The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-24
FOR NEGRO CHILDREN.
Interesting Meeting at the In
dustrial Institute.

Friends of educational and industrial
training among the negroes of the west
gathered at the colored industrial insti-
tute in South Topeka Sunday afternoon
4 to attend the regular semi-annual edu
cational and industrial rally of that in
stitution. They came in such numbers
that Stephens Memorial hall, the as
sembly room of the institution. could
scarcely accommodate them, and after
the sDeechmaking had closed they filled
the rooms where the exhibit of the boys
and girls work was made. The exercises
began at 3 p m and continued until 6.
In opening Principal w. r. Carter
welcomed the visitors to the school and
referred with feeling to the manner in
which the colored people had shown
their loyalty by supporting it He in
troduced j. Hume Childers, of this city.
who gave a short address upon THE
Attendance of Colored Children in Our
Public Schools" He showed that while
there was total enrolment of about
$50, 81 of whom were in the high school,
this was only about 55 per cent of the
entire population of negro children in
the cit.r. THE reason said Mr.. Child
ers, seems hard to discover. 1t is due
either to parental indifference or a de-
sire on the part of the pupils to absent
themselves from the public schools" To
which of these causes tie small attend
ance was due Mr. Childers did not
attempt to make answer.
William H. Barnes. secretary of the
/ State Horticultural society, spoke for a
short time on "Grumbling." Secretary
| Barnes was optimistic in his view of
/ life. In this great big broad America
/ said he, there isn't any room for grum-
bling. If we lived in Ireland, China or
India. or a good many other countries
we might grumble, but under the broad
skies of America there is nothing to
grumble about. Some men because they
/ lose a hand or a foot fall back on char
ity; would say to you young people.
I rr.f4 ~ r.
twill not be necessary. Day before yes
! terfay 1 took dinner down at Talequah
I. T., and I found that the whole coun-
/ try in the Indian Territory was laugh
ing" This was in reference to an ex-
cursion which the apple growers of the
west enjoyed inspecting the fruit pro-
ducing country between st. Louis and
I the Indian Territory
Superintendent w. NJ. Davidson of the
city schools gave an address in which
/ the work of Abraham Lincoln in liberar-
/ ing the black race from bondage was
strongly portrayed. He recited the story
of LinColn's first trip down the Missis-
( sippi on fiat-boat to New Orleans and
/ his disgust with the sale of negroes
there; how that in 1854 he became a ma
tional figure through his contest with
/ Douglas for a seat in the United Sta Ies
senate: his subsequent nomination for
the presidency by the Chicago 'conven-
ton and his victory at the polls. In
! applying the story of Lincoln, Superin-
tendent Davidson said: My idea eff
life is that every citizen has a moiety
of influence. Education is a process of
knowing how to say no. If you are in
school you are being trained in knowing
and feeling as well as above, all in do
ing things.
Are there as man.y colored children
( in school as there should be? There has
been a gradual decrease in the ~ast
three wears. there have been removals
of families to Oklahoma and elsewhere
but not sufficient to offset the fact that
a large number are not attending school
who should. The quest of the aimis}t r
dollar becomes the quest of 80 per cent
of the people of the United States 1t
some people lose sight of the fact that
there is something better than merely
hard in the quest for the dollar that W
fail to build I'D somewhat of sweetness
in the home. The teacher is not the SER
want of the parent of the board of edu-
cation. And when the child is placed in
school you are giving it over to the
state. And in keeping it out of school
you are not ONLY doing it a wrong. but
a violence to the state; a violence to the
state because the half-educated com
mun1ties are danger spots to the state.
Every parent should cooperate cordial
ly with the teachers.
This is an institution of which you
should be proud. colored and white.
With it, it is possible for every child to
avail himself of industrial work before
completing the course. There is a feel
ing among educators that we have
worked out the problem of educational
training and that the school address
itself to training the hand as well. To
these young people let me say, don t
stop your school course. because the
longer you go the more power you get.
I would like to have been trained SO that
if necessary I could go out and pound
out a horse shoe. There is a nobility in
small work. dishwashing or potato hoe
ing; only whatever you do. do we'll"
Rev. F. G. Snelson, pastor of ST.
Johns A. NJ. E. church, who recently
came to Topeka to take this pastorate,
spoke briefly about the waste of en-
ergy: the need of the young people
utilizing every opportunity to make the
best of life He related his experience in
gaining an education. fhe sacrifices
which it required dwelling upon the re-
suits which this had enabled him to at
tain.
Music for the exercises was furnished
by the schoir of ST. Johns A. M. z.
church. and by the girls of the school
They appeared in the spring uniform of
the school-sailor dresses with red trim
mings. The opening prayer was by
William Reynolds and the invocation by
Rev. G. d Olden of the African Baptist
church. Seated on the platform besides
the spea kers and Principal Carter was
; A C. Purdue, professor of carpentry in