The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-11-03
MARGARET BEARD
 TELLS OF EDUCATION
 FOR COL0REI] PEOPLE

''The negroes only want their own. They are not seeking education that the" may 1I.ingae with the white people, for they prefer their 2 own that which has been denied them for many years," said Miss Margaret Beard, of the Montgomery Industrial school for girls at Montgomery, Ala, made at meeting of the Women's League of Park Street church, held yesterday afternoon in the parish room of the church. Miss Beard is a Beard, who for some time was pastor uf the Park Street CongregtdonaI church.
 The Montgomery school is one or the many chools for colored girls in the South and it is supported by con- tr- buttons from the various churches. There are only II teacher and close to 800 pupils. Besides the regular grammar school studies the girls are taught rug making. chair can1ns. basketry, dressmakipg. cooking. home nursing and housekeeping. After che crJurse at the Montgomery school is finished many Of the girls go to Tuskeegee, where they finish the training course and become teachers. To prove the great strides the negroes have taken in the city of Montgom- graduate from Miss Boards scnoof was made assistant supervisor or schools in the rural districts.
 Most of the pupils at the school are Christians With the exception or two young men, who although they are unusually bright in their studies, refuse to believe in God until they have "seen som ething.'' They argue that their mothers saw something and that several of their friends saw something; and now they are wait ing for their visions. For the most part, Miss Beard explained. the old I4e of1 1o1 GEcoo h I@c fore becoming a Christian. is dying out among the negroes in the South. 367 Negro Graduates.
 Miss Beard told the women that uated from northern colleges with high honors last year The valedic- torian honors at De Witt Clinton High School, the largest school of it's kind in New York city, last June were awarded to a colored boy who all through his course had shown wonderful characte: and ability. An other colored boy from a New York high school won an essay contest, which was open to every high school pupil in New York city. Professor a prize of $500 seevral years ago for his. splendid composition, Why 1 Live in Missouri and strange to say Prof. Fisher had never even been in
 After citing many other instances of successes which colored men and women have made, Miss Beard said "I have told you of these only to prove what splendid material there is among the colored people. They want education and they shall have it. Many people think that they should say only derogatory things about the negro and cite them only as criminals but white people need not look to the negroes for criminals for there are criminals in their own class too.
 ''The negro people of the south have shown that they desire education, for every colored school is much over crowded. The coIored people have been unusually patient to take what they have during the past years, but now they want their own and let us help them to it, she concluded.
 Following the lecture a reception to Miss Beard and a social hour was held in the church parlors. Miss Minnie Cotter, a Bethel girl, who has been doing missionary work in Africa will be the speaker at the next as SenlblY on NOXemher 6.