Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-06-04


to the front door of the Y. NJ. c. A
building at 1884 Paseo a few week
ago and literally pushed him inside
Maybe these folks can do some
thing with you." she said Severel:
to the small boy. VIII. was looking
stubborn and keeping still. '"lf the!
can't I'm through with you"
she left little money for the small
boys uplift and departed, voluble will
doubts. The young Negro men at thu
Y. M. G. A. are a hopeful crowd. HI
7 was sturdy small boy. and he would
look you squarely in the eye, ane
abundant energy is good fault, even
though It does take Satanic outlets al
times. II there were just some way
Of getting him.
And presently it developed that the
small boy was extremely fond of swim
ming. A grin OF pure raptu 9 over
spread his countenance when he saw
the big pool OF clear green water In
the basement-and thereafter the
small boys interest was assured. He's
bossing q Bible class now and swim
ming in races with fellows twice his
size, and following the big straight
military Hardy, gym" instructor who
used to play on real college foot
ball team with surprising precision.
He raps out his orders In good
style, this man Hardy; and he's train
ing them not to shuttle their feet. and
to hold up their heads and their
shoulders, and yet he has time to give
pat on the back to the fat boy who
has such a hard time getting over the
horse" and who reduces the entire
room, including the raging piano
player, to gleeful laughter.
/. 1t is very new, this Negro Y. NJ. c.
Ats only been open two months
and comparatively few people know
about it. Also, there iS good deal OF
fantastic Instrumentation current on
Vine street. A lodging house keeper
will tell you that the rooms are ken
nels and the beds hunks followed out
of the wall. AS a matter of fact, the
rooms, with their oak furniture, cleo
trio lights, steam heat and clean beds,
and q big window in each room, are
hard to beat anywhere in town. They
rent for $3.50 to $3.50 a week, and
there is no accommodation for Ne
groes in town to compare with them.
1t is interesting, too. n see the pride
thu men take in keeping the rooms
City Star.
The growing literacy Of the Ne
groes is an occasion for general ap-
proval. In every city and state the
Of illiteracy among Negroes
Is lower in younger generations than
In the older. In Georgia, for example,
AMONG Negroes from ten to- fourteen
years old the percentage of those who
can't write was 22.1. Among those be-
tween twenty-five and thirty-four years
The percentage of illiteracy was 1921.
Among those from fifty-five to sixty
four years and over the percentage
was 70.2. The Negro is taking adyan-
tage of the educational opportunities
It hand.
In Boston the number Of Negro chill
iren who go to school is in greater
proportion than the number of native
white children in ten other census
,ities. But even so. less than half of
he Negro children from six to twenty
zears old are attending school. taking
he country as whole. These bare
igures, however, recount record of
progress made possible only by tre-
nendous efforts. Within sixty years
i freedom the Negro has achieve.
nents to his credit of which any race
night be proud.