The Colorado statesman., 1915-06-05
AFRO-AMER|CAN CULL|NCS

Negro woman led small boy up
to the front door of the Y. M. C. A.
building at 1884 Paseo few weeks
ago and literally pushed him inside.
Maybe these folks can do some
thing with you" she said severely
to the small boy. VIII. was looking
stubborn and keeping still. IF they
can't I'm through with you"
she left little money for the small
boys uplift aud departed, voluble with
doubts. The young Negro men at the
Y. Nd. c. A. are a hopeful crowd. He
Was sturdy small boy, and he would
LOOK you squarely in the eye, and
ABUNDANT energy is good fault, even
though 1t does take Satanic outlets at
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 rapture 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 Bible class now and swim
ming in races with fellows twice his
size, and ollowing 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.
II is very new, this Negro Y. NJ. c..
Ats only been open two months
and comparatively few people know
about 1t. 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 a 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, - see the pride
the men take in keeping the rooms
clean--Kansas City Star.
The growing literacy of the Ne
groes is an occasion for general ap-
prevail In every city and state the
percentage 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-tive to sixty
four years and over the percentage
was 70.2. The Negro is taking advan-
tage of the educational opportunities
at hand.
In Boston the number of Negro chill
dren who go to school is in a greater
proportion than the number of native
white children in ten other census
cities But even so, less than half of
the Negro children from six to twenty
years old are attending school, taking
the country as a whole. These bare
figures, however. recount record of
progress made possible only by ire
mendous efforts. Within sixty years
of freedom the Negro has achieve
ments to his credit of which any race
might be proud.