The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-02-21

An earnest plea for the betterment
OF the rural colored schools of the
south was made by James II. billiard,
president and director, at the annual
meeting of the board of the Negro Ru-
raj school fund of the Anna T. Jeanes
foundation, which was held at New
York a few days ago.
The city, town and village school
houses for the colored children are
often fairly good says Mr.. billiard,
but in the open country, where we
profess to wish the people to remain,
and where we profess to wish to train
these country children to better coun-
try living, anything better than a dis
graceful shack is rarely found for the
schoolhouse."
The Jeanes foundation, established
five years ago, and with the active and
financial cooperation of the various
counties of the southern states, and
that of the Phelps-Stokes fund, is car
rying IN an educational campaign
among the rural negro population of
the south.
II SIOpt vi lu6 WOlh Is 81 ldlB6
that though more than $3S 5000 has
been spent for teachers salaries
alone, the officers and executive COM
mittee find themselves badly handi-
capped for funds with which to prop
erly extend the work of the founda-
ton. Only S1,195 was available for re-
pairs and equipment of schoolhouses.
So great has been the increase in
the number of schools, that it has
been found advisable to organize a
corps of supervising teachers and
state supervisors. The problem of
meeting the travelling expenses of
these workers is by M means an easy
one. In many cases they are depend
ent upon private contributions from
patrons of the schools, where the coun-
ties have made no appropriations for
the purpose.
Mr.. billiard is optimistic regarding
the future of the work, and feels that
in spite of many handicaps, a constant
ly increasing appreciation and spirit
of cooperation is being manifested by
school officials, both state and county.
More han 300 members of the con-
~gregation of st. Francis Xavier's
Catholic church at Baltimore, Md, sat
at a banquet in the lecture hall of the
church, the occasion being the contin-
uation of the golden jubilee celebra-
ton of the church, which was opened
by Cardinal Gibbons on Sunday. The
congregation of st. Francis Xavier's
church is a colored one and around
the table were many of the most prom
inent people of the colored community.
Councilman Harry S. Cummings said
in part:
I'VE are all citizens of a great gov
eminent to which we owe all the 10y
atty and patriotism which we can
command. We owe respect and ODE
dience to the law of the land and de-
votion to everything which makes for
the prosperity of our common country.
And as u president, whoever he NAV
be in person, is the head of the gov
eminent, we owe respect and loyalty
to him as citizens. We, in return for
this loyalty and patriotism, are en-
titled to receive and enjoy to its fullest
extent every right granted t. us under
the law. And as there should be no
difference in degree in our patriotism,
so also should there be no difference
or discrimination in according to all
citizens their rights. Let us hope that
u president, with all the power at
his command, may see to it that all
citizens may be accorded the full
measure of their rights, so that each
and every n of us may vie with
each other in his love and devotion
for our flag and u country"