Newark post., 1922-04-26
Opportunity Offered
Negroes in Delaware
Show Determination to Do
Their Share to Gain Best
School Facilities

coming from all pdfIS OIL DeldWafe
assembled at Harrington on Saturday
to attend the first annual convention
of the Colored State Parent-Teachel
Association One hundred and five
delegates from the sixty-two associ
ations registered during the morning
and teachers, parents and trustees
swelled the group to approximately
300. That the colored people of the
State are awake and determined to dc
their full share in bringing about the
best educational facilities to be found
for their race in any State of the
Union, was strikingly demonstrated
at the morning session, when brief
reports of the activities in the various
associations were given. Dozens Of
communities are hard at work, round
ing out equipment in their new school
buildings. Supplementary books,
monographs, fences, grading and the
like are some of the things that the
colored communities are furnishing
for their school buildings. DR.. H. "
Holloway, State Superintendent of
Public Instruction, addressed the meet
ing, insisting upon the Importance of
keeping the colored boys and girls in
school, in face Of what might seem an
urgent economic situation. "No man
is free until he has the power to read,
and realize for himself the experience
of those who have been successful in
this world" Dr. Holloway said. "The
State is providing the opportunity for
every Negro child in Delaware to ac-
complish this; the parent must see
that the child makes the most of it,"
According to the construction under
which the Parent Teacher Association
is now working, a colored chairman
from each county is elected at the
annual convention, to meet at least
twice year at the call of the State
President for conferences in regard
to P. T. A. work. The election of
these chairmen, which was one of the
features of the morning, resulted as
follows: For New Castle county, S.
Marcellus Blackburn, of Delaware
City; for Kent county, J. Graham
Scott, of Milford; for Sussex county,
|. w. Howard, of Laurel.
Features of the afternoon session
were addressed by DR.. Richard Wat
son Cooper of the Service Citizens of
Delaware, and Professor John M.
Candy, President of the Virginia Nor
NAL and Industrial Institute of Peters
burg, Virginia. Community singing,
led by Miss Helen Henderson, director
of the Junior Glee Club of the Howard
High School, "The Negro race is on
trial in Delaware" DR.. Cooper de-
clared in his address. "Four things
are necessary for good schools: Child
ren present every day; good
teachers; the proper kind of place in
which to meet; and some central
thought to direct it. Teachers in the
Negro schools of Delaware are bet
ter trained today than teachers in the
white schools, condition which, it |
is believed, is largely due to the fact
that the promising young women
among the colored race have fewer
temptations to high salaried positions
in other fields. The colored children
of Delaware are about to have the
finest school buildings in the United
States. Already 81 are completed and
26 are now under construction. The
schools have a central thought back
of them, the result of our present
State Department of Education and
supervisors, provided for field work.
1t remains for the colored parents to
see that the children are in the schools.
We are working toward a 180-day
school year."
Professor Candy talked on "The In
fluence of the Home" "The morality
that a child carried about with him
after he is ten years of age, is just
about the standard that he has observ-
ed in the home up to this time," Pro-
fessor Candy said. "Teach your child
rem by example and precept the value
of courtesy, the value of the right
kind of home conditions, in house
furnishings, modesty in dress. The
first thing that the colored man ought
to do above all things is to get a
home. No people can claim freedom
until they own their own homes, and
master their circumstances. If you
have strong body and strong hands
there is no excuse why you should
not own your own home. There can
only be one reason if you don't. That
is, that you waste your earnings. A
good home is the fundamental con-
dition of successful life"