The Colorado statesman., 1915-02-27

cation decided that the Bordentown
Industrial School for Colored Youths
shall be made an industrial institution
in fact and not merely a school for
the academic training of Negro resi-
dents of the state.
Contemporaneously with this deci-
sion the board accepted the resigna.
tions of James M. Gregory, principal
of the New Jersey school; Mrs. Greg
ory, the matron, or preceptress, and
j. Francis Gregory, teacher of English.
Mr.. and Mrs. Gregory had been asso-
ciated with the school for IS years,
or practically since its inception Both
admitted that, although they had been
trained to teach academic branches
they did not feel equipped to care for
the needs of a purely agricultural and
mechanical arts school.
Attempts to choose a successor to
Principal Gregory precipitated
wrangle in the board and the matter
was laid over for month. The COM
mittee on the Bordentown school rec
commended the selection of William r.
Valentine, a Negro educator of Indian
apolis, who was graduated from Har-
ward in 1904. He is now a supervising
principal, having charge of number
of schools, and for three years has
been vice-president of the National
Education Association for Colored
Teachers.
Former Senator Joseph S. Freling
huysen and John P. Murray thought
that more than one name should be
presented for consideration. He also
advocated making the selection from
Tuskegee institute with a view of
bringing the Bordentown school into
closer touch with Booker T. Washing
ton and his associate educators. The
committee was disposed to resent the
comment of the objecting members as
a reflection upon its judgment.
The Bordentown school, as recently
brought to public attention, has been
an object of serious criticism for it's
seeming failure to accomplish the aims
for which it was established. In short
the industrial features, including agri-
culture and the mechanical arts, were
subordinated to the teaching of acad-
emic subjects.
The situation is to be exactly re-
versed, according to the plans for the
future outlined by the state board.
Never to have had instruction in
art and yet ability to paint well
enough to have a picture hung at
the Charcoal clubs exhibit in the
Peabody institute at Baltimore, is the
fortune of Ernest Atkinson, a Negro
porter. 1T must be natural instinct"
said Atkinson, "for l never had any
instruction and never saw an artist
work. l just studied other paintings,
and what 1 observed in other paint
ings applied to my own work"
Atkinson is twenty-eight years old
and was born in Kingston, Jamaica,
where he lived until eight years ago.
He then took to the sea and it is to
his memory of those years that en-
abled him to reproduce his present
work. His work is an ocean scene,
showing the waves breaking against
the shore and two boats in the back
ground, one beating against the wind
and the other running before it.
His talent was first discovered by
Charles II. Webb, an instructor in
the Maryland institute, when he was
asked to criticize one of Atkinson's
paintings. Mr. Webb was astonished
at the skill shown, and suggested that
it be submitted to the Charcoal clubs
exhibition. 1t was submitted without
any name on it, and was one of the
so selected out of the 210 offered.