The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-08
EDUCATION OF THE NEGRO.
Charles Dudley Warmers Address to
the Social Science Association.


The first session of the general meeting
OF the American Social Science Association
was held last night in the Assembly Hall
OF the Columbian University. In the ab-
sence Of Charles Dudley Warner, President
of the association, the First Vice Prcsi-
dent. F. J. Kingsbury. OF Waterbury,
Conn, presided. Rev. S. H. Greene, who
was to deliver the address Of welcome to
the association, was also absent. and DR..
Z. NJ Gallaudet President Of the College
for Deaf Mutes offlciated in that capacity.
Charles Dudley Warner is prevented from
attending the meeting by illness, and last
night he was represented by Rev. Joseph
Anderson, who read the paper on The
Educstion of the Negro prepared by Mr.
Warner as the annual address Of the
president of the association.
Mr.. Warner stated that at the close OF
the war 5000, 600 negroes were in the
South to be educated and to become
part of the population of the former slave
States. That number has now grown TO
nearly 100000 and in the years since the
war we have learned a good deal, in Mr..
Warmers view, of the failure OF the edu-
cational methods put to use. 1t was eX-
planned that the word negro was used rot
in contempt of an inferior race. but be
cause uelLntI lle N0TA DAhNh nDA lLS " u u
eOlOred was at all definitive.
The address was. in its first part, his
torical review Of what had been done in
the ages past to educate and to lift up the
negro race. Mr. Warner referred to the
ancient records of Babylon. Egypt, Rome.
and the Songal Empire TO show that from
the earliest times the negro had been IA
contact with superior races, and, as far as
the records show. had not been uplifted
10 any appreciable degree. The negroes
in all that history shows had remained pa
gan. and the crumbling civilizations Of the
past had in every instance left them about
where they were before in matters OF en-
lightenmeut and morality. According 10
Mr. Warner the negro had been a slave
and servant Of tbe-more vigorous races,
but had never risen TO dispute with them
the supremacy OF the world. In the United
States ne thought the negro had come upon
better times than had ever dswned, upon
his race He had been here for several
hundred years. had been weaned from the
traditions OF his African home and as far
as possible was in position to profit from
the opportunities for upliftment which
had come in the fulness OF time along the
hard road OF slavery
MIR. Warner showed that the elevation Of
a race is necessarily slow. There may be
individual exceptions Of great progress and
Of sudden breaking away from the race
habit. but for the mass Of negroes, he
thought there was little hope along the
road of higher learning Mr.. Warner criu-
cised the mistaken policy Of the educators
who. after the war established schools Of
higher learning in the South. In his view
il not only did not benefit the race as a
whole. but actually put back the educa
tionaI progress of the South by spelling
the negroes. and filling their minds with
ambitions which could not be realized.
IN summing up the proper education for
the negro. Mr.. Warner said that It should
be rudimentary so far as mind training
was concerned. such training. in fact, as is
included in the term public school educa
tion. This should be supplemented by in
dustrlal training. and by the inculcation Of
correct moral principles. Let the higher
training. he said. be reserved for those
exceptional minds which the more funda-
mental processes OF learning might bring
to the surface.
Finally. MT Warner took the ground that
it was needful that we should acknowledge
our mistakes. take the negro out Of poll
tics. and train him for an integer in the
Industrial community.