The Washington bee., 1910-08-27
and Character of It's Work.

scope and purpose of the institution,
for which he himself more than any
other individual is responsible. He
outlined the purpose of the institution
in an address before the chautauquans
this morning, which took the place of
one of the regular scheduled address,
es, and during the course of his re-
marks he let fall some salient prin-
ciples with reference to the educa-
ton of his people.
According to DR.. Shepard, the Dur
ham institution will be a distinct de-
parture from other educational efforts
III behalf of cOlOred people, and in its
many ramihcations it will eventually
exert wholesome influence upon the
people of the Negro race at large
The National Religious Training
School and Chautauqua is not to be a
| school for the masses. Its primary
aim is to deal with the leaders of the
race, recognizing that only by an eff
Clent, capable and consecrated lead
ership will the race be permanently
benefited.
Education must come from with
| in," said DR.. Shepard. 1--WE do not
decry industrial education, for we
realize that If the people are to make
any appreciable material progress
they must be efficient artisans. We
do not decry the higher education,
for the leadership of the people must
be well trained and capable men. No
people that has paid no attention to
an educational system has amounted
to much. A people in bondage has
HnI l. -
were responsible for nothing but to
do their masters bidding. An edu-
cation is absolutely essential to the
enjoyment of the liberty of a race,
and to the fullest appreciation of the
high duties of citizenship.
1T is the part of wisdom then to
ask, what kind of education must
we have? 1t places the leadership
of the people in the greatest danger
and under the greatest responsibility
How am | trying to meet the resDon-
sibility? What car | do to benefit
my people? What standards must
set before the people l teach? These
are the questions for every individ-
ual who is placed iii any position of
leadership that carries with it its re-
sponsibilities.
"The first principle upon which
this school is builded, is founded upon
the fact that we must build from God
and not to God. We must not at
tempt to build from an industrial
foundation or an intellectual foun-
dation up to God, but from God to
both of these material essentials.
"A religious education wakens the
u IL L IL
dividualS and turns them into chan
nels of usefulness and service. 1t
lessons crime, reduces idleness, stops
violence, teaches lessons of retraint.
1t builds up a better citizenship and
checks the great waste of human ma
terial found in chain gangs, jails and
penitentiaries. Make a man practi-
cally religious and the industrial and
educational side will take care of it
self. The rallying cry should be
change the man and the environ
ments will be changed by the man
Il do not refer to that kind of re-
ligiOn that makes a man shout all
day Sunday and fail to do an honest
days work on Monday or neglect 10
| pay his honest obligations. | mean
religion that makes a man perform
better service, IN whatever capacity
he may be engaged.
I'VE are told that the Negro is
emotional, that he is essentially a
religious people. If that is so, if this
emotionalism forms his greatest race
asset, why not harness that emotion
alism into usefulness and service. 1t
is the part of common sense to study
that emotionalism and utilize it for
lasting good to the people.
'If we want power, wealth, pros
perity, let us teach our people to
seek first the kingdom of God. Mo-
rality alone will not solve our prob
lens. Industrial education alone will
not solve it. A man trained to be a
blacksmith with no other training is
simply brute put to work Combine
industrial education with literary
training and the highest moral and re-
ligiOus culture and we have the per-
fectly rounded individual"
DR.. Shepard then stated that it was
| the intention to develop the summer
school and chautauqua on the broad
est possible basis, and that the eff
fort would be made this year to raise
sufficient funds to pay the way and
provide instruction free of charge to
large force of needy ministers who
wanted the institution and because of
their families and small salaries could
not otherwise take advantage of the
opportunities here afforded.
| He stated further that immediate
| plans called for the erection of a
medical missionary hospital, whereby
missionaries would be trained for
service in heather lands among the
black folk. This, he added, must not
necessarily be construed as being in
competition with the other medical
institutions for colored people, but
that its main work would be to fit
men and women for foreign mission
work.
Home reading extension courses,
industrial extension courses, and the
placing of trained people from the
local institution into large Negro
communities to show them actually
how to live would be one of the feat
ures of the work "We can't do all
this in year" he added, but we are
going to work to it, and I know the
good people of America through God
1 yFTIlf Tho