Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-02
AS ONE WOMAN SEES TT
Our system Of Education. Unsuited
to the Negro, Has Made Him
Ashamed Where He Should
Have Been ENCOURAGED
Ry SARAH ID. LnNNRIE

l
| l. Philadelphia since 1910 was l54 per
| cent, the increase in the colorcd population
during the same period was little more than
| oS per cent that is. there are 40 500 more
! colored persons now hero than there were in
| 1910
There are now in Philadelphia ! .GSS. .313
| White persons. 1865 Chinese, Japanese and
| Indians and 13I.09S colored.
large section of the town south of Pine
| street and west Of Broad strcct is so thicky
settled by the African race that, politically
! speaking. they dominate two of the wards
There is another such section in West PbiN
delphia and third north of Spring Gardeu
street and west of Broad. At certain times
of the day cars running south on Nineteenth
street and east on Lombard street are al
mOst niUst mSHnop9lized irSp BY Negroes In the pre-.
ct the election officials but one was colorcd.
This population. unlike the old colored
tam'Iics Of thirty years ago, is Of very
mixed race -ngadroonS. octoroons and such
nearly Caucasian types as scarcely to b.
keep.
Nearly all the catering business of tho city
is in the hands of the colored race domestic
servants, chorewomen, street cleaners, seam
stresses, railroad portcrs and walters arc
prcdominantly Colored, and an apprcciablc
number of colorcd, chauffeurs and truckmen
stS ~. 10 DC seen on the streets, aud about every
other tcamster is Negro.
ne Pubic schools up TO certain grade
have q great sprnkling of them in some Of
th' elementary schools they are in the ma
jUriti
They have built very fine now theatre ON
Eroad street and arc about to build first
cIa>S motel II new spaper is published by
tn"'h that has large circulation.
WHEN ono considers that this race was
w savage or at best barbarous one n cen
Jury ago, and that it now completes with the
immigrants from central Europe not unsuc-
crsSfully along many lines, one realizes that
n n pAntE
hcen dcteriorating factor in the status Of
the race. and that since the Civil War, bad
rs CONDITIONS are in some places and at some
times for the African population. the race
mas progressed further in the comforts and
securities and general hygiene of living in
this country than if il had been left on It's
native coasts, where missionaries arc having
au uphlIl work converting it and traders a
doWnh'I work of exploiting il.
bavH been more than once To Tuskpccp
and many times 30 Hampton and | have
stayed at the schools in the so called ''Rack
brh ana on the whole scca good deal Of
rue work OF both church aud philanthropic
organizations toward educating the colorcd
youth OF the South, and ] have bccn struck,
even at Hampton. by the tendency there
seems 70 be TO ignore the difference between
IN" roI"rcd and the white type Of mind and
I" N"r,nt the comparatively few points Of
r. NOt had in your family child who
wa NATURAL! artistic. musical. cNprcs.
Slvr. t"np"ramental, mystical, aud another
who WaS naturally scientific. reserved pains-
takinGiy diligcnt, and another who was en-
crg"tl". voIubl", ,cannily business like. YOU
would not give them the same education or
IN" same start in life. You would be proud
OF ~" dif"rcnrcs aud do all in your power
10 bring them out.
Instead of making the African proud Of his
differences. our schools. public and private.
somehow have made him ashamed. The
things that he cannot do so well as tho
European races do naturally arc made his
goat goal which in many minds is 50 little
undrrN'"pd That the product that tho Negro
mind turns ont looks like a 90 rcature. inst
as the white limitations of African melodies
and folklore and dances and symbolism arc
car,cnturcS Of far f"cblcr type.
VNlIE things that the colorcd race do we'll
l. naturally have to do with color and dig.
nifty and expression and imagination nnd
mus" and y Sonsc of taste, q sense of stvlc
Ihcy "an br very gentle as we'll as very
brutal. Their fathfulncss and their casual,
ness arc different from III" Anglo Saxon
type, Just aS their CarClcSsncss and docilitv
are Uf II different blend.
Tn" reward of n Scotch maid of all work
who has been industrious all day might be
reading ''Picrims Progress" With her Vol
lower IN the Kitchen; tn" reward Of the
Little coor"d maid would be 10 >oucak ont in
IL" igh"-t of high heels to danrc no doubt.
Probably tho quality Of tho work Of the
orcd girl Il cleaning is TO tho fore. but the
rolnrcd girl will win out il cooking is the lob
Instead of laying tho accent on the colCrcd
races genius for cooking. the tendency is 10
lay tue accent on the CarcleSsnCss as busters
In other words We are continually missing
IN" point with the African nature because il
is not our point. The consequence is like
ov"ry other race that is had on suffnranCe
thai j. ignored for its great qualities and
dislk"i tor its foolish ones. tho coIorcd race
is not happy. is sometimes rc,cntful for
little r"asons and apathctic and >ocrctiyc for
big rra>onS.
VTNilE white papers print tho accounts of
l. tho lynChing of col0red men for alleged
nttn"hs on white women in small print in an
obscure paragraph. The colorcd papers print
IA" 'lnChing In big type on the front paEc
ami tho attack is left out entirely. And as
u" whit" paper gives any space to the ord-
rH'y abiding doings of roIor"d society,
~" club meetings. the entertainments. the
r"|obrHl ions, the paradcs and church CCsti-
ra.S and brn"factions. and the coored papcr
does. Quit" naturally tho coIorcd PAPER is The
On" rcad by. the majority of tho race. As n
result IN" injustice Of tho whites TO the
blacks gets very we'll mullpd oror hv the
blacks and the ScnSr of injustice Is famed
into a slow flame that only smoldor,, 70 be
Snro. bur is thrr" rs another cause Of un-
happiness. For to diSIik" pcoplc that vou
could admire, or rather not tu love A pCOpIc
whom YOU could lovo, is "uriously donrcss-
ing, Il sort of living tragedy
4 y ENGNSHNAN speaking at u Hamu
y ton dinner once here in pcrrr,rIr gnoJ
faith mortified both his white and ,,ojGrcJ
hearers by announcing that thc ouD, ~ohtion
to the 'colOr"d question was n hlcud;ng Of
the races by ntcrnHrriagc Il seemed ro
mo then that be was only trying to no uhysi
caly what most Of our schools aftcmpi miau
tally i. O., blend of two incompntiIlc
forces into a mouGrol negative.
You might Just rs well COCrCc fUr art nr
Japan and China into the art Of Italy, One
can affect In" other, bur not BE- the o,hnr
Until W" mako our culOrcd fcIun ,ililrr,
proud of IN" things they cnn do butter 1hon
the rest ot-us. neither they nor wo rau me- us
happy living IN lhc same town H. vc vcrc
meant to be.
Congress fights shy Of putting up money
for aircraft Tor purposes OF national Defense
IL u could 10 induced TO apDr0nriutn H.,
.-.rn,. fnr n ir1.1.nEt e.. IL, 80 ,o wv