The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-11-12

The Savannah News.

The Savannah News.
In the November number n. Al.
North American Revieso, Mr.. Edmnss
Kirke discusses the question az ~
education Of the negro, and h,sS
article can hardly tail TO al,,s ~
considerable attention, p~articnlsss'.
in the South. The conclusion wS;ay
he reaches is that the present m.,I'
OIL of educating the negro ia r.S;
cally wrong, aud is Calculated -
make him u lOafer and u vagahon~
rather than a good citizen. ~
cites the experience of Miss AnstiS
of Knoxville, Tenn, a highly cul,,
waited white woman from the Nor,I
who went to that State with tba
intention of devOting her life aNS
future to the education of negross
She modelled school upon the Whit
schools of the North, and tauobt
her pupils the common and hipIss
branches of an English pducation
Alter twelve years she took . sur'
vry of her work and found that She
had accomplished almost NOTHING
Tho girls, in most instances, feeIin"
themselves above such work AZ tbeS
could get 10 do, turned out badlv
and the boys, With a few exceptions
developed into oilers aud l%Oaters. =,
Miss Austin, realizing that she
bad made il mistake, was prOmnt
to apply the remedy. She saw that
she could do the cOlOred children
greater service by making them
efficient bread winners than by Al.
tempting to make them prOficieDt
in the higher branches of education.
She, therefore, determined to con.
fine their mental training to read.
ing, writing and arithmetic, and to
require them to devote the greater
pant of their time 10 learning bow
to become good servants and me-.
chanics. Her ccc was very
marked from the beginning. Tho
children were better satisfied and
the results achieved were crafty.
ing. The girls in Miss Austin's
school are now taught how to
cook and to do AL kinds OF house.
work, and the boys are taught how
to handle tools and to make them.
selves generally useful.
The great need in Southern, 40
in Northern cities, is good servants.
In this city, for instance, tho com.
plant Of the unrcliability, irrrspOn.
Sibllity and worthlessncss OF serv.
ants ! general. The negro girls of
the present generation know littsoI
or nothing about cooking, and can.
rot bo depended upon to do general
h%ousework as it ought to be done.
They are net industrious and Obedi.
ent, and neither they nor tho men
who act 'aH hOusP servants are neat
in their work or their appearance.
AS a rule, the men who are house
servants arc inattentive and inefi.
Their aim is to do an little
possible, and there are very few
of them who car give, Or care ~
give, SNtlHIaCllOn.
There is no dOnbt that the cOlOred
are capable OF being e1U-
into good servants. 1t il
necessary, however, that their
training shall begin early, and that
hey shall be firmly impressed with
The idea at the outset that they arc
to DO workers Nntl not oilers. II
servants were what they
might be trained to DO housewives
would DO relieved OF the annoyance
and worry which now make liiU
u burden to them.
1t is almost impossible to train
men and women 10 be good E%ervaDts
they have reached the years
0f maturity. Tho habits they have
formed in the years from childhood
maturity will remain with them
IN rough life. They may be modified
somewhat, but they caunOt be- got
of entirely, however o6jectiOnai
BILE they may be.
Under the present system Of
educating cOlOred children 1t isl
question whether servants are not
Ill the time growing less reliable
md efficient. If they are, is it not
line that something was being done
o change the system under which
ale being educated Would
t not DO much better to apply
OF the money now used in
hem a kRe1xL1.Sttge.e of books
Q fitting them for the work which
hey will have 10 do 70 earn "