiving an advance copy of any pub licity release you may make so that we may check any reference to the Fund. On behalf of the Board and officers of the Fund, I wish to say finally that we are delighted that you and your associates are undertaking this im portant project. We are pleased to be of assistance in this important pub lic service. We look forward with eager anticipation to the results from the Southern Education Reporting Service. Sincerely yours John K. Weiss, Treasurer Nashville, Tenn. July 6, 1954 Dear Mr. Faust: r J'HE Board of Directors of the Southern Education Reporting Service at its meeting in Nashville on June 6, 1954 passed a resolution re questing the George Peabody College for Teachers to serve as fiscal agent for the SERS for the period ending June 30,1955. Peabody is very happy to under take to render these services. I have examined the letter of July 5 from Mr. Virginius Dabney, Chair man of the SERS Board of Directors, to the Fund for the Advancement of Education requesting a grant of $99,- 200 to support the operations of the SERS. At this time I would like to indicate the willingness of Peabody College to accept this grant in behalf of the SERS and to render the fiscal services described in Mr. Dabney’s letter. I believe you have on file a copy of a letter from the Bureau of In ternal Revenue certifying the tax- exempt status of Peabody College un der Section 101-6 of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code. I wish at this time to certify that this tax-exempt status is still valid. Sincerely, Henry H. Hill New York, N. Y. July 14, 1954 Dr. Henry H. Hill, President George Peabody College for Teachers Nashville, Tennessee Dear Dr. Hill: r T'HANK you so much for your let- of July 6 to Mr. Faust. We ap preciate your willingness to accept the grant in behalf of the Southern Education Reporting Service, and I have written to Mr. Dabney that we are making the grant to George Pea body College for Teachers. A copy of my letter is enclosed. Thank you also for the verification of your tax-exempt status. You will be receiving a check in a few days. Sincerely, John K. Weiss Assistant Vice President Maryland Continued from Page 7 cational leaders of Baltimore “for their immediate implementation of the Supreme Court decision” and also the state superintendent of schools and the State Board of Education “for the unequivocal statement of intent to conform to the mandate of the Su preme Court.” ACTION OF CONFERENCE The conference heard reports on the problems which may arise from integration and adopted a series of “assumptions.” Three of these were as follows: We assume that in each county specific plans will be made for preparing teachers and administrative personnel, both white and Negro, for integrated schools. We be lieve there are many negative factors, emotional and attitudinal, which can be eliminated through careful planning and preparation. We assume that there will be specific plans for preparing pupils, both Negro and white, for integrated schools. Chil dren reflect in their personalities the mores of the community in which they live. Planning and preparation will pay large dividends in Americanism. The school children are but one popu lation of many concerned with this prob lem. We assume that each county will make specific plans to enlist the coopera tion of parents, community leaders and community agencies, both Negro and white, in the development of positive at titudes for integrated schools. Whether the counties will under take any such preparatory program depends on the findings of the com mittee of school superintendents set up by the State Board of Education to study the ways and means of bring ing about integration on a state-wide basis. In Baltimore, where integration is to begin in September, no psychol ogical preparations have been made or special techniques enunciated or “do’s” and “dont’s” distributed, except for Dr. Fischer’s speech at a special teachers conference in June, at which he said that “there is abundant evi dence that good will and good sense are widely distributed among our people and that those qualities are characteristic of both our races.” Dr. Fischer says that his department be lieves in a policy of “doing what comes naturally” when mixed groups meet, rather than magnifying the problem by discussing it ahead of time. NO ORGANIZED OPPOSITION Both city and state school officials say they know of no organized resist ance to school integration, and it is true that the Supreme Court decision has been received quietly throughout most of Maryland. But at least one group is working against integration —the Maryland Petition Committee, the address of which is General De livery, Jessups, Md. A letter of in quiry as to meetings which the com mittee has held and the support it has received brought forth the answer from Mrs. D. B. Wieland, secretary, that “we do not consider it approp riate at this time to disclose full de tails as to our procedures and ac complishments.” As part of the readjustment init iated by the Supreme Court decision, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City decided on June 26 to eliminate segregation in its thirteen low-rent public housing projects. Several months will be required to put the new policy into effect, G. Cheston Carey, chairman of the authority ex plained, but immediate steps will be taken toward “eliminating the factor of race in the selection of eligible tenants.” The change, which some ob servers believe will pose more prob lems than school integration, was made in recognition of “a clear trend toward the abandonment of policies sanctioning segregation.” Texas Continued From Page 11 compulsory segregation. Local boards have taken these requests under ad visement. According to one view, there will be no effort made in court to admit a Negro to public school in Texas until the U.S. Supreme Court writes its decree. The appearances before local boards, according to this view, are mainly efforts of Negro leaders to get on record and to con vince their followers that the pressure for ending segregation will be kept up. In some counties, particularly West Texas where there are few Negroes, local authorities might welcome a chance to admit all children to the same school. Transporting a few chil dren, sometimes 50 miles or more daily, is inconvenient and expensive. In such areas, racial prejudice usually is less than in places where Negroes live in great numbers. Most Texas Negroes live in the eastern third of the state and in cities like Houston and Dallas. ONLY ONE INCIDENT The only violence in Texas so far attributed to the school segregation occurred on July 18 in Sulphur Springs, Northeast Texas. Two shotgun blasts and seven .38 caliber pistol slugs were fired into the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Ridge at night, when the couple was away. Ridge is local chairman of the NAACP and had petitioned the Sul phur Springs school board the week before to admit Negroes. The Associated Press reported that “For two years, parents of several Negro school children have been picketing the town’s only school for Negroes on grounds its facilities are not equal to those for white children. Ridge has said he has nothing to do with the picketing.” Texas educators, discussing seg regation, usually point out that Spanish-speaking students in Texas add to the difficulty of their problem. This racial minority, about as numer ous as Negroes, are a social, health and economic problem also. Most of these children come from Mexican parentage. Notice With a few exceptions, all per sons on the mailing list of “South ern School News” have either re quested that this publication be sent them, or a request has been made for them. For example, local superintendents have been covered by blanket requests from their chief state school of ficers. There was not time prior to publication of the first issue to exchange correspondence with officials of several associations and to receive requests covering their memberships. Because of the documentary nature of the first issue, SERS decided to distribute several hun dred copies to newspapers and public libraries before official re quests were received. This does not signify any change in SERS policy—that “Southern School News” is distributed upon direct or indirect request only.