The Colorado statesman., 1912-09-07
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The Tuskegee Student quotes the
following from DR.. Washington's talk
to the summer school members at
Tuskegee Institute, June 81: How
often is it true that you see school
house that is a little old building out
in field somewhere-in a lonely spot,
with no shelter near it? There is no
sense in that. There is no reason
why that building should not be alive
with the activities that concern the
people in that community. There is no
reason why it should not be like many
of the homes of the pupils in that
community. In many cases, If you go
inside, you will find that there is not
a single thing taught there that has
any relationship to the life of the peo-
pie in that community. l might just
as well be located SO miles from that
spot, SO far as there is any vital con-
nection between the school and the
home life.
/ Whether you are in the city, town
or country, study the life of the pa
rents and their activities, and every
time you get chance, make a connec-
tion between what you are teaching
in the school room and the life of the
| people. Suppose, for instance, you are
teaching in the city and you have a
problem relating to measurements.
Suppose you find a room being plas-
tered by colored mechanics. Instead Of
spending the time on a dead problem
in book, take your class to that
room and let them measure the room.
/ I ot tho Df 1oth ipe 4
plastering, not in an imaginary room,
but in an actual room right there in
the city, and those colored mechanics
will begin to wake up and get inter
ested in you. Moreover, the children
will have an interest in the problem
that they never would have had so
long as they were dealing with mere
book problem"
This is high class advice; but there
are no dead problems in books; they
all had life and meaning once as prob
lens; when they ceased to be prob
lens the spirit of them was trans
formed into new problems, with life
and meaning in them, such as we have
now. The problems of life are solved
in the philosophers library, as Plato.
Bacon and Emerson solved them, and
in the scientists laboratory, as Mar
conf, Burbank and Edison solved them,
before the school teacher, the preach
er or the mechanic can apply them to
the parents and children, they seek to
instruct in the rudiments Of mind,
heart and hand education.
At its forty-ninth annual commence
ment this year Wilberforce university
conferred degrees upon 76 graduates.
Tr addition the degree of LII. D. was
conferred on Bishop j. Albert John
son of the South African diocese,
Bishop Levi j. Coppin of Philadelphia,
and Hon. j. G. Napier, register of the
United States treasury. The degree
NJ A was conferred upon DR.. Il. H.
Hathaway. president of the Edward
Water college of Florida, and William
Stewart, a brother of Chaplain Stew
art of Wilberforce. Two degrees of
D. d. were conferred.
The board of trustees concluded its
work by re-electing Prof w. S. Scar
borough president of the university
and re-electing all of the old teachers
and providing for two or three new
ones. who will be named later.
The university is still at work on a
fund of s25,000 for a new science
building. Its efforts in this campaign
have just received the commendation
of former Senator J. B. Foraker.
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