The colored American., 1903-03-28


marks of a certain learned doctor"
who earns his livelihood by routine Of
fetal service in a government depart
ment at Washington, who assays to
discredit the value and purpose of in
dustrial education, and who goes far
out of his way to attack the work of
Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee
Institute, attention is called TO the fol-
lowing excerpt from the 18th annual
report of the principal and treasurer of
the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial
Institute for the year ending May 81,
1900, which furnishes a complete and
convincing refutatiOn of the false and
biased arguments advanced by the in
dividual in question. The report of
Mr. Washington says in part:
"One is often surprised at the mis-
leading and unfounded statements
made regarding the progress of the
Negro but these very eXaggeratlons
serve a good purpose in causing indi-
viduals to seek facts for themselves.
For example, l have recently seen
statement going the rounds of the
press to the effect that out of 1,2O0
students educated at industrial schools
only twelve were farming, and three
were educated. Whether the Tuskee
Institute was included in this list l
do not know.
1t is to be regretted that those who
presume to speak with authority on
the advancement of the Negro do not
in more cases actually visit him, where
they can see his better life. Few of
the people who make discouraging
statements regarding him have ever
taken the trouble to inspect his home
life his school life. his church life. or
his business or industrial life. 1t is
always misleading TO judge any race
or community by its worst The Ne
gro race should like other races, be
judged by its best types rather than
by its worst.
Anyone who judges of the value of
industrial education by the mere num-
Der who actually follow the industry
or trade learned at a school makes a
mistake. One might as we'll judge of
the value of arithmetic by the number
of people who spend their time after
leaving school in working out prob
lens in arithmetic.
The chief value in industrial educa-
tion is to give the students habits of
industry thrift, economy and an idea
of the dignity of labor. But in addi-
ton to this, in the present economic
condition of the colored people, it is
most important that a very large pro-
portion of those trained in such insti-
tutions as this actually spend their
time at industrial occupations. Let
us value the work of Tuskegee by this
test:
On January 10th of this school year.
we dedicated the Slater-Armstrong Me-
mortal Trades building. This building
is in the form of a double Greek cross
and in its main dimensions is 2S3X315
| feet and is two stories high The
| plans of this building were drawn by
our instructor in mechanical drawing.
colored man. Eight hundred thous-
and bricks were required to construct
it, and every one of them was manu-
| factured by our students while learn
| ing the trade of brick making All the
| bricks were laid into the building by
| students who were being taught the
trade of brick masonry. The plaster
| ing carpentry work, painting and tin
| roofing were done by students while
| learning these trades. The whole num-
ber of students who received training
| on this building alone was about one
| hundred and fifty-siX. 1t is to be
| lighted by electricity and all the cleo
tr1c fixtures are being put in by stu
dents who are learning electrical en-
| g1neering. The power to operate the
tr@o1a II. -