The Appeal., 1905-10-21
THE AFRo-AMERicAN. A

THE AFRo-AMERicAN.
And Public School Education in the
South.
10 the Afro-American People in The
Southern States.
"A great many questions relative To
our progress as q race, it is imnor-
tant for us to consider and to keen
before us. One Of the questions lust
now OF fundamental impor tance is
mat OF securing facilities for a sound
common school education of the
masses of our children. especially in
small towns and country districts
lne large majority of our children
WI! never, have, perhaps, the oppor-
tuhlty 10 receive any schooling educa-
tlon except that they get between
the ages of five and fourteen years
and Will never have opportunity to
attend other than common public
schools. And yet here in orr South
land hardly more than one-fifth of the
A1ro-Amerlcan children five to nine
years OF age and hardly more than one
halt from ten to fourteen Years of
age were reported by the U. S. Cen
sus to have attended school at all in
1910. OF any or all our children who
did attend school during that school
year. over three-ffths attended less
than SIX months. In many cases while
the schools are open, parents are care
less about seeing that their children
attend school each day This fault
should be remedied. | use these fl
cures because they express compactly
though, of course, not exactly,-a
condition of utmost gravity And re-
member that such figures give no hint
OF the squalor of so many of our schools
and the incompetence of so many of
our teachers.
L wish, through this letter. to urge
upon our ministers, teachers and lead
ers of whatever character, to put forth
special and immediate effort to see to
it that the school facilities in each
community are improved and brought
up to higher standard of efficiency
II this is not done, SO many thousands
OF our children will grow up in ignor-
ance. Whatever the reason be, the
plain fact is that in many communi-
ties our people are not being provided
with education in the public schools.
l have recently heard of several COM
munities where only SIS per month
We're appropriated from the public
fund for the Afro-American school
and this for only term of four months
We must face the fact that public
schools in many sections are not be-
ing improved, and, in some parts of
the South, they have gone backward
1t is probable that the children of the
race have increased faster than the
facilities for their education in some
places.
n.tj-a mberdoia1e puareeveusorvtIpt?
At the basis Of our educational op-
po:tunities,i l say, is the public school,
and [ think it wise to make that
school, the center of our interests and
activities. We should not fail to
make prominent at all times and cling
to the fundamental idea OF the Ameri-
can common school-that all of the
property Of the State should educate
mpartially all the children of all the
people. It is not merely the man who
enters the tax Office who really pays
the taxes; the laborer. who pays one
AAlIi 1D'4C W tuS pOOuu LII q
ity because of such a license tax, real
ly pays the tax, however indirect the
payment. BY close examination, /
find that in many communities the
small amount of money received for
the public schools is in large degree
wasted and dissipated by reason of
differences and wran-
giles over the school. For example l
know Of one community that has three
schools of weak character, when there
should be only one and that one good.
The Baptists have a school in another
part, and the Zion Methodists a school
in still another part. UNCONVENTIONAL
ism has no place in public school ed
ucation, and our people should crush
that tendency to let denominations
lism divide and overcome the public
school. You should concentrate our
efforts, wherever possible, prefe ring
one good school to two or IT, &c poor
ones.
Our leaders should lay special en-
phasis upon the following points:
/. See to it that good and effici-
ent teacher is provided. If any quail
ification is lacking, it should not be
moral character. The teacher may be
weak in. other matters, but if he is
wholesome, he may greatly
help the people.
g. A good teacher cannot be kept
in a community from year to year
without a reasonably good salary. A
poor salary means a poor teacher in
most cases, one who remains only
few months and then goes to some
other community. It is cheaper in the
long run to pay a large salary for
good teacher than to pay a small sala-
ry for poor teacher.
3. If the public school authorities
do not provide a decent and comfort
able school house, and every effort of
the people to stimulate them to do SO
has failed, the people in the communi-
ty should tax themselves in order that
4 good, comfortable school house may
be built. Some of the school houses i'll
which our children are taught are fit
Ter for cattle than for human beings.
4. We should get the public officers
10 provide for as long school term
IS possible. But no people can be
educated when the schools are in ses-
sions only four or five months during
he year. If our people will save some
If the money that they throw away,
during the fall Of the year
or whiskey, snuff, and cheap jewelry,
hey can with little difficulty add two
,r three months to the public school
erm.
5. Let us make up our minds that.
lespite difficulties and many disad-
yantages, our children in every sec
ion Of the South shall have a decent
We should never cease
o agitate in every locality for prop
II school facilities. If our children