Evening star., 1896-11-27
C0L0RED PROGRESS
How, the Black Race Has Advanced
in Education.
FACTS IN An OFFICIAL REPORT
Decreasing Rate Of |||iteracy in the
Southern States.
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

The colored people Of the District Of Co.
lcmbia and throughout the southern states
| are rapidly advancing in educational at
tainments. those of the District being in
the lead in the struggle for education. In
the forthcoming annual report of the COM
missioner Of education there will be an
elaborate discussion Of this subject, the
surprising feature Of the report being that
relatively the colored children of the Dis
trict are making more progress than are
the white children in their attendance at
public schools.
The very creditable exhibit made at the
Atlanta exposition in 1898 by the more pro-
gressive element among the colored people
aroused naw interest in all parts of the
country in their educational advancement,
In response to the general demand for in
formation on this subject a special effort
was made by the bureau of education to
collect statistics from all the colored
schools of the south. The bureau was met
oy much Indifference on the part of those
IN charge OF private schools, but persistent
enorts were made to gather information
concerning this educational work.
Some Statistics.
There were found to be in the sixteen
states formerly the scene of slavery and
the District of Columbia S,297, 100 children
between the ages of five and eighteen
years. OF this number 5,573, 40 were white
children and 2,723,72O, or 329 per cent
were colored. The total enrolment in the
white schools was 3S45, Ala, and in the col
ored schools Al 1872. The per cent of white
school population enrolled was 81 and the
per cent of colored school population en-
rolled was 5292. The whites had an aver
age daily attendance of 2,51O,9O7, or 65.:O
per cent of their enrolment, while the
average attendance of the blacks was $685.
312, or 59.41 per cent of their enrolment
There were s9,276 white teachers and 27.Osl
colored teachers In the public schools OF
the south in 1895.
Since 1876 the southern states have ex-
pended about $3S3, 600 600 for public schools
and $sO,OOO.OOO of this sum must have been
expended for the education of colored chill
dren. The report states:
"In 1895 the enrolment of colored pupils
was little more than q per cent of the
public school enrolment in the southern
states. 1t is not claimed that they re-
ceived the benefit of ~ per cent of the
school fund and perhaps no one would say
they received less than ~ per cent. 1t
Is a fact well known that almost the en-
tire burden of educating the colored chill
dren of the south falls upon the white
property owners Of the former slave states.
OF the more than $7oMO,UO expended IN
the last twenty years for the instruction
of the colored children in southern public
schools, but a small per cent was con-
tributed by the negroes themselves In the
form of taxes. This vast sum has not
been given grudgingly. The white people
of the south believe that the state should
place a common. school educ alton within
the reach of every child. and they have
done this much to give all citizens, white
and black, an even start In life.'
The District of Columbia.
1t is shown that Of the 44.3OO children In
the District Of Columbia between the ages
o: five and eighteen years 24,37O are color
3D. or 3549 per cent of colored children
OF the white children 6O.73 per cent are en-
rolled in the public schools. and Of the col
ored 60. 13 are so enrolled, showing that the
enrolment of white children is but frac-
ton of l per cent more than the colored
school population. 1t is important to note
that while the enrolment Of colored chill
dren in the schools of the Districa Is greater
than in most of the southern states, the
enrolment Of white children SHOWS a very
low percentage compared with other sec
tions.
The educational advantages given the
colored children throughout the southern
states are showing rapidly In reducing the
percentage of illiteracy there. 1t may be
said that In 1860 the colored race was to-
tally illterate. In 1870 more than IS per
cent Of the colored population OF the south;
ten years Of age and over: could not read
and write In 1880 the percentage OF IL
literates had been reduced to Is, and IN
1880 the illiterates comprised about 90 per
cent Of the colored population of ten years
of age and over. In some Of the colored
states the percentage Is even 50 per cent.
The District of Columbia leads in intelli-
geEce among it's colored citizens. the illit-
eracy here being rated at IS per cent.
Speaking Of the tendency Of the colored
people to advance in education the report
says:
I'm thirty years 40 per cent Of the illit-
eracy Of the colOred race has disappeared.
In education and In industrial progress this
race had accomplished more than 1t could
have achieved in centuries in different eE-
vironment, without the aid Of the whites
as the aid Of the white man. In sections
where the colored population is massed,
and removed from contact with the whites,
the progress Of the negro has been retard-
ed. He IS an initiative being. and has a
constant desire to attempt whatever he
sees the white man do. He believes In ed
ucating his children. because he can see
that an Increase Of knowledge will enable
them to better their condition. But segre-
gate the colored population, and you take
away it's object lesson
AS proof of the above assertion statistics
are given to show that where the colored
population is greatest in proportion to the
total population, or where the colored popu-
lation s Is s massed = c@ as In the black belt of
sippi and Louisiana, there the percentage
of illiteracy is highest.
Higher Grade Institutions.
So far as is known to the bureau of edu-
cation there are in the United States 162
Institutions for the secondary and higher
education of the colored race, of which
number are not located within the bound
aries Of the former slave states. OF the
1852 institutions 80 are of the grade of col
leges, 70 are classed as normal schools
and the remaining 81 are of secondary or
high school grade. State aid is extended to
35 of the 1852 institutions, and 1S of these
are wholly supported by the states in
which they are established. The remaining
schools are supported wholly or in part
by benevolent societies and from tuition
fees. In the 1852 institutions are employed
1,549 teachers, III males and S3S females
The total number of students was 81, ,1O2,
Of which 1858 were pursuing collegiate
studies.
OF these institutions for the higher educa-
ton OF the colored race 4 are located in
the District Of Columbia. They are How
ard University. Wayland Seminary, Normal
and High Schools Of the seventh and eighth
divisions Of the public school system. These