Richmond planet., 1898-03-12
ED1roR OF THE PlANEr:--

EDIroR OF THE PLANKT:--
II you ~sll kind
ly allow me space in your excel
lent journal will try to set forth in
few simple words the essential princi-
Piles which govern the American Bap
tist Home Mission Society and it's offic
ers with reference to Negro education.
THE socIETY's ONLY PURPOSE.
First: The only purpose which the
Society has in view il to be helpful to
their Negro brethren.
The schools which it has es-
tablished and is maintaining are
exclusively FOR the benefit of Negro
boys and girls. No white children at
tend them. The live thousand pupils
now enrolled are all Negroes and the
thousands who have been educated in
them and are now doing their life's
work are Negroes. These schools are
maintained at great cost, and the mon
ey to carry them on is obtained only
with difficulty. The money is given
solely for the bene fit OF the NJ groes.
THE USE OF THE MoNRY.
Every dollar which the Society re-
ceives from the pupils or from Negro
fcontributors is put into the schools T;
not dollar OF it stays in the Treasury
of the Society. In addition to all that
is received from the Negroes and put
back into the schools, the Society pays
every year tens OF thousands of dollars.
Let it be borne in mind then and fully
understood. that these are Negro
schools established for the sole benefit
of Negroes.
Second: The Society has spent about
Three Million Dollars in this educa-
tional work and has now large and
costly schools which ought to be made
as efiicient as possible for the benefit of
those for whom they we're established.
FUNDS AS YET NEEDSD.
All these schools need more money
they require new buildings, new libra
ries, additional teachers, more appar a
tus and better industrial appliances
the Society has thus far been unable to
obtain the money necessary to thor
ooghly equip them. Several OF them
are very good schools indeed and do
ing a most excellent work, but none OF
them are suitably equipped, properly
manned, or amply endow ed. They
need millions of dollars, and the Home
Mission Society is unable to furnish
them.
NEGRO BAPTIsTs SHUT OUT.
Third: At pres mt. the Negro Bap
lists of the South are shut out from
white colleges and universities, are un.
able to attend the great institutions in
the North. and are practically shut uT
| almost entirely to those schools which
ara maintained in whole or in part by
the Home Mission Society. 1t is i'm.
portant that these schools should be
made more efficient in order that the
Negro Baptist boys and girls of the
South may have facilities for securing
such an edu cation as will fit the m fol
the stern duties and high privileges
that await them in life.
| COOPERATION THE oNLv RECOURSE.
The highest efficiency in thes,
schools depends absolutely upon tn,
CO. operation of the Negro Raptist
with their white friends. "In uDioI
there is strength"
i Fourth: The Society shares Will
the NegI oes the honors and RESPONSE
bility of managing and teaching tn,
schools which it has established anC
maintains four prominent Negro Bap
lists OF Georgia are on the Board o
Trustees of the Atlanta Baptist Colleg,
and four are on the Board of Trustee
of Spelman Seminary.
AsHARE IN THE MANAGEMENT.
These men share in the management
of the schools, having the same right
and privileges and honors that are en-
: joyed by their white associates. Thi
is true also of other Home Mission
Schools The Society employs Negr
. lteachers in its schools such men a
Proff. Roberts, Jones. Vassar, Holmes
Coleman. Hope, Wilson, Lee and 9th
ers, have been chosen to their presen
positions by the Home Mission Socie
ty.
) ENCOURAGES NEGRO sELF-RELIANcR.
Fifth: The Society encourages tn
NJ gro Baptists in founding and main
= tanning schools Of their owr. Nor
than half OF those aide q by the Societ
, are owned and controlled by the Ne
: groes. They have Negro trustees, Ne
4 gro teachers, and are entirely free fror
: the control OF the Society. Anon
I tnese INSTITUTIONS are thOSe at Louis
! willie, KY, Selma. Ala, Jacksonville
I Fla, Little Rock, Ark, Macon, Mo
! Lynchburg. Va, Augusta and Atheni
|, Ga The Society aids these Institu
tions by gifts of money, but leave
their management and control to tn
Negroes. 1t will be very glad indee
when these schools become absOlutel
self-supporting and independent
OFFICERS WOULD BE GRATlFIRD.
The officers OF the Society would b
{ exceedingly gratified if the Negro Bar
fists of Georgia, for instance. would q
: once rally around their school at Au
= gusta, equip it, endcw it, and bring
= up TO 3 high state Of efficiency 1.-THE
} lwould raise sl50,0o0 for it, they woul