Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-23

Mn overlooking Lincoln Heights.
suburb OF this city. is the National
Training school tor Girls. This school
represents the first united effort Of
tho colorcd race TO provide ADEQUATE
industrial education for it's women and
ririS. who come hero from all parts
OF the country and from Africa.
Jamaica and Haiti. MANY other yo-
cational schools FOR negroes have been
established by philanthropic societies
but the nrSt conclusive evidence that
The n"Sroc. are willing and able 30
helm themselves is the National Train
ing school built and financed By col
orcd Americans, and presided over by
Mamie HorrouEhs, herself Il member
OF the race.
1t is duo TO her energetic ability
and mntirinc efforts. in fact. that The
school owes its existence. Nine years
ago. in her travels among negro COM
muniticS all over tho country, this
young colorcd wornan became inn
pressed with the need for such an IN
stitution. II took three Years. how
ever 10 convince her race OF In" fact
for the general scntimcn, was against
Industrial schools and for all higher
education. She talked ocforc rclic ious
societies pnd churches. she lccturcd
high school students and gave adj
dresses III public places whore she
summed an tho problems Of tho negro
woman. her mistakes in dealing with
them and the possible future RENE.
dies.
According 10 her tho situation Was
this: The modern negro Girl was in
AN anomalous position. she gradu-
atcd from high school at tho age OF
sixteen or seventeen. possessed OF
good education that was p!acticaill
Worthless to her. There we're already
moro teachers than there were places
for thcui. and tho other sources Of cdu-
Gated employment, "pcn 10 her were
IL, L. L. ia, Tor,
her /" do was =" bccom" a servant.
and this sh" felt beneath her high
standard Of know ledge. The result was
that in tho majority Of cases She did
nothing AZ All but become burden
10 hcr mother who. fortunately. had
no, been educated The only answer %
this problem. as she saw IT, was TO
rails" tho standard of household ser
vicc--Socmthing To he done hy tho
cn,orcd woman alone a.rd not hv tho
patronage Of white persons. Hence.
the need OF q school that would cdu-
cate tho girl and a, he same time
teach her n vocation by which she
might become sclfsupportinr.
Mamie 6orrouGhS. managed 10 raise
the hrst 81, 900 among her own friends.
and in q little over a year another So
ono was forthcoming from negroes all
over the country, some sending only
" cents or . cent stamp With
this $4,000 tho property at Lincoln
Heights was bought. including a small
dlapida,cd structure Of eight rooms
From this small beginning the schoo!
HAS grown until there arc now five cot
taccS. accommodating II" pupils from
twenty-scvcn states Of the Onion. and
three foreign countries
IscfuI Courses Taught.
The courses taught include English,
domestic science and arts, drcSSmak-
ing, millinery. manicurine ana mas
sage. general housekeeping. business.
social settlement work and music The
cost is $3.50 a mouth. with 8: extra
for music The girls arc required TO
run the place themselves, hiring only
one man 10 do the spring blowing and
building repairs. Meals arc prepared
10y the domestic science class. much Of
the clothing is made by tho dressmak-
inr class. the girls are n,anicurcd once
week by the manicurinG class and
coiffurcd by the hairdresscrs.
Onc cottage. dedicated By "a Chicago
religious denomination is used cXclu-
sivclN for practical housekeeping The
FIRST floor, containing living room,
dining room. Kitchen and hutlcrs nan
try, is furnished simply hut correct
ly, while tho second floor contains six
weil-arranGcd bedrooms. Here each
girl takes her turn in performing Ger
tain duties of the household. One week
she is huuSekccpcr. planning the meals
and overseeing the work Of the 9TH
erS: the next week she may hc cham
hCrmaiti or cook. tho next week narlor
maid, and 50 on until she has learned
every lire connect cd with III" Keeping
Of 4 model house. NJ any time il may
he announced that they are 10 cntcr-
tain actual visitors from PENNSYLVANIA.
mississippi or Kentucky, who arc to he
house guests for the week in which
ease the housckccpcr makes her ar
rdnGcn cuts aud each girl is assigned
additional duties.
In this house. also. arc given ban
nuc,s aud various entertainments for
which subscriptions are taken. any
monetary surplus being turned over
to the school. Recently tho girls de-
cidcd that tho model kitchen was look
ing rather shabby and needed new
coat Of paint. This they found would
cost $40. which just then could not be
spared from the school finances Bat
few days later the domestic science
class came Ia the rescue with ginger
bread and lemonade. costing lust ono
dollar, which they sold to the rest of
the pupils and Il few visitors for the
necessary ten. In helping the school
the girls are not only being taught "a
lesson in sclf-rcliancc, hut they arc
learning 10 bear their share OF rcspon-
sibility for others
Many of tho pupils are working their
way through, accepting positions as
cooks. Mattresses or chamhcrmaids
during tho summer in order to pay for
their winter schooling. These. the