University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-03-29

the standard OF the negroes OF Coiunl-
| bia they might well be intrusted TO
work out their own salvation. The
negro population of Columbia stands
above the level of the race in several
ways. They own more property in
proportion to their numbers, and they
have the advantage Of educated lead
ers. They live under better condi-
tions, and have q better general re-
iligious and educational atmosphere.
The old rule, that there is always
some mischief for Idle hands to do, is
| true of every race. But the negro.
particularly, ought to be kept busy with
his hands. He ought to be given every
opportunity to make money. then re-
stricted in spending it. This idea is
carried out to some extent in the
South, but in the North it Is rather,
that the negro be restricted in MAX
ing money and encouraged to spend
it.
The negro is on the labor market.
The best informed negroes of ColuHl-
bia are fully aware of the fact. and
they have thought out the solution
more Industrial training and less cul-
tural education. They are agreed
that our civilization is too far ad-
vanced for their relatively primitive
race. They realize that civilization is
not a thing that can be taken as a
dose of medicine, it is something
that must come through ages of toll.
The negroes of Columbia who have
kept their eyes open accuse the
whites of grave Inconsistencies. They
say the whites expect them to vote
intelligently and yet always send the
commonest politicians to harangue
them. They say we are willing to ad-
nit them to our saloons all over the
country, but we will not allow them
in our churches and in our schools and
libraries. They are, given plenty of
opportunities to mix with the baser
elements, of our population. but they
never come in contact with the best.
These things cause the thoughtful
among them to say it is hardly a
square deal"
Many of the negroes are agreed
that they were given the ballot too
soon. They were not at all adjusted
to the conditions of self-goyernmeni.
Their lack of political adjustment has
made them open targets for corrupt
politicians. But now that they have ex-
ercised the right of suffrage for a long
thine, they are not willing to give it
up. They fail to see the justice IN
tine understanding" and "grandfa-
ther" clauses as they are enforced
And this is not necessarily evidence
of their inferior intellectually.
But, on the whole, the thoughtful
negroes of Columbia are optimistic
about local conditions. At the head
|of their school they have Prof. H. L.
Cox, a graduate of Howard College,
Washington. D. c.. Then there are
Iother teachers who are competent. The
Teacher of German is a graduate of
1.-THE University of Michigan. Most of
the other teachers were trained at the
Lincoln Institute at Jefferson City, a
normal school for negroes.
There are ten grades in the Fred
Douglass school-seven grammar
|grades and three in the high school.
In the whole school there are about
AIS pupils; 40 of these are in the
thigh school. The total number of ne
lgroes of school age in Columbia is
about 600. The work. in the lower
lgrades is the same as that given in
the white schools. The first year of
high school German, Latin and algebra
ARE offered, with sewing for the girls
land bench work for the boys. In the
lsecond year there are algebra and
kgeometry, German and Latin, and
Sewing and cooking for the girls and
carpentry for the boys. In the last
Iyear geometry and algebra and Ger
man are continued. The girls keep
|up the study of sewing and cook
ling. but the present equipment
makes it impossible to give any furth-
er work in carpentry for the boys.
Besides these courses. there are some
in music, drawing and penmanship.
The school building. is old, poorly
larranged and badly heated. There are
Ionly ten rooms in the main building
land two in an annex. A noise made
i'm one part can be heard all over the
building. Those bad conditions, to-
lgether with the lack Of attention to
children at home, causes q great
deal of trouble with truancy. Other
wise the difficulties of the negro teach
er are about the same as those which