The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1936-03-27
DU BOIS TO STUDY
GERMAN METHODS

man education methods and stan
dards TO aid Negro schools in Am
erica viii be undertaken by Dr. W.
E. B. Dubois. head of the Depart
ment Of Sociology at Atlanta Uni
versity DR.. Dubois sails from
New York for Germany June on
the steamship st. Louis and viii
study through a grant-in-aid from
the q, erlaender Trust.
The Oberlaender Trust, a part Of
the Carl Schurz Memorial founda-
ton, was established, according to
its last published report, Ito enable
American men and women who
have attained national prominence,
to become better acquainted with
the achievements of the German
speaking peoples in their respec-
tive fields" DR.. Dubois win be
the first Negro to receive such a
grant.
The former Crisis editors aims,
revealed to the directors of the
trust in a communication Of Feb
ruary Z, are as follows:
Forty years ago, Booker t.
Washington began his crusade for
the industrial training of the Ne
gro with the idea of incorporating
the sons of the freed men into A
merican industry as skilled work
ers. His thought was that some
of them would eventually become
capitalists, and thus the race would
be integrated into the industrial
organization of the nation.
To-day, we can see many results
of Mr.. Washington's policy. and
yet its main purpose of lifting the
black labor by means of technical
education has not been accomplish
ed, and the great industrial schools
like Hampton and Tuslegee, are
being transformed into colleges of
the REVEALING type and slowly SUBJ
ordinating or giving up their in
dustrial work.
1.-THE reasons for this lie in the
economic changes in American his
tory and world economics rather
than in any failure of effort on the
part of the schools. These schools
have taught agriculture and GER
tain trades, but the world plight
of the farmer. the NOR poly of the
land, the changing of technique be-
cause of machinery, and the con-
centration of industrial control in
few hands, have left little OPP
portunity for the small capitalist,
and has changed the fields of skill
ed labor. A large, new inexper-
fenced laboring class finds itself
with rapidly narrowing opportun-
tiles which trade unions and mach
ines tend to restrict to low-paid,
common and even casual labor.
The current depression has reveal
ed and emphasized this situation
to such an extent that the present
economic crisis among American
Negroes is severe and no plans for
the permanent relief of this class
are being laid.
ut is manifest that the basic
ideas of Mr.. Washington, as well
as the ideas of many of us who
were opposed to certain limitations
in his program, must today be re-
siized if the American Negro is
going to survive as self-support-
ing worker. Mr.. Washington en-
phasized industrial training while
we stressed highly trained leader
ship, both for industry and the
broader aspects of life. The grow
ing number of educated Negroes
makes it imperative today that
they assume the responsibility of
the American Negroes economic
future and by securing all avail
able information, be able so to
guide the mass of workers that
they can support themselves with
such standards of living as will
make them a valuable part of a
civilized nation.
when I was a student in Ger
many, from 1892-1894, industrial
training was a part of the school
system, and a successful part,
while state socialism in insurance,
and regulation of industry was
leading the world. Afterward, Ger
many went forward by leaps and
bounds in industrial organization
and economic efficiency. Even to-
day, despite war and revolution.
her Industrial machine has shown
marvellous adaptability and effici-
ency. A large part Of this must
be due to the educational system
and to certain other institutions
like continuation schools, consum-
ers' cooperatives, social insurance,
and the like. From the experience
of Germany in the last half cen
fury, the American Negro, as well
as the rest of the American peo-
pie, ought to learn much.