The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-12-11
Industrial School for Girls.

The need of an Industrial school for
white girls in North Carolina has for
several years been pressing'y felt by
many Of the most earnest hearted
women within her limits. The fact
that the State after fouading the Uni
versity and Agricultural College for
young men appropriates annually the
sum of $4,000 to each while it gives to
the girls absolutely nothing after the
pittance doled out in the public
scho"ls, would Lead one to suppose that
they are otherwise amply provided for.
Let US examine the case. The churches
make "A show of providing for the ed
ucatipn Of the daughters but how is
this doue? Five buildings are erected
and loaned 10 private individuals who
run the schools purely as business
and either the money must be payed
or the girls stay at home. No endow-
ment fund 'educes their expenses as in
the case of their brothers at Chapel
Hill. True, very many are assisted
privately but l am now speaking of
the provision made generally 1t fol-
lows that only girls whose parents have
means or those who find friends in
their need eau enter these denomina-
tional schools. We should except the
daughters of ministers to whom, if
am correctly informed, great reduc-
tions are made. What becomes of the
vast majority of girls? What oppor,
tunities do they have? Let them
work their way through school.
Mo,y J,,, h.I,,. A. ,nh,n xbo,, 80.
fill vacancies about the respective
schools, but otherwise they have a
grand opportunity to provide for
themselves at $1.00 per week. They
can scarcely earn more; they are ig
norant, untrained and cannot do work
which will command better pay. Let
them learn-Whefe? How? Their own
homes are not places where they may
lear1. There is alb -o'utely no chance
fof them. In marriage there is
change and this IS all there is to look
forward to. This state of things de-
grades marriage into matter of bar
ter and produces much Of the misery
which Of late terminates in divorce.
If girls were trained to be self sup.
porting, they would be more cautious
about their associates among young
men, as they would not be compelled
to regard anyone az q necessity to a
support When they married they
would do it from a deliberate choice
and would consequently be less likely
to make the fatal blunder Of marrying
some one upcongenial. The influence
exerted upon young men in this res
pect would surely be beneficial. If
girls are ia position to choose, young
men would be obliged to be worthy to
be chosen. ! am aware that this is
somewhat ethiopian but it is the legiti-
mate result of self dependence on the
part of young women. The family
will be benefited in every way. In
the first place the foundation would
be laid in mutual love and self-res-
pect and the liabilities to rupture re-
duced to a minimum, while in the case
of the death or disability of the man,
the natural "provider," to win the
bread, the wife would not be cast such
helpless craft upon the troubled sea
of life.
AS means Of assisting the girls to
become SELF supporting an earnest ef-
fort is now being made, both, by the
Kiogs Daughters and the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union to secure
the passage of law establishing an
Industrial School for white girls. In
the convention of Kings Daughters
committee was appointed to have the
matter in charge. At the convention
of the w. e. I. u. superintendent
of this particular work was appointed
and She left at liberty to work the
matter up as seemed hest.