The colored American., 1900-05-26


For a number of years / have tried 10
advocate the advantages of industrial train
ing for the negro, because ii starts the
race Off on real, sure foundation, and not
upon a false and deceptive one.
Last year when in England, l observed
n Birmingham, London and elsewhere in
the large polytechnic schools, that thou
sands of men and women were being
trained in the trades that cover work in
the earth, IN metal, wood, tin, leather, cloth,
food preparation and whatnot.
when L asked why do you give this man
or this woman training in this that in
dustry, the answer came that when these
students come to us we ask in each case
what are the prevailing occupations OF the
people in the community where the stu
dent lives In a word, it is found Que what
the student can find to do in his immediate
community, not what he ought to find to
do not what the instructors might de-
sire him to do, but what the economic and
other conditions prevailing in his neighbor-
hood will actually permit him to do.
With this knowledge obtained the stu
dent was trained, for example, in leather
because at his home that was the prevailing
industry; that was the occupation at which
he could find immediate and profitable en-
ployment. The same logical and common
sense principle should be applied to our
own race. For example, the great bulk of
our people live directly or indirectly by
work in the soil. This gives us a tremen-
dous advantage in the way of a foundation.
Agriculture Basis.
From the beginning of time agriculture
has constituted the main foundation upon
which all races have grown useful AM
strong.
In the present condition of our race it is
4 grave error TO take a negro boy from
farming community and educate him in
about everything in heaven and earth, edu-
cate him into sympathy with everything
hat has no bearing upon the life of the
community to which he should return, and
out of sympathy with most that concerns
agricultural life The result of this pro-
cess is that in too many cases the boy thus
trained fails to return TO his fathers farm
but takes up his abode in the city and falls
IN too many cases. into the temptation of
trying to live by his wits without h 0nest
productive employment. And my friends
f there is one thing at the present time
hat should give us more serious concern
than another, it is the large idle class of
our people that Iinger about the sidewalks
bar rooms and dens of sin and misery of
our large cities
Every influential man and woman should
make it a part of his duty to reach the IN
diViduals of this class and eithes see that
they find employment in the cities or are
scattered to the four winds of the earth
m agricultural communities where they ca
make an honorable living and where their
services are needed.
If it he suggested that the white boy
s not always thus dealt with my answer
thousand years ahead OF us and this fact
might as we'll face now as well as
ater and that at one stage OF his de-
Velopment. either in Europe or America. he
has gone through every stage of develop
ment that / now advocate for our race
No race can be lifted till it's mind is awak-
~ned and strengthened. By the side of in
7ustrial training should always go mental
and moral training. But the mere push
ing Of abstract knowledge into the head
means little. We want more than the
mere performance of mental gymnastics
things of real life.
Would Not COnfine Negro to Indus
trial Life.
Again ii is asked, would You limit or
circumscribe the mental development OF
the negro boy? Emphatically I answer
with a hundred Noes" I would encourage
the negro to secure all the mental strength,
all the mental culture, whether CLEANED
from science, mathematics. history, Ian
guage or literature that his pocket book
and circumstances will enable him to pay
for but I repeat with all the emphasis of
my soul that the negrO's education should
be so directed and controlled for years to
come that the greatest proportion OF the
mental strength of the masses will be
brought to bear upon the everyday prac-
needed to be done and something that they
re permitted to do in the community where
hey reside.
When it comes to the professional class
which our race needs and must have j
would say, give them that training Whlch
will best fit them to perform in the most
successful manner the service which the
race demands. But would you confne the
negro to industrial life, to agriculture, for
example? No. But I would teach the race