Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-10-03
AFRO-AMER|CAN CULL|NCS

During the last eight years the ne
groes in Macon county have built
largely by their own efforts f1fty-three
schoolhouses. at total cost OF $780,
600. Builders of these schools are to
q large extent former slaves, planta-
ton folk end their children, who had
no interest in education and no train.
ing in organization of any kind. They
came from the cotton and corn fields.
where the only incentive to work was
q generous flashing from the over
seer's whip They had no ideals OF
home. Of personal comforts. least OF
all OF planning and constructing
school buildings. ".
Where, before emancipations, save
in exceptional cases. had the negro
anywhere heard of designing build
ing, computing the cost Of ground, OF
various kinds of material or Of labor?
His hut had been constructed under
the computation and plans OF his
master; nay, even the food he ate and
the one-piece garment which he wore
cost him no concern.
This was true all over the world as
we'll as in Macon county. Prior to
1905 nearly every negro school In this
county was either log cabin or a
one-room cottage, with one or two
wooden windows, one door, rickety
wooden floor or a dirt floor, as chance
happened to will it; leaky roof, de-
~ lie nf wanA hrnk.
en.backed chairs and benches for
seats; these are the things that made
up the edif1ce and surroundings for
the children of the ex-slaves to get an
education or a training for life. To
many. this was good enough, far bet
ter than they had had. certainly; but
to others it was wretchedness
And so arguments began to circu-
late. The people throughout the
county were poor. Some few OF them
were just getting to their feet in the
matter of land buying, but the masses
were "share-croppers" or tenants.
Now, it 10 in Macon county, it will
be remembered. that Tuskegee insti-
tute is located. At one Of the negro
conferences DR.. Booker T. Washing
con had pressed very close home the
matter Of schoolhouses, justice to
children, employing teacher and
frightening the school team OF four
or five months by their own efforts.
In a little while cry had come up
from a community known as Mag.
nolia: I'VE want a new school! Help
us!"
Help u.s. meant funds to certain
extent, but most of all it meant some
body with initiative, suggestion, en-
couragement-andt the welding of fac
lions. This last was especially trou-
blesome. The rural colored man is
the stanchest of partisans to his
faith. "A man of Baptist convictions
10 unwilling to build a schoolhouse
anywhere save face to face with the
Baptist church; so it is with broth
er of the Methodist faith or OF any
faith. The people at Magnolia had
raised some money, but how much
taey needed before they could break
ground to build, how to go about dis
covering all this. they were at a loss
to determine.
Tuskegee institute sent down 4
man, a graduate of Fisk university.
who had previous experience in deal
ing with community folk and In
building schools. About half enough
money had been raised to begin the
work. An appeal to the people for
more brought the response that no
more would be raised; the people as
a mass had lost interest. Faction
troubles. religious and social, were
boiling at high heat. The teacher
returned to Tuskegee, reported to DR..