The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-09
AERO-AMER|CAN cULL|NCS

Houston has always been and vii
continue TO be In an increasingly Dc
gree sort ut guide 10 other cities n
great many Ways educational ant
economical. Especially is this trus
with the status Of the Negro popuia
ton. This city IL destined 10 become
Q great and growing metropolis. One
quarter OF IT. population " colored
and whatever good or bad comes tt
Houston, tho Negroes 10 degree are
affected thereby
This was the outstanding feature OF
An adtrcss delivered In Houston, Tex
recently ut the coiOrcd evening high
school graduating exercises by !. NJ
Terrell. president OF the Prairie View
State Normal and Industria! college
A corps Of well educated Negro
teachers In Houston have espoueed
these ringing words az the successful
coIofed professor. They are calling
these words IN expression OF their
own sentiments, They are more de,
sirous Of instilliDg into their race a
greater degree OF eagerncss for edu.
cation than ever before.
They are awcre that educational
training Will. quicker than any other
agency. lift their race higher. They
arc confident that educational train.
tng will In i measure tear of the
shackIss Of crime and inspire them to
labor for higher ideals and for attain.
n,ents by which they can serve their
community, and In 20 doing not only
better ths1r own standards OF living
but serve society In more useful
manner.
While ali the colored schools in
Houston maintain courses OF study
OF . high quality. especial attention 10
given to industrial art. There are
- regular day schools. including one
high school In the city and four night
schools. This Industrial arts are
taught In al OF these schools. These
courses arc not elective. but every
student IL compelled to include one
OF the industrial arts or more in his
or her course OF study.
There was an average total enroll
Insnt Of G.3z0 students in the colored
schools during the past year. OF this
number 754 were enrolled In the four
night schools.
In the night schools the students
for the most part were Of mature age.
their ages ranging from fifteen to
seventy years. Ths younger students
Of the night schools are enrolled In
most instances with the object OF
learning something about tho indus.
trial arts In order 70 be OF better serv.
Ice TO tho community, and to be more
efficient for their own benefit
II Most Of tho older and extremely old
people have m snfirely different oh.
j tast II ~. 8 4 % them arc ad65ut:
ready to make their peace with their
God. They want to be prepared for
death. They want 70 read the Bible
10 learn what 10 required of them in
heir declining days. They want to
be- able to read It and interpret the
meaning Of the passages according
10 their own notions. Still another
object Of the older students is to learn
10 write SO that they may correspond
with their friends and relatives in
other parts Of the country.
Tuskegee was not one-man school,
my more than Harvard was a one
nan school when John Harvard was
That Doctor Washington
welded great influence over the
iestinies Of our people was due, first,
o his native ability and keen insight,
Ind, second, because Tuskegee was
he first profitable experiment Of the
lind conducted wholly by Negroes. |