The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-02
NEGROES TAUGHT
At 5 CENTS A HEAD
May Learn to Read and Write
the Constitution.
SUM OF 5000 CHARGED
prof" Rhoden Mitchell's Chain Of
Saturday Schools.
ARITHMETIC WILL ALSO BE TAUGHT
The Originator Of the Scheme Guarantees That
His Scholars viii be Qualified TO Vote
in the Presidential Election
ofl9O4.

of1904
"Prof." Rhoden Mitchell of BERTHE
county, is a scholar and philan
| thropist.
The Profess, seeing his fellow col
ored men disfranchised by the amend
ment has bethought him how he can
defeat the end aimed at by that re-
Gently adopted document and at the
same time fill his own purse.
He thinks 1t S an evil zephyr that
watts beneficence to nonentiy, and
SO he proposes to turn the amendment
| into blessing at least to himself,
and incidentally to keep it from being
hurt to as many of his fellow men
as care to pay him for his trouble.
! prof" Mitchell's plan is to estas-
| lish chain of Saturday schools in the
eastern counties of North Carolina,
of which he is to be superintendent.
| The tuition fee in these schools is to
| be five cents a head per Saturday. 1t
takes thirty pupils to make a school
as the teacher must receive $3.50 a
day.
1t is proposed to teach how to ''read
and write the Constitution of North
Carolina and the Constitution of the
United States "by the next presi-
Dental election, 1904 Also addition,
subtraction, multiplication and di-
vision" will be taught. At this . four
! years, or for the small sum of $10.4G
PROF" Mitchell explains his plans,
sets forth his terms and states what
he proposes to do in the following ats
vertisement which he is distributing
among the negroes:
EDUCATIONAL
How colored men may learn to read
and write the Constitution of North Caro-
lima and the Constitution of the United
| States in four years; also learn the four
| fundamental rules of arithmetic
The Constitutional Amendment, which
was carried in the election Thursday,
August 2, 1900, in North Carolina, re-
| quires that all colored men shall read
and write the Constitution of North Car
DINA, and the Constitution of the United
| States, before they are allowed to vote.
| All colored men will at once see the
necessity of learning to read and write
| The writer has been a teacher for many
1
! of teachers such as can be secured, can
teach colored men in Saturday schools
alone SO that in four years from the pres
ent time, or by the next Presidential
election, 1904, any colored man of fair
ability and industry and earnestness will
| be able to read and write the Consti-
| tuition of North Carolina, the Constitution
of the United States, and also learn adj
tinli aOf ion oT,A
| division.
| These four fundamental rules in arith-
metic will enable the majority of working
men to make and keep all Of their own
/ accounts.
There are fiftytwo Saturdays in one
| year. All Industrious and energetic
| colored men can attend Saturday school
at least four-fi of fifty-two Saturdays
| or thirty nine Saturdays in a year; and
by perseverance and dilgent study in the
manner here outlined it is truly believed
that they will come within the require
ments of the Constitutional Amendment,
and be able to read and write and be legal
voters of North Carolina. One year of
| 365 days is here divided up as help to
| the scholars, and will be suggestive to
| them as to the amount of time they may
| nave IOI VARIOUS ODJeCIS. 900 days III the
year; SO Saturday school days in one
| year; So Sunday worship days in one
year; 81 recreation and vacation days in
one year; 1873 study days at home without
| teacher in one year; 156 days study in
| Saturday school in four years; POS Sun
day worship days in four years; 364 recre-
alton and vacation days in four years;
| 732 days study at home without teacher
| in four years.
Saturday school will commence at the
Rankin Richards Institute, Windsor, NJ
| c., Saturday, October 6, 1900. The teacher
| is to be paid $3.50 a Saturday The price
| of a scholar will be cents head. 1t
will require thirty scholars to pay the
teacher at 5 cents head The session
will commence at 8 o'clock a. m. and
close at 4 p. m. 1t is to be hoped that in
case that the teacher does not have
enough scholars at cents head to
pay him $1.50 Saturday the more able
scholars will make up the needed amount
Owing to the small price that is charged
per head, women may also attend the
Saturday school. 1t is the hope of the
superintendent to have Saturday school
at Lewiston, Colerain, Kelford and Merry
Hill, BERTHE county, N. c.
Very respectfully,
RIDDEN MITCHELL,
SUPERINTENDENT Windcor NJ