The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-10-31

to this industry for a number OF years.
Since it is true that the most of us live
by agriculture l believe that the educa-
ton given in the college, in the high
school. and in the public school. and es-
pecially in the country school, should to Il
very large degree teach the child or the
youth to become a more intelligent farm
CT; should teach him to love the SOIL tc
love trees and birds and animals We
cannot, however, expect the youth to re-
main in the country districts upon the
soil unless we make life there more at
tractive and inviting. If young man
feels that life on the farm means the
following of blind mule month. by
month he will soon grow sick of it and
will find his way to a town or city. If,
on the other hand. the youth Is taught
to put brains and skill into the farm life
he will soon grow to love it and will be
as satisfied there as he is in the city.
believe that a very large number of our
young people should receive that education
which will make them return to the agri-
cultural districts after they have been
educated, rather than yield to the temp
tation to go to a city and try to earn
their living by their wits instead of by
honest hard work / do not mean that
all negroes should become farmers, be-
cause we need teachers, and doctors, and
lawyers and ministers, but Just in proper
ton as we have intelligent skilled farm
ers. just in the same proportion will Their"
be a foundation for the professional class
to stand upon. In the South. at the pros
ent time, in large degree. we are per
mitted to work without hindrance at most
of the skilled trades. such as carpentry
brckmasonry, painting, tnsmlthlne,
shoemaking, and what not If we are
wise. we will teach our children to be-
come so skilled in these fundamental in
dustries that we can hold on to them from
year to year In some sections of the
country, especially in the Northern States,
the negro barber has been replaced by a
European barber In some large cities
of the North, the negro cook is being re-
placed by the French cook In othc"
sections the negro nurse is being replaced
~ the white nurse The native Southern
white man prefers to give employment to
a black man when he can do the work as
well as IL white man can do it in a given
case. He does not like to give orders 30
another white man, but we must not eX-
pect to be employed in the future simply
because we have been employed in the
past In these directions unless We can
perform the service as well or better than
any one else In a word. it seems to me
that the whole future of our race hinges
largely upon the question as to whether
or not we can make ourselves of such in
dispensahle service in the community
where we live that the community will
feel they cannot dispense with our ser
vices.
IF we can succeed in making ourselves
indispensable, we will find that this fact
alone will settle a large number of vcx-
ing and perplexing questions. In very
large degree, | believe that education
more and more should be used as tool
to lift uD domestic life. Heretofore TIE
most ignorant person in the community
in many cases has been the cook. The
average family has food prepared and
served three times a day. Still it is sur
prising to know how little brains. how
little foresight is put into the matter OF
preparing and serving food. We are
willing to send our children to school and
to have them spend years in learning to
analyze the most complex sentences III
grammar, or to locate cities and rivers
in foreign countries. but precious lit,'e
Tune mas Dcen given heretofore TO TIE
analysis of bread or to the location on
the table of the vegetables and knives
and forks. Education should concern 1T
self in these matters.
Our children should be taught that all
forms of labor are dignificd and hOnora
Bile. and that ali forms of idleness are d
disgrace One OF the problems that our
ministers and teachers should give spc
cial attention to is, the large number CT
idle men and youths that hang about
the street corners of our large cities
Unless we bring about an influence that
shall put those people 10 work with the
hand or with the head. they will get us
as race into trouble and disgrace us.
Education should teach the youth TO
save money, should teach him to sacri
fee today in order that he may possess
tomorrow; should teach him that he can
never nave the respect and confidence OF
the community in which he lives unless
he has a bank account or owns Q piece
OF land, or in some way is tied in q bust
ness direction to the community in which
he lives As fast as possible we should
become the owners of homes and become
tax payers. No man deserves to vote ur-
less at the same time he helps to support