The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-07-10
%AFRO-AMERCAN CULL|NCS

Dnau1E
The question of the education of the
Negro has always been one of deep
concern t. the South, and is particu-
larly interesting with the illiteracy
campaign in progress, the Negro being
such a factor in bringing down the
Iteracy In this state. Therefore the
work of the Industrial high school of
this city is a matter of great moment,
writes Mrs. Sidney NJ. Ullman in the
birmingham (Ala.) Age-Herald.
This splendid institution, under the
direct influence of the board Of educa-
ton and Doctor Phillips supervision,
and with the able leadership of Prof.
A. II. Parker, has become a factor in
the city school life anG an asset to the
community.
The principal of this school is a
direct product Of the public schools of
birmingham, raised and educated in
this city, a man Of great brains and
heart, and regarded as one of the lead
ing Negro citizens, o only of Biz
mingham, but of Alabama.
Professor Parker impresses one i'm
medistely with his earnestness, and
you feel how serious is the undertake
ing Of this man and in what able hands
the work has been placed.
Housed in an u~nattractive, old, ram
shackle building with unspeakable sur
roundings, as far as comfort and
equipment for school purposes is CON
cerned, this work goes on progress
ing, assisting hundreds of young Ne
gro men and women, reaching into the
family life, making better citizens of
them and fitting each for the problem
peculiar to themselves.
The Industrial high school is situa-
ted on Eighth avenue near Eleventh
street. The building was originally
erected by a man named Lane, for an
auditorium to display and conduct his
art of medicine q%uackery, for Lane
was an Indian medicine man. How
the ugly, u~nattractive, old building
ever lasted 20 years is almost incon-
~ceivable; however, it has lasted, stood
all of these years, to at last become
useful as the home of this splendid
school.
The building contains every mod
ern idea along vocational lines in
school development, some still crude,
almost always because of lack of
funds, but all carried out to some de-
gree of perfection, and serving their
purpose well. These departments are
under the direction of trained teach
ers, well equipped in their professions.
The spirit and work of the school
can best be judged from the essay of
Franklin Irene Davis, a graduate of
the school this term. This paper is
not selected only as descriptive of
the school, but also as a sample OF
the remarkable work done in the
school.
In the spring of 1913 the mothers
and teachers, seeing the need of a
more inexpensive method of dressing
our girls, together decided upon the
adoption of a uniform. Permission
was obtained to enforce it and the next
fall saw US donning simple dark
dresses now Familiarity known as
high school blues" relieved by white
cuffs and collars. Besides these
dresses came the rules permitting only
one finger ring, no bracelets, no lock,
cts, and no jewelry of any kind save
T. simple pin securing the collar. Nc
silk hose can now be seen, and oul
color scheme has been reduced t.
black, white and blue. Its effects
have been many, the greatest among
them being the money saving; for {
girls supply of school dresses has
been reduced to two per year, which
only cost from As cents to $1.O5 each
according to the size of the girl anC