Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-12
APPEAL To WHITE
CITIZENS To HELP
COLORED SCHOOL

To The White Citizens of Americas
and Sumter County:
The Americas Institute will be 20
years old the End day of next October.
Starting 20 years ago with two teach
ers and nine pupils in small two
room cottage, the institution has grown
to consist of fourteen teachers. more
than zoo students with seven depart
ments of instruction, four of which are
industrial, and campus of six sub
intendent's home with lot, barn, etc.
The institution has furnished all the
high school education for negroes that
has been provided in the county, has
taken lively interest in the public
schools of the county through rural
school supervision, and is now engaged
in farm demonstration and boil weevil
campaign among the negro farmers In
cooperation with the county and the
United States government. A trained
worker from Tuskegee has been en-
ployed as demonstration agent,
! During these 20 years, more than
one hundred students have graduated
from rne courses offered, and 97@o OF
them ere still living and actively en-
gagged in some form of remuneratiye
labor. Through their efforts and infiu
ence the communities where they live
and labor have been msde better and
the standard of living among negroes
has reen greatly improved.
From the beginning, the institution
has stood for three things: LIST, thor
ough high school education; End, self
help and self reliance on the part OF
the colored people themselves; 3rd,
better relations between the races
The record of it's achievement along
thees lines is common knowledge to
those who have kept abreast with ne
gro education in this section. Those
of our students who have taken higher
courses of study have been among the
prize winners in some of the best negro
COLLEGES of the country The response
bility for the maintenance of the in
stitution has ever rested squarely upon
the shoulders of the black people II
there is a white person in the county
who is unfriendly to the institution, we
dc not know it. We feel proud OF
such a record.
We are glad to acknowledge the
LAVAL and unstinted support, moral and
financial, that the school has received
at the hands of the many white people
of this section.
We propose to celebrate in a befit
ting manner the goth birthday of the
institution. At this celebration we pro-
pose to raise among the friends of the
school $4,000 About one half of this
amount is to be spent for farm on
which to teach practical agriculture
and the balance will be used in paying
off debts and making some needed i'm
provements. | therefore most earn
estly appeal to the white citizens OF
Americas and Sumttr county for a
birthday gift of ST 900 to be presented
at a special exercise held for the &C.
casion. In my judgment there is no
manner in which similar amount of
money could be expended that would
bring richer results to our city and
cur section of the state. 1t would help
to prove to a restless negro population
the interest which the white people Of
this section have in them. 1t would
hedp to refute the oft repeated declara-
tion that the Southern white people
are opposed to education for negroes.
II would inspire confidence in the
philanthropic boards of education Of
the country respecting the worth and
character of the institution. 1t would
encourage the gradually growing group
of friends, without the state, who
make annual contributions to its sup
port 1t would inspire the nero sup
rorters themselves tC greater endeav-
or. Finally whereas the institution is
now spending above $4,000 year in
the city it would help to open the way
for obtaining three times as much tot
be distributed here annually. Our rec
ord in your midst is an open book. Our
earnestly urge your hearty co-opera-
ton Respectfully,
NJ. w. REDDICK, Principal.