New-York tribune., 1901-03-20
HELPING THE NEGROES.
WORK OF THE MOUNT MEIGS COLORED
INSTITUT TEA SOCIAL SETTLE
MENT IN ALABAMA

Miss Cornelia Bowen a graduate of the Tuske-
gee Normal and Industrial Institute, at Tuskegee,
Ala, the speaker of the morning at the meet
ing of the Broadway Tabernacle Society for
Women's Work, the Broadway Tabernacle yes
terday. Miss Bowen's theme the work OF the
Mount Megs Tolored Institute at Waugh. Ala. Of
which she is principal The school was started under
the direction of Booker T. Washington. one Of the
present Board OF Trustees thirteen years ago. and
is located twenty-four miles from Tuskegee. 1t is
a preparatory school. boys and girls from six
years of age upward being admitted As the state
of Alabama forbids Tuskegee TO receive pupils un-
der fifteen years of preparatory schools OF this
kind necessary not only to give the required
technical education. but also the moral stability
which cannot be obtained In the homes
Besides the usual branches. farming. blacksmith
ing and wheelwrighting taught to the boys
and sewing and cooking the girls The work OF
constructing the main building was done by the
boys. There are nine acres Of land. seven being
under cultivation.
sugar cane corn. peas and potatoes All the
products but the cotton. which is sold are used
by the school. The annual expenses are $500. and
a large part OF these supplied by the resources
of the school \ nominal tuition fee IS charged
for the purpose OF encouraging In the pupils spirit
OF self-reancc and self-respect Besides this. 800
contributed by the people OF the vicinity during
the last year for the running expenses.
Miss Bowen. with her sister. lives IN small cot
taGe I'm Waugh, and there accompishes practically
the work OF a social settlement. Her house con-
tans no article Of furniture or adOrnment which
the people may themselves have in their
homes. and open all times to callers. II
model TO the housewives of the place. Her
walls decorated with pictures from the
magazines. mounted cardboard. This has come
TO the accepted mode Of wall decoration
throughout the place Her well kept garden of
flowers and vegetables. too. is copied by her neigh
bors.
Two organizations of women. headed by her are
effecting much in the way of cleaner homes. the
improved of children and better lives. One
of these, the Mount Meigs Institute Club has a
membership Of two hundred. This is a mothers
club and discusses the proper care and bringing
up of children how improve the home. etc.
The other organiza ton is called the Antt-Wrap-
ping Society. all members OF which pledge them
selves not 10 wrap" their hair. and not to use
tobacco snuff
When Miss Bowen first went to Waugh thirteen
years ago. wrapping the hair which consists in
to straighten it and injure the hair and
scalp. was prhctised by all the OF the place
Miss Bowen called them together. and after seri-
Gus r"monstrance bonfire was made of the pile of
strings removed then and there. and the present
organization was the result. Not a woman in the
place today resorts to the practice and those who
move into the town soon learn from their neigh
borS I" abandon snun dipping.
Other customs. too, have been improved The
girls were formerly in the habit of wearing cups
to show their Sunday clothes paraded in and out
Tor drinks At the spring during the long. tedious
wholesome advice to the preacher on the evils of
long discourses. put a stop to this.
The Mount Megs Colored Institute recently met
WIN serious mis- ortunc In the loss of all its
ayailahle avail funds-Sl ""o-through the failure of a
bank IN ontgomery. and 1t is Miss Bowen's pur-
pose in visiting the North only to retrieve II
girls dormitory. Ten thousand dollars she states
would literally endow the school. She will spend
some weeks in this city and will accept invita-
tons to speak before parlor meetings and mission
sry s societies upon work among her people in the
Ninety-seventh-st.