Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-19
UPLIFTING THE NEGRO
Practical Use to Be Made OF
the Jeanes Fund.
BETTER RURAL SCHOOLS
Colored Children to Be Taught the
Simple, Useful Arts.
MIR. TAFT ONE OF TRUSTEES
Dr.. billiard Tells How the Interest
= Of Million Dollar Trust Is
to Be Expended
MIR. TAFT ONE OF TRUSTEES
RI WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

FL WILLIAM T.. ttRltS.
Special CORRESPONDENCE Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
NEW ORLEANS. March ~. 1909.
The latest great benefaction for edu-
cation in the south was the gift of $1,000
zoo for negro rural schools, bestowed by
Miss Anna T. Jeanes. a Quaker lady or
hPiadelphia who evidently realized the
truth of the adage: IF you want to up
lift. get under"
The beauest was made just year ago.
The trustees selected by the donor are
gentlemen of recognized ability and judg-
ment from eight southern and two north-
ern states, including William III. 1ait.
They have elected DR.. James H. Dlllard
of Tulane University, New Orleans, their
president and general manager; Walter
H. Page, editor of THE Worlds Work.
vice president, and George Foster Pea
body Of New York. treasurer. The in
terest upon the fund furnishes an avail
able income OF about $4,000 a year which
will be used, far possible. to inn
prove the effectiveness of the negro rural
school by introducing industrial features
OF simple and practical sort.
DIR. billiard. who has just returned from
a nne-months' investigation among the
country schools of several southern states,
where he has inaugurated the work de-
sired by Miss Jeanes. tells me that the
policy of the board will be as practical as
possible. and its funds will he applied
TO increase the usefulness of country
schools already established and MAIN
tanned by taxation.
My plan is to begin in siXty-four coun-
ties in different parts of the south. largely
at first by way of experiment. My strong
conviction is that there is need of reVo-
luton i'm the colored rural districts-a
revolution which will bring them into
touch with the requirements of country
life instead of teaching only the cut and
dried curriculum Of city schools. We
propose to work exclusively through the
regular school authorities. and the funds
at our disposal will not enable us to do
more than pay the salary of one compe-
tent agent in each of those sixty-four
counties. who will instruct the teachers
and the pupils of the rural schools in the
simple industrial sciences under the d.
rection of the country superintendent.
The prompt and earnest cooperation OF
state and county superintendent wher-
ever / have been is the source of great
satisfaction and encouragement.
Meeting Hearty Cooperation.
Il have made a personal investigation
of school conditions in three counties in
Virginia, two in South Carolina. four in
North Carolina. one in Georgia. one in
Alabama. two in Mississippi. four in Loui-
siana and one in Texas. 1 have conferred
in all these localities with school officials
and white citizens who are interested in
educational matters and have invariably
received their cordial cooperation. /
have also made an effort to consult in
telligent colored men in every place
visited and 10 inform myself as thorough
~ as possible concerning rural school
conditions. l was prepared to find a ma
jority of the colored parents anxious to
educate their children. bat there has been
greater actual advance in thrift and pros
perity among the colored farming class
fan Il "a m
every neighborhood I visited. there is the
same lack of schoolhouses and compe-
tent teachers, the same Overcrowding of
children, the same absence OF school
equipment and the same scant appropria-
tons from the public fund. Neverthe-
less. the improvement Is marked, and !
believe it will continue.
II am inclined TO think that our best
plan is to provide Industrial teachers for
at least nine months in the year in each
of the counties that have been selected.
and then have all the country teachers
come together in some convenient place
for month each year to receive instruc-
tion in elementary industrial work, and
the inspiration that comes only from
contact and cooperation.
To Teach Kitchen Gardening.
IF Miss Jeanes had left her money for
the benefit of white children, i should
have adopted the same plan, because the
white children need such instruction quite
as much as the cOlored children-that is.
practical industrial education in the sim
plest form for application in the common
experience OF the farming class through
out the rural districts OF the south. For
example. the first and the most important
lesson Is in what you call Kitchen gar
dening' in the north. 1t Is the simplest
form of the science of agriculture-how
best application OF their labor: how to
plant and cultivate onions. potatoes. tur-
nips. beans and peas and other vegetables
30 as TO set the best results You would
b. astonished at the ignorance shown
not only by the children but by the
grown people in the country districts of
the south concerning this Fundamental
work Of life. We want TO teach them
how to plant and cultivate fruit and ber-
RIGS, how to take care of chickens and
other fowls and other OF the commonest
occupations of the farm.
Then. having taught them how to raise
their food. we must show them how TO
cook it, The average negro family hasn't
the slightest comprehension of economy:
they don't know how to get the nourish-
ment from the food and the waste is ap-
palling. A French peasant women could
feed twice as many people on half the
amount OF food that is consumed by the
colored people of the south and furnish
them a greater amount OF nourishment
There are SO many good things that can
be grown In a garden that the colored
people down here do not know anything
about They never have any soup. or
milk, or butter and very few eggs. They
feed on cornbread. bacon and sweet po-
tatoes three times day. and, as a
rule. II is half wasted by cooking. so far
rs the nourishment IS concerned. Our
purpose Il to try and revolutionize the
domestic life of the colored people in
these humble affairs of life by educating
the children. so that the next generation
Will have practical knowledge which
they can apply without adding to the cost
Of living and at the same time get a
great deal more for their labor.
Better Care of Homes.
THE next step will be the care of the
home, to improve the condition of the
household. to induce the colored people
to have comfortable beds better cooking