The Colorado statesman., 1912-05-11
Oswald Garrison Willard Ad-
dresses Southern Educa-
tors at Nashville.
FOR NEGRO EDucATIoN-sPEAK-
ERs TELL OF THE NEED OF
BETTER EDUCATIONAL oP-
PoRTUNlTiEs IN SOUTHERN
STATES FOR RACE.

OF the Conference on Education In the
South, held in Nashville last week,
was Oswald Garrison Willard, editor
Of the New York Evening Post, who.
In addressing the conference, de-
clared that the negro was the south's
greatest asset; that the south's rivers.
Its water power nor its natural re-
sources compare with the worth of its
colored citizens, without whose un-
tagging labor King Cotton, which is
still the corner stone of southern pros
perity, would tcpple from his throne.
In his plea for better educational op-
portunities for the race In the south,
Mr.. Willard said that in Wilcox county,
Alabama, there was expended In 1910
but $3.339.70 for the education Of 10,-
758 negro children. while S30.612.75
was spent on 1000 white children.
$3.50 per capita being used for the
education of the white children in
the county and 80 cents a head for
the colored children.
In his address Mr.. Willard said:
Primarily, let me say that in no
field of the southern educational work
is there greater need of cooperation
particular one. No one knows how
many schools for negroes there are.
DR.. billiard of the Jeanes rural school
fund board has listed about $50 negro
schools and colleges, but there are
many other, some, no doubt. worth
less; others are placed where there
is no pressing need for them; still 9th
ers have made only pitifully ineffect-
i've beginnings where the necessity for
them is tremendous; some are simple
frauds upon the public; others exist
only on paper and make handsome
living for canvassers who play upon
the benef1cence of the north
I'VE need the best brains that the
colored people possess in this work,
stimulated by the best training. to as
sumo the proper leadership for the lit
tie struggling, heart-breaking factories.
for the turning out of honorable Amer
lean citizens Of swarthy skins.
Finally. let me impress upon you.
particularly you, my friends of the
south. that for every dollar invested
in one of these schools you will with
draw thousands. The negro is the
south's greatest asset. Not its rivers.
nor Its water power, nor its natural
resources compare with the worth to
1t of its colored people. without whose
unfiagging labor King Cotton, still the
corner stone of southern prosperity.
would topple from his throne"
w. d. Weatherford, prominent Y.
NJ. c. A. worker, In an address on
THE Training of the Negro" said in
part:
Many years ago the south as a sec
tion deliberately settled the question
that 1t would give training to the ne
gro. Various states bean establishing
public schools for negroes about 1870.
and by 1875 constructive policy was
in the making. In spite of this fact,
however, there are still many individ-
uals in the south, not a few of whom
are influential politically and other
wise. who stand squarely opposed to
any adequate training for the negro.
Still a larger number are Indifferent,
and comparatively few white people
are aggressively giving themselves to
a policy of thorough training for the
southern negro. 1t would seem as II
the time has now arrived when we Of
the south as united people should
deliberately set ourselves to con-
structive work in negro training.
There are many reasons why huch
policy must be followed at the pres
ent time-the first of which has an
economic bearing. The greatest and
most pressing need of the south to-
day, economically speaking. is for
trained and efficient force of labor
| ha Ian ~ tra 10
ing class is retarding the progress of
the south at the present time more
than any other single influence. In
asmuch as the negro is almost our
only souce Of labor. the only way to
have an intelligent laboring class In
the south is to give the negro such
training as will make him eff icient
STANDARD OF LIVING MUST BE
RAISED.
"The average employer of the negro
laborer at the present time complains
that the negro cannot be induced to
work regularly. that We will labor
only three or four days and will be
idle the remainder Of the week, living
off the wages already secured. Ac-
cording, therefore, to the testimony
of those who are less favorable to
the negro. the greatest handicap Of
our laboring class In the south is
that its wants are too few. These
wants can be supplied from half time
labor. and consequently It is impos-
sible to get many negroes to work
full time. In order to meet this stu
alton. the standards of living for the
negro must be raised He must be
made TO want better homes, more
comforts. some reading material, bet
ter food, better clothes. To this end
there must be raising OF standards
through the better training Of the