The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-02

unco-ordinated with morality. Education
of the right kind keeps to the co-ordina-
ton. The Bible is practically an unknown
book. The preachers are too often i'm
moral and Ignorant Like people, like
priest" ST never knew until I came
here that it was wrong for a preacher to
have two wives,' said an unusually
bright boy.
"That's Bible religion" is an ex.
passion of contempt. The culture of
character is the most important work to
yet done for the negroes. There are posi-
bilities of high manhood and womanhood
among them. They can become truthful,
pure. 1t is hard to overcome tendencies in
by the regime of slavery. Tougaloo is en-
phatically Christian school.
Without excitement constant pressure
toward higher things is brought to bear.
The Bible has place in the daily cur
riculum. In the academy and normal
courses at the close of last year all were
Christians, and four-ffths of all the
students were so. The spirit of service
for others, for the race is inculcated and
great good is being done in that way.
Statistics show that nine white persons
of native extraction out of every 10, 900 in
the South are criminals, and 33 negroes
out of 10000. That shows something of
the work needed to be done. A criminal
from among the graduates of Tougaloo or
the other A. M. A. schools is almost I'M
known. Large attention needs to be paid
to developing class of preachers who
shall have competent knowledge of morals
and religion and be themselves of pure
life. At present the ministry is looked
upon by the most intelligent colored
people as dishonorable profession, there
are so many immoral and incompetent
men in it. A better kind of preacher is
being developed by the higher schools.
Tougaloo has theological department. as
have the other large A. M. A. schools,
and the ministers sent out have been a
power for good. Some of them have had
remarkable records. Competent leader
ship is needed to lift the colored people to
the plane they should occupy. The white
teachers and friends can help to some ex-
tent in the uplifting, but the chief i'm
pulses should come from the leaders of
their own, thoroughly in touch with
them in all of their life. No savior of a
race was ever of an alien race. For the
needed leadership there must be strongly
developed character. broad offlook,
thorough culture. This can come only as
there is thorough and liberal education.
For true success, Tor competence in leader
ship there must be thorough education of
those who are competent for it. Those
who would lead wisely must be trained
broadly. For this reason there is abund-
ant justification for the higher education
of the negro. Toward this Tougaloo has
been working and begins college course
in the fall Fisk, Talladega, Straight,
have already had such courses. The opon-
ings for physicians, lawyers, educated
ministers, editors and professional men
are constantly increasing. The negro has
10 chances in the South to one in the
North.
Among the graduates of Tougaloo are
five more than usually successful
physicians, with large practice. If for the
highest usefulness it is deemed best that
the New England youth with all his in
heritances, environment and aptitudes
| should. have college education, it is not
even more essential to the progress of the
negroes that their young people should
have such training. There is no danger
that this will be over done, Not over 3
per cent of the thousands who have at
tended the A. M. A. schools have taken
the higher work. Some OF the negroes are
competent for it has been fully shown
To speak of no others the first volume of
the Harvard historical studies, scholarly
exact, is from the pen of DR.. Dubois a
colored graduate; a Greek grammar used
by Yale is by Prof. Scarborough, an other
negro, and the songs of Paul Lawrence
Dunbar have charmed thousands. AS
such men of eight and leading" are de-
veloped the race will be lifted to true cul-
ture. The process may be slow, yet no
people have ever developed SO rapidly as
the negroes. The outlook is distinctly
hopeful. 1t is by such lines of work as
these that the complex problem is being
solved. The real political problem is that
of training good intelligent citizens; the
social-of developing a high type of social
life among the colored people themselves
in comparison with this I" social equality,
is of little Importance.
AS elements of hopefulness for the