Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-03-07

One Of the most remarkable settle
ment schools in the south 10 the one
located Ave miles in the country from
Athens. o., and established and now
caught by Jsdia C. jackson Harris. a
colored woman. who has accumulated
: large farm, several model buildings.
and is doing some Of the best work
Known to the state educational depart
ment in training the people Of her
race along practical industrial lines.
Recently she was married to Samuel
, Harris. the founder and promoter OF
the BLACK Nanny Memorial" an In
stitution which has attracted attention
over the entire country. north and
south. Turning, gardening. canning.
cooking, washing. sewing. fancy work.
bakery, carpenter work, blacksmith
INK and q high school literary course
are the feature Of the curriculum
which the colored woman has been
carrying in her institution for several
years. She called 1t the Model Train.
ing School" It Is situated in a thickly
settled negro section of the county
the rural regions typical. Since she
began her work there have been
jtwenty-one houses owned by negroes
In the vicinity painted; there have
been organs and pianos introduced;
there have been proflt-bearing gardens
cultivated. there have been large in
creases in the taxable property return
ed. The criminal element has almost
entirely Loved out and-the settlement
is a model one indeed. The oldest
student at the school this month is a
negro man nearly seventy years Of
age who declares that 1t is his ambi-
ltion now to learn to read chapter in
the Bible by himself. He is making
good progress and in the meantime he
is being taught manual science.
We should like very much to call
the attention of the ministers OF the
race to dancing. Advanced reform
and the white Christian churches Of
the country have already come to the
conclusion that dancing cannot If 1t
should be stopped. They have, there
fore, wisely taken dancing and have
turned 1t to their own purposes to
the uplift and to the benefit of their
communities. One or two churches
have sensibly inaugurated dancing
parties in their parish houses. Mu-
nicipal reform committees have pru-
IDENTIFY established dance halls In the
slum sections Of the big cities, and
now are supervising the diversion not
only to the pleasure, but to the moral
and physical benefit of the commu-
nifty. Many colored pastors are pur-
suing the fogy practice Of condenning
all dancing and exclude such of their
members and prospective members as
refuse to abide by their unwarranted
dictation in matters Of proper person.
a privilege and rights. Their pews
are empty. and the colored youth. old
and young, male and female. is dane
ing, to- the detriment Of the church
finances, to the detriment of the good
work they could otherwise do. The
white Methodists, at their recent con-
>vention,, decided that they would not
put a ban on its dancing members.
The colored churches, II they will full
fill their mission today, will 60 out to
the dancers. and not forbid them to
enter the kingdom Of heaven. The
enlightened, liberty-loving Catholic
now eats meat on Friday If he wants
to, and the church Is quitting it's die
tation. The enlightened, prosperous
Hebrew is eating pork when he cares,
and the synagogue is letting down it's
antedated, boomeranging bar. Let the
colored cs1rch be progressive. Let
It condemn vulgarity and immortality
everywhele but let it turn dancing
to it's own account.-Exchange.