The broad ax., 1911-05-13
BY CLEVELAND G ALLEN.

company Organized.
By CLEVELAND c. ALLEN.
Kowaliga. Ala.-The cornerstones Of
four new buildings at the Kowaliga
school, in Gilmore county, Ala, were
formally laid during the Easter holi-
days, and within a few weeks these
structures, now approaching compile
tion, viii be dedicated to the uses OF a
colored community that is "Ieyeling
up" to use the phrase Of its leader,
through the medium OF simple educa-
ton and we'll directed industry. The
buildings take the place Of those de-
stroyed by fire some two years ago
and are remarkable. inasmuch as they
are the product Of cOlOred workmen.
who felled and sawed timber for them,
made the shingles and joiner work
and called upon the outside world for
no materials save nails and hardware.
Kowaliga differs widely from other
colored schools in that II seeks not to
train highly educated academic or in
dustrial leaders for the race at large,
but to develop the economic resources
Of q restricted territory by teaching
the landowners and tenants how TO
take advantage Of the opportunities
open to them. incidentally. their moral
welfare is not neglected. and in the
1 surrounding country the Kowaliga
people have the reputation Of being
law abiding as well as industrious.
| without the advantages afforded by
the school IT is reasonable TO assume
that few Of these people would have
outgrown the ignorance in which they
were bred, and without the industries
that have sprung up TO reinforce the
educational features Of their life 1t Is
doubtful whether they could have pro-
crossed to any appreciable extent
along Industrial hines.
How Community Was Founded.
The history OF KowalIga community
dates back forty years, when John
Benson bought 160 acres Of land form
ing part Of the plantation on which he
had lived as a slave. He was 2 thrifty
man and could turn his hand a. most to
anything. When be received his free
| dom he went to work for SO a month
and at the end Of his first year he had
saved 500. That was the way he &C
| cumulated money enough TO purchase
land. His wife was a government
schOolteacher. one Of the very first Of
| her race, who had been sent into the
county IN the reconstruction period to
| e., nh
tie knowledge she had acquired.
All of the Benson children received
a sound education. and when the son,
William E. Benson, returned to his
home after graduating from Howard
university in 1895 he determined TO
see what he could do to raise the
standard Of living among his neigh
bors.
They had little capital. and their
knowledge Of modern agricultural
methods was practically nil. Under the
circumstances their children were des-
tined to follow the same improbable
path on the farm or suffer worse luck
by drifting TO the city. unless their en-
vironment underwent change
So Benson Junior. In company with
q classmate and teacher. called the
farmers to the cabin schoolhouse where
he got bis rudimentary education and
told them he wanted to give their
children a grammar school education
and a certain amount of industrial and
domestic training. he wanted. be said.
TO develop their latent abilities 50 that
they might become intelligent and
thrifty. Logs were felled and cut in
the Sawmill owned by Benson senior;
shingles were made and a kiln Of brick
was L1rned for the foundation and
chimneys. Benson's father provided
ten acres Of land. and in two years
the FIRST building OF Kowaliga school
was completed.
In 1900, four years after the school
was opened. Benson put into effect his
labor scheme by organizing the Dixie
Industrial company. in which several
northerners took stock. Some OF them
did not expect 20 see their money
AGAIN. but were willing 20 make the
experiment OF building mp an industrial
community. A tract Of 5000 acres OF
virgin timberland was purchased at q
low figure. and the plan to provide |
work the whole year through was de-
Veloped along definite lines.
There are about 1000 people In the |
Kowaliga district. which Ii nine miles |
long and six wide. and OF these about |
thirty families. representing one-quar- |
ter OF the population. own their |
farms. on which they plant cotton |
and vegetables and raise stock and |
poultry. They are better housed today
than ever before. because the sawmiIlS !
they help 10 operate provide them with |
building materials at moderate prices.
while the value Of the land has doubled |
in ten years. owing TO the exploitation |
Of the district The company has IN /
creased its holdings % 1000 acres.
and while Il Il turning over some Of |
the cleared land 20 the farmer It h
also practieing conservation By ressfT-
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