The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-05-12
Common Sense in Negro Public Schools


AT the Capon Springs Conference
of 1899 a paper was read by Miss
S. E. Breed, giving some account of
IAN experiment in Industrial Edu-
cation" as she called it, which had
been on for the previous three years
at Norfolk, Virginia. The object of
this experiment, as the, paper set
forth In detail, was "the betterment"
of the. People in their ordinary life;
to turn'"untrained energy into train
ed energy" to cultivate "home-mak-
ers and wage-earners" of a higher
order and to benefit mot the school
girl only, but the child Of six and
the woman of sixty" And the way
OF doing this was through the Negro
public schools. The effort was going
forward in institutions already on
the ground and maintained by the
community, and the cooperation of
the people there was relied on to
make it succeed. The Board Of Edu-
cation were actively interested in it
and the Superintendent was doing
everything in his power to encour-
age the growth and extension of the
work. The goodwill Of the better
educated and more influential Neg
roes-w of-course- enlisted and many
of these were affording invaluable
assistance.
\This was over ten years ago. What
of the experiment now? 1t would
take long to tell the story Of these
ten years and to describe what has
been accomplished by this quiet
work, not only for the Negroes Of
Norfolk, but for the whole region
around.
In no better way perhaps can we
Estimate the fruitfulness of these
Industrial Glasses than by a com
parison with other Southern cities
in which no such instruction. is to
be found. 1t would be easy to name
a humble" of places in which there
is no school, public or private, where
attention is given to those practical
concerns Of the daily life to which
these classes are devoted. In these
cities, the same as In Norfolk, there
is a sad lack Of home training; there
are few Negro homes in which there
is any training worthy of the name,
and the children grow up untaught
in many Of the simplest things.
While they may be. taught to read,
write and cipher in the schools,
| they need also to learn good man
ners, good-natured helpfulness tow
ard those around them, honesty
ltruthfulness, thoroughness and fde'
lily; and they need to acquire skill
| with their hands, the art Of doing
a hundred little trif9Iiippg< things quick
| ly and we'll
| Boys should be taught to handle
la hammer and nails, a jack-knife
an axe and saw, II footrule and Il
pair of divders, a spade, hoe and
|rake. Girls ought to be trained tC
sew and mend, to cook food prop
erly, and to set table with neat
mess, to make bed, put room in
order and to do Whatever belongs
to good housekeeping. And beyond
this, boys and girls aIe to be taught
how to improve their spare time
how to choose good books to read
| and to love good reading, how tc
busy their minds in useful inquiries
even to engage in their sports with
| Intelligent ZeSt SO as to get the most
good out Of their play as we'll as
| their work.
With every succeeding year the
experiment at Norfolk has given
fresh proofs of its wisdom. 1t has
grown in the confidence of the peo-
| pie and widened its scope. New
features have been added now and
then, as occasion suggested, and
more assistants have become engaged
in the service. At the present time
two Well-educated white women
have the general supervision, while
there are thirteen COlOred men and
women employed. Miss Breed. at
Capon Springs gave the number Of
pupils reached by her work in the
previous year as 72J. Miss Ellen
Taylor, the present superintendent,
in her-laSt report, gives the number
for 190S-9 as 1929 Besides the
special teachers, thirty-two men ana
women in different places through
the city and county give lessons
without extra pay to the pupils Of
their schools, the materials for their
industrial work being provided by
Miss Taylor. Miss Taylor and her
assistants thus keep in touch with
thirtY-three schools, and not only
do they supervise the industrial in
struction, but they interest them
selves in whatever concerns the
general welfare, encouraging the pur|
chase Of books, the Improvement Of
homes and the cultivation Of thrifty
ways.
From the outset pains have been
taken to ebring the influential col
ored women together in little meet
inSs to talk over with them the work
of the schools, the needs of their