The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-21
EDUCATION AND LABOR.

EDUCATION AND LABOR.
In its article asking II it Is good
policy to afford education for the
young Porto Ricans being brought
mere the Advertiser referred to the
conditions in the South saying that
education for the negro had been a
detrimeut. rather than a benefit. 1t
claimed that before the war the negro
was an ideal laborer-as though slave
labor could ever under any circum-
stances be ideal labor II claimed that
with education there had sprung up
"cocky" negroes and that negroes
were crowding out white men from
spheres OF labor that did not belong
to the blacks. The Advertiser, like a
very few in other parts of the country,
endeavors TO hold up the black man
and all others springing from illiterate
parentage as clog in the country's
prosperity II only one side of the
question is considered a bad picture
can be drawn against the negro just
as il might be against the Porto
Rican The Republican is opposed TO
the importation OF the Porto Ricans
TO these Islands, but if they are to
be brought here their condition must
be improved and chief in the improve
ment must be education for the young
In connection with education for the
negro Booker 7. Washington. in an ar
ticle in the International Magazine for
December last, presented very forci-
BILE article on the side of education
In Mr.. Washington's opinion the mere
fact that the negro race is about the
only one that has been able to look
the white man in the face during the
long period of years and not only live.
but multiply" is prima facie evidence
of the inherent vitality and usefulness
Of his people. For 200 years the South
looked on the negro as of sufficient
value TO warrant the expense of i'm
porting him from Africa. The Indians,
who were at hand. did not submit
readily to bondage. and those who
were enslayed succumbed under the
physical strain of tie work
Dean Shaler OF the Harvard Scien-
tific school. himself southern man.
has called attention to the remarkable
endurance of the blacks. as shown in
their adapting themselves to new and
hard conditions. In the development
OF the South before the war the negro
was the chief dependence. The plant
ing and harvesting of cotton, suga-
cane. rice and tobacco were in the
hands OF the blacks They cleared the
forests and built the roads and houses.
Many plantations were under negro
overseer, who did the entire planning
for the hands.
Mr.. Washington believes the eff
cheney OF the negro has not deterior-
ated since the war. To support his
views he points 10 the facts that The
cotton crop has quadrupled since 1850.
and that the black race. in the state
OF Virginia alone. has accumulated
real estate valued at liz million dol.
lars. The Importance of the negro to
the South's development is illustrated
in the case Of two Georgia counties.
from which large proportion of the
oolored people decided 10 migrate.
The greatest excitement and anxiety
were occasioned am9ES the whites of
the counties. who made every effort to
induce the negroes to remain.
To ascertain the general feeling On
the subject Of negro education Mr..
Washington sent out circulars to
white men Of the South. asking their
opinion whether education had made
the negro more useful as citizen and
workman and more economical. Of
the 200 answers received only one
said mo"
The change from slavery 20
freedom wss a tremendous one. and
it is not strange that Generalization
attended it, A race. reared for hun
dreds OF years without family life ana
with the notion that freedom meant
absence OF restraint and release from
toll, could not be expected to develop
entire self-eontrol in a generation.
Such keen observer as Mr.. Wash
ington finds the situation full OF en-
eouragement The aim which he sets
forth viii meet with general approval:
The greatest thing that can be done
FOR the negro at the present time Is
TO make him the most useful and In
dispensable man in his community.
THIS can be done BY thorough eduea.