Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-05
ties or Of training highly educated lead

ties, or of training highly educated leao-
ers-either academic or industrial It's
main purpose it to fit its students Tor
useful careers in the home community.
at the same time assisting those who
show greater promise to go forward TO
schools better equipped for giving higher
academic and industrial training. Aside
from sending forward a dozen or more OF
it's best students to Tuskegee, Talladega
and Hampton. the Kowaliga School has
given practical instruction in the gram
mar grades to hundreds or girls and boys
who would never be able to get away
from home to get an education. 1t has
given them a practical education, in
fluenced the lives of hundreds more and
helped them to useful careers In the home
community.
Another example of self-help which
has worked great good for Kowaliga is
the sale of old clothing. Our first new
building was just being completed when
we received two barrels of old clothing
from kind friends in the north, and mis-
mated and otherwise injured shoes from
a Massachusetts manufacturer: 1t was
on Saturday when the barrels arrived and
a good number of patrons were on
hand. A check for one thousand dol
lars in those days could not have Great
ed greater sensation than those two dus-
ty looking old barrels as they arrived
from the station. While they were being
into ecstacy. 1t is needless to say that
they expected a free distribution, each
hoping that he would be rewarded not
too strictly according to his deserts. l
must confess it was my first impulse
to give the things away, because they
had been given to the school. Believing
that 1 should encourage my people to
greater self help and rely less upon the
help Of others. 1 finally decided to sell
the clothing for a nominal price, in
stead Of giving 1t away. The announce
ment of this decision was received with
instant disapproval.
Success Of Clothing Sales.
Notwithstanding their discomfort. 1
stood by my decision to sell the goods;
so we marked hat for 50 cents. pair
Of shoes for dollar, suit of clothes for
49, etc From those two barrels we real
ICED $3.50 I never knew how much
good had been done until a couple of
weeks later. when a circus came to
neighb boring town and good sister came
to me to borrow 80 cents for admission.
She explained. If / hadn't bought that
old jacket I could go to the circus with
out borrowing this money. From that
moment there came over me d new feel
ing of justification for what j had done,
for I had diverted to useful purpose
the money which would have otherwise
been wasted. Since that time we have
received hundreds of barrels fom various
Sunday schools. Christian Endeavcr So
cieties and charitable organizations of the
north. we nave turned INTO the treasury
of our school over $4,000 from the sale of
old clothing alone. We have saved this
much money toward the education of
their children, which our people would |
not have given otherwise. and would have
found its way out of the community Into
the hands of circus managers excursion
lists and the gold eyeglass peddlers.'
IAN interesting fact in this connection
is that much of the money comes from
the poor white people of the community.
who now buy northern goods as readily |
as the negroes, and consider themselves
fortunate to get such good bargains. AS
one race is as poor as the other, we make
no discrimination whatever on account of
color. Our policy is never to give away any !
thing, except where there Is real need. and
such cases are as carefully investigated |
as by the most systematic charitable Or |
plantations in the north We charge a |
little for everything accepting labor and |
material when money cannot be forth |
coming. Thus We place within the reach |
of the poorest members of the community |
an opportunity to be helped by helping |
themselves Saturdays our salesroom |
which contains almost as great as |
sortment as a little department store, Is |
the busiest spot on the school grounds. |
OF the great variety of commodities COM |
prised in our stock none is more in de- |
mand than our line of stove pipe hats, |
which we sell to the country parsons.
Successful Industrial Enterprise.
TedliLCu tldl thO HCSIO pioDlCA VI |
the south could not be solved through the |
school alone. making ever-increasing de- |
mands upon the charity and patriotism. of
the rest of the country. If. under the /
present system. the schools are multi
piled as fast as they are needed in the
rural communities Of the south, the cost
Of their support will become so burdensome |
that their maintenance will be impossible.
unless some practical working plan can
be devised by which the communities
themselves can be put on their feet and
helped to self-support and prosperity. l
therefore planned an industrial enterprise
which will not only work in harmony.