Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-28
Campaign Already On.


SIGNAL and senatorial affairs is reasona BILE
to believe; though the influence of Mr.
Bryan, which has been confined entirely to
amalgamating the opposition to the repuh-
loans. is constant and potent, and is the
most dangerous factor In the situation for
the republicans. -,
The Higher Education of the Negro.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
AT the recent session of the American
Social Science Association held in this city
Charles Dudley Warner presented paper
on The Education of the Negro which
surprised and panied me very much. Mr.
Warner is now seventy-one years of age
He is an author and writer of note and
worldwide influence. He was a well-known
"abolitionist'' before the civil war He has
been reckoned as of the firm friends of
the colored race. His voice, his pen and his
purse have for half century ever been
enlisted in the cause of the oppressed ana
lowly To have him. at his time of life ana
at this awful time of trial for u.s. give ex-
preston to views discouraging coored
youth from making any further effort to
obtain secondary ana higher education and
Encouraging any further private public
aid for schools where colored youth are
taught the higher branches is very dis
oouraging to US of the colored race, who are
and to prove to our fellow men that we are
men just as they are-nothing more-noth-
ing less.
I feel sure that he has been led to his
unfortunate conclusions from studying the
subject at long range, and because of one,
or perhaps two, unfortunate personal ex-
periences. AS one of the beneficiaries of
the higher training, the writer feels that
so important expression deserves more
than simple denial. I have been intimate
ly associated with the colored people all
my life and believe l know something about
them. ! know how the higher training has
affected me. 1 know what it has done for
others, white and colored. For the life of
me. 1 can no difference.
The general assumptions in Mr.. Warmers
address are: That no provision should be
made for the higher education of even tine
brightest minds Of the oolored race. except
the very few who may be educated In north
ern colleges, the entire race in the south
to be held down to the simple rudimentS of
an education with manual training; that
there has been and is now an overwhelm-
ing tendency on the part of colored youth
ITO go to college, that the college-bred
cOlored person will not work at the manual
trades or be servant or day laborer, and
therefore his higher education Is a failure;
and lastly, the college course does not fur
nish person of color with true culture as
it does for the white person.
One would think from the great cutlery
now being made against the higher educs-
ton for youth of the colored race that
scarcely any other kind of education was
being given the youth of this race, and that
all Of them or nearly all of them were in
college, or college graduates In recent
address before Il graduating class at How
ard University. W. I. Harris. commission
er of education, presented some interesting
and valuable statistics bearing on the sec
ondary and higher education of the colored
race and of the United States as whole.
He showed that the proportionate number
of secondary and higher students to the
total number of pupils attending school had
increased. in the United States. as whole.
from 2.22 per cent in lSiD to 3.01 per cent in
1872 times; while for the colored race
the increase had been triflins, from l per
cent to /. 16 per cent. fhe colorcd race has
only about one-fifth its quota to bring 1t on
a par with the whole population
The report of the commissioner of educl-
ton for 1s9T-9S gives the number of stu
dents IN the United States taking the higher
education 144.i77, being $50 to each mil
lion of popula ton. The same report gives
the number of colored students pursuing
collegiate courses in these much-discussed
colored schools as 2,i02, only $40 to the
million of the colored population. Whereas.
the whole of the United States has 19SD to
the million, nearly 62 times as many in
proportion to population. OF the number re-
turned perhaps not over 800 colored stu
dents are taking college course equal to
that offered at Howard University.
This. does not look though the whole
educational trend of the colored people WAS
toward the higher education. Only 80 in
million in the collegiate courses, and only
2,2g2 in million of our colored population
taking both the secondary and the higher
education, while in the United States.
whole. 1850 in a million are pursuing the
higher education. and 1882 in million
are taking the secondary and higher educa-
ton! These figures official.
Seriously is there any disclosure in these
figures to alarm the nation?
This Is an age of higher education for
the masses. The increase in the past ten
,I,..r In and
situations for secondary and higher educa-
ton has been phenomenal, unprecedented.
The increase in the number of colored stu
dents in the higher branches has been very
small indeed Colored youth must COM
pete with white in almost every avenue of
life Is the person of color much super
Tor to the white that he does not need
much educational training? l think not.
According to the report above cited, re-
ports are received from 161 Of these schools,
with an enrolment of 42,32S. OF these p
4J2 were In collegiate grades, 1859 in sec
ondary grades and % 167 in elementary
grades. Even In these coored colleges less
than per cent Of their students are pur-
suing the collegiate course. These figures
are much too high. Nearly two-thirds. 62
per cent, of the students in these so-called
colored colleges are receiving elementary
instruction, accompanied by Industrial
training.
In the year 1893 there were 1925 colored
students pursuing professional courses
about 1tD to the million of population.
In the United States, as d whole, for the
same year there were 63 G36 students in pro-
fessional schools, $50 to the million. The
colored population has only about one-siXth
of Its proper quota pursuing professional
studies. :,
Perhaps every one of these schools for
colored youth has Industrial training as a
feature, but II, 400; one-third Of the total
enrolment were listed M the Industrial
courses, learning tradesyfWhen We con-
s:der the great derna nd foretfucated colored
ministers. teachers and physicians, ability
being always quickly rewarded, on the one
hand, and the excfusfveness Of some trades
unions in shutting cut coiored mechanics.
on the other, the wonder Is that one-third
of the total number of youth in these
schools have been minced to take the in
dustrial course. Forft is~by no means GER
tain that they will Be allowed to work at
their trades after they haze learned them.
No, higher education is not a failure for
the colored man any more than for the
white. 1t misses its mark In individual
cases of both races sometimes. 1t does the
cC.ored man more good than the white,
because he needs it more. 7dt has only been
applied to the colored people a very little
while, and has reached only very few.
There has not been, sufficient time for its
Influence to percolate down into the mass
and leaven it. and, If it is said there has
been enough time. let me ask, if there are
not many individuals. even among the