The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-08-01
DISCUSSES PROBLEM OF BRING
ING THE'SCHOOIS DOWN TO
;r.s,,';-z., HE MASSES.
Presid ent's Address
Points Out ETectivl Work Being
Done in ph Dominion on Part Of
Colored Pepple to: Improve PnbIic
Eiementary schools. .S E,1

Chattanooga, Tenn, July. 28-
With a big smass meeting at the
city auditorium, where many of
the leaders Gin; Negro Education
throughoitt fhe country delivered
addresses, THE National Education.
al Association brought it's ninth an
nual session to close Sunday July
28th. Delegates from twenty States,
representingcvery phase of Negro
Education, were present and. lent:
much zest to the gatherings with
the story of hew and helpful meth
ods tried in the various states and
icommunitiesf ... 1. ~.
Vital Pros, l....
One vitary problem throughout
the convention was that of bring
ing the schopl down to the life of
the masses Of: the people, The su-
perintendenf Of the city schools of
ChattanoogaSpoint out-that more
that two-thirds of the pupils left
school before they reached the
eighth grade. They had no trade,
rno particular: instruction as to
ECONOMY, sanitation and the com
mon every day problems Of life.
! 1.-The education of the Negro in
the South, - said Henry l.. Keith,
supervisor of manual training for
colored schools of Nashville, should
be from tho point of view of the
taxpayer Here in the, South there
should be half day of work and
u half day OF study. It would be
easy for tfSS ach change. to he made,
considering the. uselessness of a
great part of the matter now
taught in our public schools"
Another very vital problem was
that advanced by President John
sen OF Petersburg, Va. 1t was diff
ficult he said, to expect teacher
on small salary to go to summer
school, to take vacation or improve
himself. Al the very time tie
teacher need money it is not coming
i'll. This problem has been sue
cessfully handled by Chattanooga
and few other parties, which pay
the teachers either part or whole
salary during the month they are
! away attending summer. schools.
| Presidents Annual Address.
I One of the main, features in the
Idlscussion of school problems was
President w, r. b. Williams an
nual address. The Presidents
|subject was, "What> the. Negro
!should do for his own Education"
'Our first duty,'' said President
Williams, and greatest opportunity
lies i'll the field Of public educa-
Ition. Our first fight must, be ef-
feet for primary and grammar
school within reach of every col
ored child in this country.
Virginia, =" he said, furnishes
an example Of constructive effort
on the part Of the colored people
to improve the public elementary
schools for their race. The follow
ing report covering the year 1911
| II is given out by the Department
[of Education for the State Jeancs
, supervisors were employed in 18
counties there were 469 colored
= lschools: 800 of these school were
visited by the Jeanes supervisors !;
: 12l Of the 299 schools visited lcng-
/, thened their terms from / to 3
months; the average term was 6
: months; 9 new schoolhouses were
built costing $4,000 not including
labor given by the colored patrons
= II buildings were enlarged; 50
, buildings were whitewashed; 81
. sanitary outhouses were. built; 348
= school leagues were operated; 102
l schools adopted the use Of individ-
. lual drinking cups; and the colored
people gave toward all these pur-
, poses, over and above their labor
For the other 81
= counties Of the state we have no
official record. But in most Of the
counties something of the same sorr
! of work was done. And what is
beig done in counties in Virginia
is similar to the work Of colored
= people i'll behalf Of public cduca.
G ton in certain counties of prac.
l tically every Southern state.
In Barbour county, Alabama, for
Continued on page six)