The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-06-29
ABOUT NEGRO EDUCATION.
Some Views Of Msnb bsrs OF the constitu-
tional Convention.

IAN educational qualification would be
only n temporary solution OF this race
problem" stated Mr.. Watson to a Wash
ingtOn Post representative. ITO the
negro, education is a different thing than
to a white man. IL il fetish or tails
man, and he seeks to read and write not
that he may remain in the fields and work,
intelligently, but that he may go away
to the city and live by his wits. have
been Commonwealth Attorney in my
county for five years, and assure you
"A very large proportion OF the negroes |
have prosecuted for crime can read and
write. | mean to inquire of the warden
over here in our penitentiary how many
Of the colored cOnvicts there are Hitter
ate. will wager that there are very few
Of them, indeed.
THE present system ofDegro education
il all wrong, and the taxes OF the white
people go to support IL. The small farm
ers of Virginia, as il well known, pay the
bulk of the taxes On them falls the bur
den disappearing our State Government.
But the taxes for school purposes are
not paid chiefly for the white schools; a
large portion goes to the colored schools.
The white farmer takes his children out
of schools at an early age to help him in
planting his crops and in doing other
light work; the negro children are pushed
in the schools 10 gain an elementary
education. not along practical lines, that
would make them more useful, but TO
possess the accomplishment OF knowing
how to read and write
"Do you mean to say that that is not
beneficial to the negro" was asked OF
Mr.. Watson.
THE kind Of instruction they get Is
wrong he replied. "Children OF the
lowest class ofnegroes are sent to school
to be taught by Others of that same
class, and the learning they acquire helps
them but little. More often il does harm.
You find lew educated negroes working
on the farms In NottOway, owned by
white men. A lew are dawdling along
on land of their own. In ten years, under
the present system, it win be impossible
TO get any colored help on our lands.
Prescribe an educational qualification
suffrage solely, and you only stimulate
the negroes in their present course. Be
fore many years they would all be able
to comply with that qualification, and
the same old race problem will confront
us again,
81 had an illustration Of the effect OF
negro schools some two weeks ago" in
terposed DR.. Barnes. AS was driving
in the county, passed a negro school
Just as the children, some forty in all,
were turned loose. They ioslted together
in the road and showed no intention OF
making way for me to pass, till whip
ped up my horse, and forced them to iall
back. Farther along met three white
children, the largest Of whom, girl, |
knew.
AREN'T you going to school, Nary
asked her.
"No, she said, Il have to stay at home
to help mother with the work
4" Well, what about this boyP' said
to her, regarding a youngster ofthe trio
even smaller than Mary;
"'He has to help pop plant the eorn'
was her reply.
"That sort OF worried me, was Dr.
Barnes comment.
But the white farmer, whose children
must stay at home to work" I" resumed
Mr.. Watson, "has all the time to pay the
taxes to afford the colored children OPP
portnnities that hecannot allow his own
children to have. The presentation OF
the subject in this light before the con-
vention will certainly command atten-
ton"