Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-01
trate the chfldishness, mprovidence and
lrresponsibility of the entire race
Negro Love of Travel


There is no doubt that the negroes of the
south waste a great deal of money in aim
less travelling. They love to ride on the
cars. They love the motion and the ex-
citement, and the railway companies graf
lily they by sending out excursion trains
that run up the road for short distance
and back again with low rates of fare One
OF the most familiar anecdotes you hear in
the south is of a colored man in the cotton
nelds who shook his fist at a passing train
and shouted:
"Yo' can toot an y can snort, but Use
gwine to ride you next Sunday"
rms love of motion is not peculiar to the
negro race, however. You find it in all
countrfes-in Egypt India, China Japan,
the Philippines, Central and South Amer
lea, Italy, the Balkan provinces-in fact
everywhere among the ignorant classes;
and 1t Is no doubt true that large portion
of the earnings of the negroes in the south
are wasted as described. Booker Washing
ton, w. H. Council and many other leaders
and teachers of the race are continually ad-
monishing them regarding this weakness
and trying to teach them the value of
money and the advantages of saving 1t for
investments in homes, farms and other
property. The census reports show that
while the fault is common, 1t is not uni
versal.
There are twelve savings banks owned
and operated by negroes in the southern
states-three at Richmond and the others
81
Nashville, Jacksonville; Pine Bluff, Ark.
Mound Bayou, Miss; Kingston, N. c., and
Muskogee. I. T. All of these banks are
prosperous and have large deposits from
negro farmers. mechanics, laborers and
others. l shall try to give some detailed
information concerning them in another
letter. Unfortunately the census reports
do not cover the savings banks.
The 1S7,197 farms owned by negroes,
however, have an assessed value of $780,
100000 average of S1,224 for each farm
the live stock owned by negroes is worth
SS4 936 215, and includes more than 1000 900
100000 mules. The value of the tools and
implements owned by negro farmers is
$S,352.975, which Is good evidence that all
of them have not thrown away their
money.
Progress Due to Education.
While it is true that the colored popu-
lation Of the south as mass are not max
ing the progress they should; while en-
tirely too many of them are idle and shift
less and engaged in vice and crime; while
they waste precious money that might be
invested in homes and farms and expend-
ed in the education of their children and
the betterment of their own condition
vet an examination of the census Statls-
tics show that certain portion of them
are pushing ahead much faster than their
white neighbors give them credit Tor. and
are making respectable and useful cft1-
zens. 1t is also true that this progress and
success are due almost entirely to educa-
tion and that the school house is the
anchorage that prevents the race from de-
general ting. Education Is just as necessary
for the black man and woman as for the
white man and woman, and the educated
colored man has a wide field OF useful
ness among the members of his own race
as preacher, teacher and leader in the
paths of usefulness. At the same time, all
colored men cannot enter the professions.
There is room for only a small proportion.
but the race has undisputed possession of
the farms and the shops Of the south. and
there is a great demand for good farmers
and skilled mechanics. No one can STUDY
conditions in the cotton states without
coming to the irresistible conclusion that
the manual training school is the key TO
the negro problem