Evening star., 1924-02-22
NEGRO Achievement
PRAISED BY CAPPER
Senator Principal Speaker at Ded-
ication of New Addition to
Garrison School.
CITES ADVANCE OF RACE
A. L. Harris, Municipal Architect,
Speaker on Program.

The achievements of the negro race
IN the United States since the days of
emancipation were described as "won-
derfur' by Senator Arthur Capper of
Kansas. at formal dedicatory exercises
OF the William Lloyd Garrison School,
! In the school building, 18th street be-
tween r and streets. yesterday.
The exercises marked the dedication
OF the new eight-room addition to the
Old school. The new addition has been
occupied since January .. The old part
of the building has been in operation
| as school since 1889. The school was
| named for William Lloyd Garrison, a
stanch advocate of the emancipation of
slaves
IF ever the state of a race seemed
hopeless, it was that of the colored
man after the great civil conflict that
gave him his liberty" said Senator Cap
| per- "Wher Eeoln struck off the
shackles of Slavery the colored man was
without schools. He lived largely in d
locally where he idea of education for
the colored man was anathema.
tent L1tefItes
To-day 80 per cent of the colored
population can read and write. To-
day, out of d total of 2S,00O00O eX-
fehded annually in the education OF
colored folk, $1,000. 900 is contributed
by your own race. You have 500 col
legeS and normal training schools
Two million colored young folk are
students in your colleges and in
other schools of the. land Forty four
EnlnTnI =.
their lives to the service Of the race
Your people have written and pub
hshed nl.oe than 1000 posils Iil-y
own and edit zoo newspapers and
, upward of s7,60O,O00 for the main
tenance of $4,000 churches, having a
total property valuation of $S8,50O,-
voo. four mIiiion eight nunured
thousand of your fellows are com
municants of these churches and two
quarter million of your children re-
celVe religious instruction in your
Sunday schools.
! .andiess, homeless and penniless in
1865, the colored race in America to-
day owns $4,000 homes and colored
| men ana women operate 1,000. 900
that of Austria and Belgium com
bined. Add to this the rented lands
coiored farmers operate and the to-
; tai is 4O.OOO,000 acres. yielding a gross
income to colored farmers of upward
OF s2ao:O0o,00O "All of this is Il
wonderful achievement" declared
Senator Capper
referring to the dedication Of the
school. he said: This handsome
building which we here today dedi-
cate is evidence of that equality of
9pportunity-the opportunity of self
development"
j. c. Nalle, supervising principal
OF the tenth division of the public
schools in the District of Columbia.
gave the history of the school.
A. l.. Harris Speaker.
The keys to the school We're turned
over to q. c. Wilkinson. assistant
school superintendent, by A. L.
Harris. municipal architect. The lat
scribed plans for the building and
; said the Garrison School and other
schools in the District would have
more necessary w%k done as soon
as there are sufficient appropriations.
Mr.. Wilkinson, in accepting the keys.
didicate it to education"
The program included vocal solos by
Miss Estelle Pinkney, Miss NJ c.
Jones and Miss NJ. G.. James, accom-
panied by Mrs. L. II. Johnson; a piano
solo by Mrs. Johnson; a reading by
Miss Eliza Coppage. The Battle
hymn of the Republic" and "Amer-
ica'' were sung by the audience.
Children of the school Joined in sing
diction were delivered by Rev. James
l.. Pinn. Mrs. Coralie f. Cook, IA
member of the board of education.
presided. She was introduced to the
audience by Miss NJ. NJ. Orme, admin
istration principal.