New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-08-27
Mental Capacity and alnm ent =
Oflhe Negro.

Mental Capacity and Attalnm cnts
Ofthe Negro.
The New York Tribune, in an editorial
few days ago in keeping with its negro-hatins
feeling, spoke disparagingly of the capacity of
the negro for education. The article is
chieCtually replied to by the following COM
munication:
To the Editor Of he TriLone:
SIR: The Tribune is usually so accurate in
! its representations of the condition of the
colored people in the South that am quite
surprised at some of the positions taken i'm
an editorial of to-day, headed "A Word for
the Black Man." l quote the following:
'Ther teachers boast at first that they
learn more quickly than the more fortunate
race; then they complain that, having
brought them to a certain point, they can be
coaxed or driven no further Their friends
who had hoped to see them once freed from
Slavery, press steadily and unintcrruptedly
on to the highest level of civilization are dis
couraged, begin to doubt whether they are
not indeed children as their masters claimed,
and would not fair better under patriarchai
rule"
In another paragraph there is further init.
nation Of the alleged incapability of the
blacks for the higher ranges Of study, in the
|
| be unable to receive or retain, as do white
lads, any sequence Of ideas, or be moved BY
logic"
| The American Missionary Association has
| sent more teachers into the South than any
other rganizatiOn-mOre, perhaps, than all
others united, and its experience and obscr-
walton on this point ought to be of some
value. We beg leave, therefore, to say that
all our information on the subject is in di-
rect opposition to the statement above quo
| ted. The testimony of the teachers of the
Association does with remarkable uniformity,
contradict the assertion that, "having brought
them to certain point, they can be coaXed
or driven no further" On the contrary they
affirm that when the opportunity is given,
| the eagerness to press forward is uniform
and the progress steady. 1t must be said, it
Is true, that the upper classes in our higher
schools and colleges fall Off in numbers as
they advance, but this is true in all colleges
| in the North, or at least in the West. There
| are special reasons for this in the case of the
cOlored youth. Their extreme poverty often
drives them from full course of study, and
added to this are the temptations which the
education they have already acquired offers
them to enter lucrative emplOyments or pub
| lie offices. Nor is it true that the colOred
| youth are incapable of as uniform progress
| in the higher or seyerer studies. The secre-
taries of the Association make frequent tours
of inspection among the schools at the South.
and our uniform observation is that the col
ored students as rule prefer mathematical
studies, and are as successful in them as in
the languages or in primary departments
In addition to this experience of the
teachers and observation of the officers of
the Association, il is easy to adduce the tes-
tmOny OF white visitors, both from the North
and the South. We content ourselves with
that of two committees appointed by the
Governor of Georgia as being above all sus-
picion or Partially. and being published, is
accessible. In 1871 the Governor of Georgia
appointed committee of ten persons to at
| tend the examination of the Atlanta Uniyer-
sity, colored school under the care of the
Association. After careful and close at
tendance on these examinations for three
! days, the Committee made their report We
| quote the paragraph bearing on the point
! before us:
AT every step Of the examination we
were impressed with the tallacy of the popu-
lar idea (Which is common with thousands
Of others,) a majority ofthe undersigned have
heretofore entertained, that the members of
the African race are not capable of a high
grade of intelligent culture. The rigid tests
to which the classes in algebra and geometry
and in Latin and Greek were subjected, I'M
! equlvOcally demonstrated that under judici-
Gus training and with persevering study there
are many members of the African race who
can attain a high grade of Intellectual cul-
turc. They prove that they can master in
tricate problems in mathematics, and fully
comprehend the construction of difficult pas
sages in the classics. Many ofthe pupils eX-
hibited degree of mental culture which.
considering the length of time their minds
have been in training, would do credit to the
members of any race.
The full force of this testimony can only
be felt when it is known that a majority of
this Committee belonged to the old slave
holding class; that they were persons of in
tluence in the State-Jos. f. Brown, who
was the Rebel Governor of Georgia during
the war, being the Chairman. 1t will also
add to the conclusiveness of this evidence
when | state that Gov. Brown, going to the
examination, expressed his belief that it
wOnld prove the correctness Of the theory
| that the colored people could succeed in the
primary studies, but would fail in the higher.
Yet in this public address at the close of the
examination he confessed himself to have
been all wrong i'll that belief! But we sup
pIement this testimony with that of the Com
mittee appointed this year by the Governor
OF Georgia to attend the examination of the
same school. We quote from the Atlanta
Constitution, June p, 1874:
The exercises were of the most astonish-
ing and satisfactory character Indeed, we
were not at all prepared for the eruditon and
| proficiency in their studies manifested by
many of the students. A class of ten Young
men also read and construed portions of the
1Enead OF Virgil with ease and facility, and
so also of the classes in mathematics, history,
Greek, geography, etc., it may be truly said,
with few exceptions, they acquitted them
selves most creditably. From the evidences
submitted to-day we are willing now to con-
cede the question that, under proper and
patient tutelage, the negro ,can learn, and
even become proficient in the branches en-
braced in the usual criticism Of colleges.
l have no wish to make out a case or to
sustain any particular theory respecting the
capacity of the colored race. only wish the
facts to be known as they are seen by those
who for thirteen years have had special OPP
portunities of observation.
M. f. STRIEBY,
Secretary of A. Nj. A.
! NeW York Aug, IL 1874