The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1914-07-18

Tuskssee institute Graduate Among
the People of Caroline County. VI,
Hearty Cooperation In Effort to Sc.
cure Better Sehoolhouses.
Mrs. Mamie Lee Butler. who was
graduated from Tuskegee institute in
1911 and is now serving a. an indus.
trial supervising teacher in CAROLYN.
county. Va, tells an Interesting and
prophetic story Of the awakening Of
the colored people to the possibility Of
having. even under most adverse con.
ditiOns. better schools. better homes
and better community response to
pressing needs
shortly after | took up my work as
an industrial supervisor the state Of
Virginia, through the superintendent
Of public instruction offered 20 bro
vide rhe salary OF a second tcarLrr for
every community that would build
two room school according to the state
plans" said Mrs. Butler on Il recent
visit To Hampton institute.
II went into four communities and
tried TO show the advantages and wis
dom of needing this call Each com
munity that | visited, although il was
poor. took up the struggle. and 10y per
Sonal contributions Of work. money
and materials all Of the four schools.
each costing $500 and haviu. two
teachers. have been built and occupied
during the past year.
Sacrifices were made by our people
TO accomplish this result. At Bowling
Green one man. whose property hold
ingS are valued at only Thousand
dollars and who has a growing family
Of eight To support. gave ont If his
weekly earnings in one year so
How did he de- IL? Not all at once at
some big rally. Sometimes al the
freight office he would pay bin for
lime. cement or other material and
ut the next meeting of the School In
prOvement league he would quietly
hand the receipt to the treasurer
One man who did the MASON work
gave Onehalf Of his time free An
other man who lives in a shabby. rent
ed tenement. contributed 81 of the s.
he had received for laying the cement
floors OF the pOrches. Still another
man who did not have the ready mon
ey did have timber land. from which
he cut and hauled logs to the mil! aud
contributed the lumber cut from them
ITO push the work more rapidly the
women gathered ut one school, and
while the men of the community put
on the weather boarding the women
nailed on the lathS on all the side
walls and finished their tasks without
a smashed finger Many of the wO-
men who are helping to support their
families by washing land. might say.
that % cents is the price paid for an
individual laundry in Caroline county,
have time and time again contributed
the whole amount to push along the
work Of school building
Last year the cOlOred people raised
by contributions. without help from
the school board. some S5.4OO for build
ings and school improvements We
are now striving to raise $4,000 10
build four more graded schools We
are also striving to collect $3.50 10
equip properly the wOrkrOOm at Bowl
ing Green. for wherever new graded
schools have supplanted the one room
schools we are endeavOring to use the
old buildings as wOrkrOOms in which
will be taught sewing. cooking and
TO the girls and manual
training to the boys. Every school
that has been reached has been awaS-
ened to the idea Of doing something
definite to improve conditions and TO
make the school buildings and grounds
attractive.
Through the summer work we nave
been better able to reach the homes
and by teaching the children in their
own homes we have been able to iniiu-
ence the mothers Wherever possible
mothers clubs have been formed. They
nave Tor their purpose not the THISTLE
Of money for the schools. but the
changing of the morals and the man
ners of the children in the home. along
the highway and in the school
My preparation for work In this
great forward movement | owe 10
TuSkegep There from the big heart
u Dr Booker T Washington ] learned
the lessons of unseIfishneSs and SerV-
Ice In sending me out to do indus
trial work he took me by the hand
md said. We don't expect you to fan
Thus he gave me inspiration to put
into practice the lessons he had learn
ed az Hampton and which he had
Taught me at Tuskegee."
Georgia Educators to Meet July e.