The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-12
EDUCATION OF NEGRO
DISCUSSED DY EX-PREsIDENT
GROVER CLEVELAND.
IDEA OF THE CIVIC VIRTUES
CAN BE GAINED By THE NEGRO
THROUGH EDUCATION.

Public Meeting I'm Philadelphia for
the Beneft of the Berean Manual
Training school MIR. Cleveland
was the Principal Speaker.
Everybody should BE Alive 20
Their Duties and Interest in the
Negro Race-Eyes should Not BE
blinded.
Philadelphia, Dec. 11.-Former Pres
ident Cleveland presided tonight al
a public meeting in aid of the Berean
Manual Training School, an institution
which aims to give members of the ne
gro race the benefits of an industrial
education. The meeting was attended
by prominent jurists, educators and
business men. Mr.. Cleveland was the
principal speaker and Booker T. Wash
ington, president of the Tuskegee In
stitute, also made an address.
The institution was established less
than two years ago. and has an enroll
ment of 200 students.
Mr.. Cleveland is personally interest
ed In the school. and in accepting the
invitation to attend the meeting, he
said:
II regard the object which the meet
ing is called to promote so beneficent
and so important to the advancement
of a mass of our citizenship, greatly In
need of improvement and care, that
have considered 1t my duty to COM
ply with the request to preside at the
meeting"
The colored population of this city is
$4,000. increasing at the rate of 10000
year, and to-night's meeting was held
for the purpose OF interesting the peo-
| pie of Philadelphia, particularly, and
of the country generally in their edu-
cation.
Mr.. Cleveland spoke, in part, as fol-
| lows:
1T is absolutely certain that every
where in this broad land good people
should be keenly alive to their duties
and interest as related to the colored
men, women, youth and children, who
| constitute a factor. large or small. IN
| the population of every community.
TT is foolish for us to blind our eyes
to the fact that more should be done
to improve the condition of our negro
population, and 1t should be entirely
plain to all of us that the sooner this
is undertaken the sooner win a serious
| duty be discharged and the more sure.
| ly will we guard ourselves against flu
ture trouble and danger. Our coloret
! people have been supplied with 6
measure of public school privileges
even though In this they have been al
a disadvantage as compared with theii
| white neiRhbors.
1--WE will not fail to estimate at its
true value what has thus been accom-
| plished, nor will we fail to appreciate
the Importance of continued and in
creasing effort in extending to this
class of our citizens opportunities for
ordinary school education.
No one who has given the subject
deliberate thought can doubt that II
we are to be just and fair towards our
colored fellow-citizens. and If they are
| to be more completely made self-re-
speeding, useful and safe members OF
our body polite, they must be taught
to do something more than to hew
| wood and draw water. The way must
be opened for them to engage in some
| thing better than mental service. and
their interests must be aroused to
rewards of intelligent occupation and
| careful thrift.
II believe that the exigency can
| only be adequately met through the
| ual training and Industrial schools,
conducted either independently or in
connection with ordinary educational
| institutions. am convinced that
| good citizenship, an orderly contented
| life, and proper conception of civic vlr-
tue and obligations are almost certain
| to grow out of a fair chance to earn
an honest, hopeful livelihood and a
satisfied sense of protection and consid-
crate treatment
THE objects of our assemblage to-
night are to learn the details OF the
| work done by a manual training and
| Industrial school located here in the
| city of Philadelphia and to extend to
II our aid and encourage
Though still young, the Berean
| Manual Training and Industrial
School has abundantly justified its ex-
istence and demonstrated it's power for
good. 1t has passed so far beyond an
experimental stage that its usefulness
is seriously cramped by lack of means
and the want of necessary accommo-
dations.
Surely, If the liberal citizens OF
Philadelphia are once satisfied that
their duty to their less fortunate col
ored neighbors demands the increased
success of this institution II should
not be difficult to induce them to ex-
tend to II helping hand. We cannot
anticipate that it's neglect will be
chargeable against the people of this
philanthropic and patriotic, city"
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