58

210 LIFE AND TIMES OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

other men, I applied to Miss Tracy for her admission to her school. All seemed
fair, and the child was duly sent to "Tracy Seminary," and I went about my
business happy in the thought that she was in the way of a refined and
Christian education. Several weeks elapsed before I knew how completely I
was mistaken. The little girl came home to me one day and told me she was
lonely in that school; that she was in fact kept in solitary confinement; that she
was not allowed in the room with the other girls, nor to go into the yard when
they went out; that she was kept in a room by herself and not permitted to be
seen or heard by the others. No man with the feeling of a parent could be less
than moved by such a revelation, and I confess that I was shocked, grieved,
and indignant. I went at once to Miss Tracy to ascertain if what I had heard
was true, and was coolly told it was, and the miserable plea was offered that
it would have injured her school if she had done otherwise. I told her she
should have told me so at the beginning, but I did not believe that any girl in
the school would be opposed to the presence of my daughter, and that I should
be glad to have the question submitted to them. She consented to this, and to
the credit of the young ladies, not one made objection . Not satistied with this
verdict of the natural and uncorrupted sense of justice and humanity of these
young ladies, Miss Tracy insisted that the parents must be consulted, and if
one of them objected she should not admit my child to the same apartment and
privileges of the other pupils. One parent only had the cruelty to object, and
he was Mr. Horatio G. Warner, a democratic editor, and upon his adverse
conclusion, my daughter was excluded from "Tracy Seminary." Of course
Miss Tracy was a devout Christian lady after the fashion of the time and locality,
in good and regular standing in the church.

My troubles attending the education of my children were not to end here.
They were not allowed in the public school in the district in which I lived,
owned property, and paid taxes, but were compelled, if they went to a public
school, to go over to the other side of the city, to an inferior colored school.
I hardly need say that I was not prepared to submit tamely to this proscription,
any more than I had been to submit to slavery, so I had them taught at
home for a while, by Miss Thayer. Meanwhile I went to the people with the
question and created considerable agitation. I sought and obtained a hearing
before the Board of Education, and after repeated efforts with voice and pen,
the doors of the public schools were opened and colored children were permitted
to attend them in common with others.

There were barriers erected against colored people in most other places
of instruction and amusements in the city, and until I went there they were
imposed without any apparent sense of injustice or wrong, and submitted to