The Detroit times., 1910-01-15
NEGRO BOYS Make
. SK|LFUL ARTISANS
Fr. II. I. Gumbleton Tells Of Work
in Industrial School in Clayton,
Delaware.

That Negro boys make skillful ar
t.sans and good farmers when prop
erly trained Is the opinion OF the Rev.
FIR. Michael Leo Gumbleton, of the
st. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart
for Colored Missions, who is visiting
Judge James Phelar In Detroit. He
is connected with the industrial school
for colored boys In Clayton, Del.
The Clayton school is somewhat
similar IL its aims to the Tuskegee
seminary of Booker T. Washington.
although II is yet OH a smaller scale
and IL q religious instead OF a secular
institution. 1t Is maintained by the
st. Joseph society, which has It's head
quarters In Baltimore. and makes its
mission The elevation Of the Negroes.
I'VE flnd that the boys learn rapidly
under good discipline, and those who
have left the school are a credit to 1t, >
says FIR. Gumbleton. The school Is
located on q farm, Of 395 acres. of
which 325 acres Is titled by the pupils.
A herd OF so registered Holstein cat
tie and drove of file Berkshire hogs
are maintained. beside good horses and
good breeds OF chickens and geese.
The boys learn modern farming prac-
tically. and we hore that they will
teach better agriculture to their race.
Each boy also learns trade. We
have a printing shop In which the st.
Anthony's Monthly IL published. Sub
scriptions to this are the chief sup
port Of the school. Some Of the boys
learn tailoring, others carpentry, and
thers differeD' trades to which they
are suiteu. nave a suit Of clothes
made by a 17-year-old Negro boy In
our school which L. as well cut and
made as II would have been had the
best tailor In your city had the making
OF II.
AT present. we have 80 boys In the
school. They come from all over the
country. but the greatest share are
from tn Drexel founiing home In Corn
wall. Pa. They cmc to the school at
the age of ~, and remain until they
are II to ID years OF age. Half tho
day 10 spent In the school room.
where they receive a good education.
such as would be given In any parc-
chial school, and the other half OF the
day is spent In trade work. Some
times II takes little discipline at drst
TO Impress boy with the necessity Of
working. but once they become ac.
customed to the school, there Is no
further trouble.
Some of our boys are sent on to
Montgomery, Ala, to college. where
they may take up a profession. One
OF the boys who ieft the school three
years ago came back for a visit re-
Gently. He had good position and
bank account Of $500.
The school in Clayton was founded
II years ago by FIR. De Ruyter, a Bel
gian priest. The st. Joseph society,
which has Negro missions In charge.
has its own seminary In Baltimore.
with q curriculum similar to that OF
st. Mary's seminary. The young
priests, however, instead Of taking the
vow Of poverty. take vow to work
among the Negroes and among Ne
groes alone. About so young priests
who have been ordained to this work
are now engaged In mission EFFORT
among the Negroes. There are AZ stu
dents in the Epiphany college IN Balti-
more. which Is a preparatory school,
and % in st. Joseph's seminary.
FIR. Gumbleton Is a young man, hav-
ing been ordained less than two years
ago. He is now preparing to conduct
nor. Catholic missions in the south.