Lexington weekly news. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 1912-19??, 1912-03-15

soA0 wv paw VI V4S OAeA Z W
and "hoodoo" doctor, for SC
many years a curse to the race
Industrial education is one o
the most important features O
work of the society, the pur
pose being to fit young mer
land women to become effieient
in some one particular trade.
| Taking all the schools in the
aggregate, the Freedmen's Aid
ISooiety has more industrial
schools, more industrial stu
dents. teach more industrial
Trades, and are sending out ev-
fery year more industrial gradu-
ates than any institution or set
of institutions in the South.
The main strength of the in
dustrial work is placed at five
strategic eenters-Clafin Uni
versity, Orangeburg, s. c.. !:
lMorristown Normal and Indus
trial College, Morristown, Ten
nessee Clark University, At
lanta, Ga; Gilbert Industrial
college, Baldwin, La, and Wi
ley University, Marshall, Tex
These schools are situated in
the very heart of the black
belts of these States, and can
be easily reached by the many.
thousands around them.
The largest equipment is at
Clafin University, Orangeburg,
IS. c., where as many as "a diff
ferent trades and industries are
being taught to nearly one
thousand students. These in
dustrics includes such trades
as carpentry, masonry, black
smithing, shoemaking, tailor
ing, plastering, painting, print
ing. wheslwrighting, electrical
and m chanical engineering
for the boys, and cooking
dressmaking and all lines of
domestic economy for the girls.
So eager are these Negro stu
dents to take advantage of the
opportunities the school offers
sJsftt ttsda 10 / e
200 because there was no room
to accommodate them
When these facts. came to the
attention of Mr.. Carnegie, he
promptly $4,000 for a boys
dormitory, with the provision
that an equal amount be raised
locally. The whole school at
once began to help. The stu
dents picked cotton during va
cation, sold eggs and chickens
they were their own chickens
and in various other ways
raised over one thousand dol
lars. The conditions have been
met, and the building is now
completed and crowded to its
utmost capacity.
A distinctive feature OF the
work of the society is teaching
Negro farmers. In the very
nature of the case no work the
society is doing is more impor-
tant than this. The great mass
of she Negro people must earn
their living from the soil, and
the society is training them to
do this work, and do it well.
Under the old method farm
ing among the Negroes has nei-
ther been attractive nor remu-
nerative. Land has been wasted
and ruined, much valuable
time lost, and as a result of
the advance system, the farmer
inevitably comes out in debt at
the end of the year. As re-
suit Negro farmers in large
numbers are becoming discour-
aged and are leaving the coun-
| try and focking to the cities
with the hope of bettering their
conditions. Colonized in alleys
and unsanitary sections of the
large cities, they naturally be-
came an easy prey to tubercu-
losis and similar diseases.
The schools of farming at
Clark University, Atlanta, Ga,
and Gilbert Industrial College,
Baldwin, La, aim to set a draw
back to this movement from the
country to the city by teaching
the best methods of up-to-date
farming,
In addition to the regular
Icourse at Clark University, the
superintendent of the farm has
been holding farmers institutes
throughout the State in order
| to help and instruct the large
number of Negro farmers who
could in no other way be reach
ed.
During last year forty-three
70 Be continued on page 4.