Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-06
THERE IS NO ROYAL ROAD
Complete Civilization Is Slow and Pain
full Process
A COlOred Educator Argues in Favor
of Practical, Everyday Training for
the C0lOred Youth of Today.

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
1t seems to me that either we do not
know just what our condition is or, know
ing 1t, lack either the truthfulness or the
courage to admit the real situation. There
is no race on the face of the earth that has
successfully jumped from the depths of
ignorance, degradation-all the evils en-
gendered and developed by slavery-to the
heights reached by the most highly civiliz-
ed people. Those heights must be attained
by successive steps, consequently the up
building Of a race or nation is necessarily
slow work.
The work now done by the colored boy
number who obtain schools. receives poor
pay because 1t Is poor work. The chief
thought Of our teachers, superintendent,
trustees and parents should be, how can
work? How can our labor be made effec-
tive? My answer is, by giving 1t intelli-
gent guidance. Let our boys and girls re-
ceive intelligent instruction in the various
trades, and in ten years time the colored
people will have made wonderful advance
ment along the lines which produce real
character, without which no race can be
successful. Let the Industrial instructors
of our youth be persons who will show
them the way of truth, honesty, ORDER po-
likeness, neatness, &c From what 1 have
HedIu VI the very Tree use OF tranSlatOrS,
l think Cicero and Virgil are patent de-
velopers of dishonesty and untruthfulness-
necessarily SO among pupils without in
herent literary tendencies, whose chief OBJ
1ect In attending school is to be graduated.
PEOPLE who never heard of Homer and
virgil must live in houses and wear clothes
just the same as the enraptured collegi-
ates. Who Is going to build the houses
amining the work will want 20 employ the
builder? The reason why the majority of
coiored Workmen are forced to do small
lops Is because jobbing Is their limit
Ihey have not had systematic, thorough
training, and never will have it until they
have sense enough to realize the deplorable
condition In which they are found today.
me caddest thing about the whole bust
ness Is that with all our boosted develop
ment resulting from collegiate training, we
Just strut along with our heads high in
air, humming an Italian aria recitine a
Latin poem or reading French novel up
sue ooWn, and the people-who, thinking
that these light and airy things are las
with them) simply the froth upon the
champagne, the indication that there Is
something solid underneath. have left us
10 work out our own salvation along the
lines OF common sense-are obliged to call
US down from the mysdfying clouds sur
rounding US and hammer into our heads
the idea that we must learn to work we'll
be honest, be clean, be respectful, or some
other people. less classical. but more sensi-
BILE. Will take our places, and we shall be
LETT to masticate our Greek grammars and
Latin reaCers or starye
Nobody who kECws either the business
standing of the colored people or the at
tainments If our pupils could ever have
claimed that the diplomas from a colored
business high school mean any more than
the diplomas from colored academic high
school. except that there is some advan-
tage In knowing how to make out bill
for the small jobs" done. The employ
nent of twenty normal pupils each year
ho fn-
academic pupils. What becomes of those
who fail to obtain schools? They, together
with the business boys and girls, do cook
Ing waiting or other vork as domestics-
the only disgrace attendant upon the cook
Ing waitiT g. ETC., is that generally 1t Is not
well done. the graduates who do the work
not having ally use for their classics, feel
out Of their sphere and grow disconnected.
thereby uniting themselves for their daily
labor.
The maintenance Of an expensive High
School in the District of Columbia to serve
incidentally as an asylum for colored grad
yates of the first, second and third-rate
colleges Of the country. should not have a
feathers weight in the consideration Of
this subject. We should think Of what is
best for the large majority, upon whom.
sooner or later. these collegiates must lean
for support. Even in classic Boston there
has been considerable talk about chang
pupils. In 1894 the Rev. Minot Savage de-
livered lecture at All Souls Church in this
city. during which he dwelt particularly
upon this change as one Of the reforms
necessary because so few Of the pupils go
farther than the work Of the eighth grade.
and he claimed that stress should be laid
upon the things that would help the many
poor in their struggle for existence.
1t is very pathetic. sometimes an I'M
satisfactory task to be obliged to ex-
plain ones thoughts after taking the
trouble to think and express :s,, them;
allow me. I will save him the embar
rassment attendant upon such explanation
and give In one or two instances my inter-
not understand him to say that those who
may not do professional work should re-
ceive little schooling far from it. Let
pupils receive instruction in well-equipped
mentally blind" or unable to appre-
ciate" Gods best things. Robert Collyer
was once blacksmith. Mazzini was right:
but he did not mean that the degree Of
education should he forced beyond the
bounds Of common sense. He did not ad-
vice pouring q pint of education into gill
cup Of capacity.
II we, comprehendirg the condition of the
vast majority of the $4,000 colored inhabi-
tants of this District, would relegate to the
background our personal tastes and DESIRES
we would see the utter absurdity. the gro
tesqueness, the pathos Of the situation. This
incomprehensible generation for uncompre-
hended Latin, this wholesome contempt for
, plain English. and this accepting, as an al
TENTATIVE, ucdLH duoHS TIE VI the
Coliseum rather than life in an Industrial
school, have come home to us; and, instead
of receiving the respect for which we look
we meet with derision for our lack Of self
| respect and hard common sense. We have
proved false to our trust; and 1t Is only a
question Of time when those who. by legis
lation or charity. make it possible for us to
receive education to any extent, will tire of
our inability to grasp principles, our in
capacity to think for ourselves. and. in order
to save themselves from having to support
a horde of classically- inspired tramps, will
force us, willy-nilly, into any kind of insti
tuition they please, not excluding homes for
IT. durable idiots.
There Is a saving grace in the disposition
of the majority Of colored people. They are
not generally very sensitive about this mat
ter Of learning II circumstances force our
academic graduates to be "hewers' and
drawers they are usually philosophical
about 1t, and drop gracefully into position
Just little contact with their employers is
generally sufficient to convince them that
underlying and supporting the advancement
Of the dominant race is the ability to COM
prehend situations, to suggest remedies, to
be self-helpful-n fact, broad base Of hard