The Washington bee., 1911-06-10


IS a community in itself The stu !
dents conduct large farm, construct
and repair the buildings, make many |
of the tools and appliances used by |
the school as well as for sale and best |
OF all, through this work and the |
class room exercises that aCCOmpan- |
les It, they grow IN character, IN in |
tellgenCe, in industry and IN thrift. |
Boys and girls come from an atmOs- |
phere of mertal and moral night, |
stepped in ignorance, idleness and
superstition. They go forth to take
| their places III the community clothed
with mental power, moral integrity
and industrial skill.
| was fortunate enough to arrive on
| the day that 100 members of the
Chamber of Commerce of Newport
News were inspecting the school. We
were shown about the grounds and
through the class-rooms and shops,
where boys were being instructed in
! carpentry, briCk-laying, blacksmith
ling and other trades. and the girls III
drcssmaking, millinery, domestic sci
/ ence and various household arts. Att
| InoOnday came the battalion drill, and
students dinner, after which they
| gathered in the large hall adjoining
> the dIning-rOOm and sang plantation
/ melodies. We then went to the presi-I
! dents house, where luncheon, pre-
pard by the domestic science depart
ment, was served. The guests then
adjourned to the museum, where rep
resentatives OF the school described its
purpose and methods, and several of
the visitors were called on to give
| their impression of its work These
speakers. SOutherners all, expressed
their qualification and astonishmenti
that such a great work could be carl
ried on right at their door and theyE
know so little about it. They ac-l
knOWledged that here was a practical
solution OF the race problem.
My next stop was at the National
Religious Training School at Durham,
\. {. 1t has just completed the first
year Of its existence. 1t grew out of
the demand for an institution in which
the leaders of the race could secure
adequate training. 4 race can have no
future, unless 1t can provide its own
leaders, and, unless these leaders are
carefully instructed in the fundamen-
tails of morality and religion. they
will be only blind leaders of the blind.
The Negro preacher Wields far more
power over his people than any white
minister ever exercises and only too
often, with them, morality and re-
! llgIOn have no necessary connection
| The Durham school was founded toI
meet this need In the Summer It'll
holds a school for ministers, teachers,
! parish assistants, Sunday-sChOOl and
settlement workers. During the Win
| ter It aims TO train young people for
! these positions, allowing them to pay
/ their expenses, all or in part. by i'll
! dustrial effort During this first year
! 40 students have taken the course,
; The number being limited by the ca
paCity of the school With the cree
] ton of additional buildings, this num-
! Der can be indefinitely increased. The
I25 acres of land upon which the
/ buildings are erected were given by
| the white people of Durham, together
with substantial amounts for the
| buildings themselves The president
of the school, Mr. Shepard, has the re-,
spect and confidence of the best peo-I
! pie of the community. The commit
nifty itself, IS a fine illustration Of.
/ what happens when white people and
black people dwell together IN the
unity of the spirit and the bond Of
! peace. Here Is the largest Negro in
suranCe company in the world, a Ne
Igro bank, a DuS.~eSs street occupied
Ibv Negro merchants, two factories
conducted wholly by Negroes while
one Of the wealthieSt Negroes in the
! community Is a briCk-maker, whose
| bricks are in constant demand by
| l.
around. On Sunday morning | visited
a cOlOred church in which there we're
i4zO present at Sunday-SChool and a
congregation of about 400 On all
| sides | heard tributes to the friendly
relations of the members of the two
races and of the willingness of the
whites to help the blacks in every
worthy endeavOT to improve their
condition.
My last visit was at Livingstone
! College. in Salisbury, n. c. Here
. about $50 Negroes were being trained
: for lives of helpful service. They
were receiving an education that
Iwould fit them to be farmers or me
| ChaniCs, teachers or preachers, accord
| ing TO their ability and talent. The
marching and singing, the Junior and
senior OTatiOns, could not easily be-
surpassed IN any school, white or
black, North or South Here, also,
there was the same evidence that the
school had won the confidence and
respect of the white citizens. ThereI
was fair representation of whites in
the audience, and one of the ex-may-I
Ors sat upon the platform. He told
me that the school was working al
wonderful transformation in the stu
dents, and that no member of it had
ever given the community the slight
est trouble. The educated Negro at
fords no problem Between the bet
ter class = whites and the better
class of blacks there was no friction
Ior ill-will.
Ny experience at these three
schools, each different from the other
two, has but confirmed the conviction
stated at the outset that education af-
/ fords he only effective and permanent
solution of the race problem There
is no color line for the man who has
made good. After nearly so years of