The American Missionary | Page 4

noted, can
under certain conditions educate his child. He is excluded absolutely
from the best educational institutions in the State if these admit pupils
of both white and colored parentage. The defiance of the law was in

obedience to a definite determination on the part of the American
Missionary Association to make a distinct test of the statute."
From the Boston Daily Advertiser:
"The Sheats law in Florida was passed through the influence of malice,
prejudice, and partisan venom. Efforts have been made in other
Southern States to perpetrate similar outrages, but for the most part
without avail. The better public sentiment all over the South is strongly
against such meanness. This better sentiment has asserted itself
successfully elsewhere, and we do not doubt that it will do so very soon
in Florida."
From the Boston Journal:
"The American Missionary Association will be sustained by an
enlightened public sentiment in fighting to the last resort the outrageous
Florida law which makes it a crime to teach colored and white pupils in
the same school."
These comments are but samples of the sentiment which comes to the
Association respecting this attempt to challenge the constitutional
amendment which came with the emancipation of the colored people
from slavery. But now there is

A SECOND CHAPTER.
After the teachers were arrested it was supposed that this would be the
end of the persecution until the statute should be tested by the courts.
Accordingly they returned to the work in the school as before. On the
4th of May the Sheriff was instructed by the State Attorney to inquire
into this continued violation of the law, and if he found the school to be
going on as before, to arrest and rearrest, as long as the school should
be continued. In consequence the school was forced to close its
sessions, as the teachers were informed that they would be arrested
over and over again, and that new bail would be required for every
successive day; this not only for the teachers but for the patrons, which

would be impossible in the case of those who are colored. This is in
accordance with the published pronouncement of Supt. Sheats that he
will prosecute and persecute this Orange Park School out of existence.

MEMBERS OF THE ALBANY CONVENTION.
We are desirous of securing the names of the survivors of the little band
that gathered in Albany fifty years ago, and formed the American
Missionary Association. A few years since, we made a similar call to
this in the pages of THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY, but the
responses were very few. At the present date, we know of only two
persons, Rev. John H. Byrd, Lawrence, Kan., and Rev. Peter B. Thayer,
Garland, Me., who were present at that time. We hope, if there are any
other survivors, they will write to us promptly, and if there are persons
whose eyes fall on this little notice who happen to know of any person
who was present at that meeting, we will be much obliged if they will
send us the name and address.

OUR CHURCHES.
We intend to present to our readers from time to time brief sketches of
some of our churches located in the South and elsewhere, with some
account of the condition of the membership as to property and
education, with glimpses of their poverty and hard struggles to support
the pastor, with occasionally the cheerful story of those who reach
self-support. On another page will be found a sketch by Pastor Snell of
the church in Talladega, Ala.

THE TALENTED TENTH.
In the discussion concerning Negro education we should not forget the
talented tenth man. An ordinary education may answer for the nine men
of mediocrity; but if this is all we offer the talented tenth man, we make
a prodigious mistake. The tenth man, with superior natural endowments,

symmetrically trained and highly developed, may become a mightier
influence, a greater inspiration to others than all the other nine, or nine
times nine like them. Without disparagement of faithful men of
moderate abilities, it may be said that in all ages the mighty impulses
that have propelled a people onward in their progressive career, have
proceeded from a few gifted souls. Sometimes these have been
"self-made" men, so-called, whose best powers were evoked by rare
opportunities. Oftener, they have been men of thoroughly disciplined
minds, of sharpened perceptive faculties, trained to analyze and to
generalize; men of well-balanced judgments and power of clear and
forceful statement.
It is this talented tenth man of our colleges that in after years reflects
more honor on his alma mater than the other nine; it is this tenth man
that is the recognized leader in his profession and the leader of public
opinion. To him, rather than