The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1917-07-27


groes in Mississippi are described in
report on NEGRO Education" Just is
sued by the U. s. Department Of Ed
ucation, Department Of the Interior,
Washington, and in a special abstract
for the State. For each school the
following information is given: loca-
ton of school; name Of principal;
character Of work; ownership and con
troll; attendance; teachers; financial
condition. The descriptive sketch of
the more important schools is follow
ed by specific recommendation look
ing to the future development of the
school. The facts for the individual
schools were obtained by a field study
of Mississippi and the other southern
states covering a period Of nearly 3
years.
Besides listing the private and high
err schools for negroes in Mississippi
and other southern states, the FEEDER
al report analyses the provision for ed
u~cation by the States; discusses
means and methods of education TO
negroes; describes building and equip
ment for typical schools; and attempt
to give specific information to public
and private authorities interested in
negro education. The problem before
before the colored schools Of Mississ-
ppi is indicated by the fact that illit-
crates are still 35 per ZEN of the COL
ored people 10 years Of age and over,
and 10 per cent of the children 10 to
IA years of age.
The Mississippi section Of the re-
port shows that there are, according
to Census figures, 1,009,487 colored
people in Mississippi, forming Sc per
cent of the total population. 1t is
pointed out that 70 per centof all
persons engaged in agricultural pur-
suits in the state are colored, and that
the number of farms cultivated by
negroes increased 20 per zen be-
tween 1900 and 1910. As farmers
renting and owning land, they have
charge Of nearly six million and a
half acres Of Mississippi soil, and, if
their work as farm laborers be taken
into account, they undoubtedly cul-
%tivate a far larger area. The report
therefore emphasizes the need of ag.
ricultural and industrial education
pointing out that public facilities TO,
this type of education are still prac.
tically neglible, and, while a few OF
the private schools are rendering eff.
~fcctive service, they are for the most
part unable to meet the Statewide
needs.
Public provision for colored anC
white children is compared on the ba
isis of the amount expended for sal
aries of teachers and the number o.
: children of school age. "The publ,
school teachers of 81 counties in Mis-
issippi received $1,625,369 in s~alarie
in 1912-13," says the report. 20
this sum$1, 2S4,91O was for the tea
cheers of 1928 white children an,
S34O,459 was for the teachers of $50
1853 colored children. On a per CAPT
ia basis this is $1,000 for each whit
child of school age and $2.26 TO
each colored child" The incqualitie
between the figures for white chill
dren and those for colored children
are greatest in counties where tn
propotion of negroes in the total pop
~ulation is the largest.
in Mississippi number 46 according t
the report. They have a propert
valuation Of $1,282, 9O2, an annual i
= come of $177,425, and an attendant
of 7,044 pupils, Of whom 6,2S7 ar
in elementry grades. The private in
situations are largely supported by d
nominations. Only 23 Of the 46 pla
: any important part in the %educations
: activities of the stated is pointed GU
z out that a few of the remainin
z schools may be justified on demon.
: national grounds; the majority, how
Z ever, are SO hampered by small ir
: come or bad management that tn
state receives little benefit from ther
The most urgent need of the co
. ored schools in Mississippi is traine
teachers. The report declares: 9Th
. supply now depends almost entirel
Z upon the secondary schools, most c
. which are private institutions. G
. the private schools however, only
offer fair courses for teachers. Fou
Z others include one or two teachei
training subjects in their gener;
course. The pupils in the graduatin
classes of all the schools offering tie;
e cher training number only about l6'
q an annual output obviously mad
q n,,ta 20 ,,a1% A. Jo-,,,l. So. +a,ol