The Phoenix index., 1939-12-30

How changed todayl instead of
naming Negro children Robert E..
Lee, George Washington, ETC., to-
day we have them named for dis
tinguished Negroes such as Booker
T. Washington, Robert Russa Mo-
ton, Kelly Miller and all the resC.
Some years ago / even found in
South Carolina a young Negr',
named Gordon Blaine Hancoc;
Alexander" It shows a growing
pride which must have a salutaN
effect on the fortunes and destiny
of the race.
Without doubt Booker T. WASH
ington's name is outstanding! 1t is
in the Negro school room that we
see what Ne o e S think
of Washington. Within the last 10
years, I have been to no school
room where Booker T's picture is
not in prominent evidence. In Ne.
gro homes, we soon come across
something showing Booker T., IN
some honorable connection and
withaI Booker T. Washington's Is
the most familiar household name
among the Negro race. Jesus once
upbraided the Pharisees with the
charge, that they spoke of hin. and
praised him with their lips, but
their heart was far from him /
am beginning to think the same
thing about the Negroes and Book
er T. Washington, .
Why call him great and do not
the things which he commanded?
| Why cali him our greatest Negro
! and dishelieve his fundamental
renets? Why laud him to the skies
and place his picture upon the
walls of Our homes ana schools and
spurn the ideal closest to his heart?
Booker 7. Washington was COM
mitted to the proposition chat Me-
! groes had to make themselves
manually proficient if they weie
to assure their economic survival III
this country. This proposition has
never been successfully refutedl
It has come about that the voca-
tional training that he so faithful
ly espoused is hardly more than
passing notion quarter of cen1
tury after his death. Those who
look with reverence upon his pic
ture spurn his point. Negroes still
believe that manual labor is dis
graceful. The failure of our voca-
tional program is due to the fact
that Negroes do not believe In in
dustrial and vocational education.
As has been said in this column,
hundred times before, young Me-
groes by thousands in OUR schools
spurn vocational training because
they are taught by teachers who
spurn it. No teacher can get over
, to students what he does not him.
self believe. I once heard man
long since passed on, say in
great address that no man can
make clear to another what is not
clear to himself.
This is equally true of teaching
and preaching. No man can con-
vince another of something Of
which he himself Is unconvinced.
The younger generations of Ne
groess are not vocattonally minded
| because their teachers and princi-
pals are not. It makes one shud-
der to imagine the suffering it is
going to take to drive home WASH
ingtons point. The white race is
vocationally awake today and with
them this type of training is grow
ing in popularity. White leaders are
taking hold of the task with boLH
hands while we are taking hold
with only one hand, If indeed we
take hold at all. Economic woes
await a group that is the last 70
seize the passing opportunity!
What we need to day is not less
of Washington's pictures but more
of his Spirit and point. Sometimes
We are in q quandary as to just
what the Negro wants anyway. He
did not want 'Bojangles" and
Louise Beavers to enter the movies
in servant roles, although it was
obvious this was the only way. to
enter for something better. We do
not want vocational training ale
though by such training we must
live or die hungry ana ragged and
cold. We wanted once to be called
Negroes with capital M, About
this matter great literary battles
have been waged. Now we want to
! be called "colored" instead ale
though this is indefinite and takes
us away from our African lineage
which DR.. Carter G.. Woodson mas
spent a life time trying to glorify.
"Consecrated m m o n sense
reached its zenith in Washington.
the greatest prophet OF his century.
His picture is in our parlors put
his ideals are in our cellar. PIC
TTJRE MINUS POINri