The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-30
On This the COIored A. &
N. Lays Emphasis.
TREND OF EXHIBITS
At the CoIored State Fair Shows
that the Educators of the Negro
in North Carolina are Fully
Awake to His Truest Field
of Usefulness.

grounds yesterday, which evidently en-
joyed itself to the fullest extent. There
i were several attractions TO amuse the
crowd, and two cOlored teams evoked
much enthusiasm by q holly confessed
| game Of football.
The exhibits are of q finely credlt-
! able character. There is little of osten-
/ tation or attempt al the elaborate III
! The displays, but the exhibitors nave
| seemed to be inspired with the idea OF
showing the posi- blities of the race
/ lndustrially, and to have had in MIND
to furnish TO the visitors to the FAR
1 the pointed examples of concrete object
! lessons of the work of labor int@Ih-
\ gently directed.
This motif was manifest in oil The
exhibits, more strongly evidenced per-
haps n those Of the State Agricultural
and Mechanical College for negroes 1T
! ,ireeESb" no.
The display of farm products in this
exhibit IS remarkably gratifying me
college is now on q purely industrial
basis President Dudley is a fine eX-
! ample of one of the type of negroes
who are at once progressive ana sane.
His ambitions are we'll developed ana
! Well-aimed. With a refreshing free
dom of display or affectation he talks
of his work modestly ana entertain
imgly
The college is now, he says, devoted
i
agricultural Instruction. RecognlMnS
the natural bent of the race and know
| ing the channels in which his labors
Iuay be best expended, the policy OF
! the Greensboro College IS distinctly in
! dustrial. Every student must for two
! years at least study scientific agricul-
ture and do mechanical work. At the
end of two years he may select such
| courses If instruction as he deems are
best fitted 70 his needs, but he must
| continue until his graduation to work
/ hard and steadily al some exercise OF
! the hanG directed by the brain, SO that,
when he leaves the institution, the
/ race is leavened by an intelligent num-
| her whose eGucation has 1t robbed
| them of their usefulness.
In addition to various instructive
samples of students mechanical skill,
the exhibit contains display of agri-
cultural products that would be
worthy Of any institution of its class.
| Conspicu >us in the display of farm and
| garden products is a large stalk of cot
ton heavy With bolls bursting with the
! aeecv e,aple Whica was laisHI o. the
| College grounds near Greensboro, ard
gives 2 practical denin 10 ;he long
accepted theory that cotton would not
grow ia Guilford county.
The agricultural instruction in the
! college. which includes in addition +.
of the vocation and course in practi-
cal chemistry. Is in charge of j. II.
| Rluford an intelligent negro graduate
OF Cornell University. The chemical
coarse involves Crly sucl instruction
| as is vital to the proper management
OF the farm, including some qualitative
and industrial chemistry, enabling the
student 20 understand soils and to test
fertilizers and food products. There is
Inc trouble. Saws Pref. BiufOrd, TO Gb-
tain positions for competent graduates
OF the college. One of it's graduates,
G. A. Edwards, is now At the head OF
the mechanical department OF SHAW
University and is doing there spleA-
did work Many others are distributed
throughout various States, and all are
engaged in the one big work: the en-
courageme!.t of the negro to fuller
industrial education. Besides taking
the blue ribbons for the best agricul-
tural display, for pest display of seeds
and cereals, the college exhibit also
took the premium as the oesI scllool
display at the FAIR. It would have
won honora BILE mention in any exhibit
: ton
At the booths of the Shaw University
ey hibit the same on ph'Sis OF indus
trial and mechanical instruction was
evident. The mechanical display, in
: charge, as above stated, of G. A. Ed
! WARDS, WAS Il lCN6Aott4Oit ~ t'O'>' w liO
accept as "a fact and are not acquaint-
ed With tic "details of the work Il is do
i ing.
There we're full bedroom sets, q
folding and complete sofa bed, brick
: end oak fire-places and mantels, horse
shoes, parts of machinery turned in q
shop that could If necessary, build an
engine plows, woodwork and mod els
dresses, plain sewing and examples CT
the work of the cooking school.
Outside of the floral hall there stood
the complete model of a large build
irg planned and constructed entirely
by students from the institution.
At Shaw University, also, although
more attention is paid to literary work
and pl OCCASIONAL schools, every student
is required TO have industrial instruc-
ton and to do manual work. The me-
chanical department now performs
every bit of construction and repair
word needed in maintaining the large
buildings Of the college, and talks with
those in charge OF the exhibit brought
the information that many of the stu
dents earned money by doing manual
work and performing skilled labor
both in the city and during vacation,
in different parts of the county and
State. One Illuminating instance of the
practical character of the industrial
education at the institution was the
building, entirely by students, of a
large house near Cary, in Wake coun-
ty. Instead of going away IN numbers
as formerly to the undesirable and Of
ten corrupting employment as ser.
wants in summer hotels the students
now stay in the South and seek en-
ployment in skilled trades.
Another State institution the school
for the blind and deaf, has an exhibit
that shows more clearly than words
could do, the good and intelligent
work which the institution is accom-
rljshing The samples OF needle work
knitting, ETC., performed by the blind
pupils is truly wonderful, one of the
most interesting facts being that their
instruction in the work is given them
by woman who is deaf, the wife of
the superintendent OF the institution,