The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13

for some one to introduce theoretical and practical agriculture into the State Normal College for colored people at Tal- lahassee. Menafee was recommended. The students had no wish to learn agri- culture. They were opposed to 1t in any form. By tact and patience Menafee gradually won the students by showing the importance of the subject to them and to the race The result is this: Men afee has had charge of the agricultural department of the Florida school for three years. and has made theoretical and practical farming so effective that t is no wone of the most popular branches in the school. Not only do the young men cultivate large acreage each year. but number of girls also receive instruction in gardening. dairying and poultry raising. In c word, the whole spirit of the school regarding agriculture has eebn revolutionixed. and the depart ment has been placed upon an effective and practical foundation.
 There are hundreds of cases almost similar to this. These represent a class of students who have imbibed the spirit of the school as well as its methods. and are doing far-reaching service. though they are not enrolled on our list of grad uates.
 From the first we have tried to give special attention to all forms of agri- cultural training. because 1t is believed that the negro, like any other race in the same stage of development. is bet ter off when owning and cultivating the soil. It is not believed that the black mans education should be confined who'll ly to industrial training, nor 1t is advo- cated anything for the negro that is not emphasized for the Jews, Germans. or Japanese were they in the same rela- tive state of civilization.
 lfa Of ha Orlr In the past have not been as, apparent as they will be in the future, for the reason that in order to get under shelter we have been compelled
 To emphasize the building trades. The task of erecting nearly seventy buildings in which to house about seventeen hun dred people has not been easy. Still, what are some of the results of our les- sons in forming?
 Principal Washington answers this in his usual forceful and earnest way:
 A Negro Farm.
 "A few weeks ago took a drive through certain section of Macon Coun- ty. My drive extended a distance of perhaps eight miles, and during this time drove through or near the farms of A. H. Adams, Thomas Courier. Frank Mo- Cay, Nathaniel Harris, Thomas Anderson. John Smith and Dennis Upshaw. These seven men had attended the Tuskegee h.
 
 stitute for g, longer or shorter period, and each had already paid for his farm or was buying It. In three of these cases the men had studied in the Phelps Hall Bible Training School in the morning and had taken the agricultural course in the after noon. When 1 visited their farms l saw the men actually at work, and 1t was most encouraging and interesting to note the air of cleanliness and system about their farms and homes. In every case these men were not confning themselves to the raising of cotton, but had learned to diversity their crops. All were active in church and Sunday school work, and were using their influence to get others to buy homes. The largest farmer among them was Mir. Upshaw. He began farm Ing with practically nothing. At the present time he owns one hundred and fifteen acres of land. which is cultivated by himself and family. On this land is a