The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-16
COL0RED TEACHER
TELLS THE STORY
VIRGINIA RANDOLPH is PIONEER
IN INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
For RACE.
WHITE HER FRIEND
STAND-PATTER FROM NORTH
CAROLINA CAN FIND NO TIME
EXCEPT FOR THE
THREE RS.

| Listening to the simple story told
/ by Virginia Randolph. the colored
teacher who, lit little, roadside
schoolhouse in HenriCo county laid
the foundation for the industrial edu-
cation OF her race by It's own leaders
and teachers, and whose idea was fos-
tered and nurtured by her white folk
neighbor5, the conference on the edu-
cation Of the negro in the South was
+ taught last night that the words of
DR. James II. billiard, president of
/ the conference, that the question OF
race adjustment is for Southern
/ leader ship TO settle We're vitality and
/ Importantly trun-- Twas Virginia
Randolph who forced the truth home,
/ for she told of how the white peo-
pie had never failed her when she
went to them for help. and it was
/ this simple minded colored teacher
who said that she had taught as she
had believed, placing her faith in in
dustrial education OF her race, and
who carried with her back TO her
seat the plaudils which showed that
the audience believed that the devel-
opment of the negro was also the
white mans own.
The conference was presided over
by DR. Dillard, agent of the Jeane
and Slater funds, of New Orleans.
In his remarks he referred to Virginia
Randolph who started her work in
1903, and who made such a success
Of il that she was appointed super
visor Of negro rural schools by Jack
son Davis, then superintendent of
Henrieo county. end now supervisor
of rural schools. But the work, said
DR.. Dil'ard, is greatly hampered by
lack Of decent buildings. and by the
ignorance of the country teachers He
suggested as remedy some negro
training institute dose at hand, 50
/ that j. would not be necessary for the
teachers 20 20 to Hampton or rus
kegee Four counties in the South
Rave supplied such training schools,
and they are succeeding
Duty That PAYS.
THE change in the attitude Of the
people of The South towards education
OF the negroes in the last five years
has been marvellous" he said 1T
pays economically. and 1t is also a
duty from the side OF sentiment. An
othe- thing he said. the people Of
:hc Ncrth have changed, and ar
more and more coming 10 say that
the question If race adjustment IS
for Southern leadership to settle. ="
He intfs3duced Jackson Davis, SUI
pervisor Of rural schools in Virginia,
who said that the work II indus
trially educating the negro IS going
on in eighteen counties. and there
is now School Improvement LEAGUE
organized among the negroes. The
work has met with great success and
the people are following the lead or
Virginia Randolph, and receiving CO.
operation.
Turning to a small group Of colored
teachers, Or. Dtllard called for Nir-
ginia Randolph, and the heretofore
scarcely known colored woman,
dressed in simple black, walked forth
to the dais and into a Volley Of
cheers.
/ She addressed the house with dig
nifty. and there were nearly 500 peo-
pie present where scarcely a baker $
dozen had been expected.
II taught school up in little
mountain road for sixteen sessions, "
she said II worked hard, for 7
/ loved my school and my children. |
knew my people needed industrial
training. and started with that idea.
I though I never thought that | would
be needed TO supervise industrial
training among my people. But Mr..
Davis called me, and l left my little
school and went
Conceives the Idea.
Then she told of how first she
/ had conceived the idea Of making
her school and grounds attractive.
With the aid of the children, she
started by covering the deep clay
with earth which would grow grass.
She rased money for the seed, and
she and the children sowed it,. and
il grew Then she wanted trees, hut
+ had no money. She begged, and they
were given. She got twelve. Il
named them after the twelve apos-
/ ties" she said amid laughter, "and
they all grew in spite of the Judas
4 tree" Then she got hedge and flow
ers, and the school grounds blossomed
like q rose She made the children
+ help her and thus the industrial
visor, she raised 81 o0e, and started
an industrial training school. where
the simple sciences and Industrial arts
are taught.
! Il. p. ClaXton. United States com
| missioner of education who had ex-
pected to be on the Pacific coast, but
at the last moment found that he
could come, was present, and he dis
cussed in an interesting fashion the
/ needs of rural schools addressing
/ himself to the question in hand--"the
i Improvement of country schools -
! He said that in four States in the
| South the school term averages less
than sixty days, and the teachers as
a rule, are not prepared, there being
! less than one-third who have had
high school training, and in one State
| less than ten per cent. Another
/ trouble, he said, is the fact that the
country teacher stops teaching after
four years, and in some States 20 per
| cent of the teachers are teaching
where they never taught before.
Give Teacher Home.
AS a remedy he suggested con-
solidation OF the schools and the
building of good school and home
for the teacher, to be paid for by
the issuance of bonds, if necessary A
small farm should also be provided.
an dthe teacher should have the use
of both farm and land. The teacher
would be willing to stay, and would
become a factor in the community
DR.. Claxton thought this to be the
solution of the problem.
In the absence of DIR. II. B. F'ris-
SELL president of the Hampton insti-
tue. Vice President George b. Phoe-
nix spoke a few minutes. He spoke
of the increase Of land values in the
South. which he took as an index of
social Improvement.
Superintendent Smith, of Kent
county, Md, said, he started with the
Idea of teaching in the rural schools
not only the English subjects but in
dustrial arts as we'll Industrial
training is had in twenty-one schools
in his county. But reactionary
from North Carolina nearly broke up
the meeting when he said that he
could find time to teach only the
three RS, which were sufficient 10