The Negro in the South

NT OF THE NEGRO RACE S

brought with him out of slavery into his life of freedom that he used to hi

aped, to be gotten rid of just as soon as possible. Hence, it was very natural that the Negro race looked forward to the day of freedom as being that period when it would be delivered from all necessity of laboring with the

tion of the Negro. This was the uppermost idea of General Armstrong, the father of industrial education of the Negro. And permit me to say right here, that, in my opinion, General Armstrong, more than any other single individual, is the father of industrial education not only for the Negro, but in a large measure for the entire United States. For you must al

r the education of the Negro, has spread throughout the United States, in the North and We

y race, stubborn objection was raised against them on the part of black people. This was the

anything concerning farming or household duties. It was curious to note how most of the people worshiped "the book." The parent did not care what was inside the book; the harder and the longer the name of it, the better it satisfied the parent every time, and the more books you coul

work and especially while in school. In answer to these objections I said to them that it was true that the race had been worked in slavery, but the great lesson which we wanted to learn in

nd I but state the truth when I say that industrial education, whether on the farm or in the carpenter shop or in the cooking class, is even more sought after at Tuskeegee than is training in purely academic branches. It has been ten years since I have had a single ap

lpful manner; so that, in my opinion, the greatest thing that we have accomplished for the Negro race within the last twenty-five years has been to rid his mind of all idea of labor's being degrading. This has been no inconsiderable a

rting the Negro off in his new life in a natural, logical, sensible manner instead of allowing hi

in the intelligent and successful cultivation of the soil; that is, have begun their free life by coming into contact with earth and wood

eference, just as often as I can when I am at home, I like to get my hoe and dig in my garden, to come into contact with real earth, or to touch my pigs and fowls. Whenever I want new material for an address or a magazine article, I follow the plan of getting away from the town with

study science, but I'se been making some science for myself," and then he held up before the audience a stalk of cotton with only two bolls on it. He said he began his scientific work with that stalk. Then he held up a second stalk and showed how the following year he had improved the soil so that the stalk contained four bolls, and then he held up a third stalk and showed how he had improved the soil and method of cultivation until the sta

ent. Now that industrial education is understood and appreciated by the Negro in America, the question which has the most practical value to you and

enough facts can be given to show that economic and industrial development has wonderfully improved the moral and religious life of the Negro race in Ame

ust of necessity have industry, but along with industry there must be intelligence and refinement. Wit

t, notwithstanding the unusually high wages being paid during that season, these miners could not be induced to work more than three or four days out of six. The difficulty was right here; these miners were so ignorant that they had few wants, and these were simple and cru

use, where his wife will want carpet for the floor, pictures for the walls, books, a newspaper and a substantial kind of furniture. We should get the family to the point where it will want money to educate its children, to support the minister and the church. Later, we shoul

e if I could not get them to realize that that kind of life proved of no benefit. When I began, their wants were for the bare necessities of life only. I gradually began to talk to his wife and urge her to see the importance of living a different kind of life. Without the old man's kno

o-room house and everything had changed. The hardest task I had was to get him to put up a chimney for the second room, finally he put up one and although it was a pretty rickety, crooked affair, yet it answered the purpose and he felt proud of it. When I left t

s want; and, if you increase these wants without at the same time training the individual in a manner to

contact with the white man in the same way as has been true of the American Negro. They have never been educated in the day school nor in the Sunday-school nor in the church, nor in the industrial school or college; hence their ambitions have never been awaken

ization of the world, it is difficult to find any set of men who will labor in a more satisfactory way. True, these people have not by any means reached perfection in this regard, but they have advanced on the whole much beyond the condition of the South Africans.

t only sees for himself what they are doing, but gets the testimony of their neighbors and employers, and I can state positively that not ten per cent. of the men and women who have graduated from the Tuskeegee Institute or who have been there long enough to understand the spirit and methods of that institution can be found to-day in idleness in any part of the country. They are at

is not a single man or woman who holds a diploma from the Tuskeegee Institu

en sent to prison since these institutions were established. Those who are guilty of crime for the most part are individuals who are without education,

he Daily Advertiser, of Montgomery, Alabama, contains most valuable testi

to support. I remarked to him that I wanted some information as to the effect of manual training in preventing criminality, and asked him to state what per cent. of the prisoners under his charge had received any manual training, besi

u any sho

had a sh

ou any t

had a

prin

had a

carpen

is not a man in this prison tha

raining is almost as good a preventative o

of the colored people in prisons are without knowled

Constitution, of "Uncle Remus" fame. Mr. Harris had opportunity to know the Negro before the war, and he

he agricultural regions, are leading sober and industrious lives. A temperate race is bound to be industrious, and the

riminal classes among them make a great show in the police court records, but right here in Atlanta the respectable and decent Negroes far outnumber those who are on the lists of the police as old or new offenders. I am bound to conclude from what I see all about me, and what I know of the race elsewhere, that

them to state, judging by their observation in their own communities, what effect industrial educati

roved the morals

97; No, 20; U

igion less emotiona

101; No, 16;

ignorant or the educ

115; Educated, 3

education increases am

102; No, 19;

igures speak f

he reason that I had the privilege of visiting it a number of years ago, just about the time when interest in the education of the colored people was beginning to be aroused, and for the further reas

hs, and the pay of the two sets of teachers is about the same. The majority of the colored teachers in this county were trained at Hampton, and have been teaching in this county a number of years. For the most part, the teachers of Gloucester County are not mentally

ally what I am going to say now. According to the public records, the total assessed value of the land in Gloucester County is $666,132.33. Of the total value of the land, the colored people own $87,953.55. The buildings in the county have an assessed valuation of $466,127.05. The colored people pay taxes upon $79,387.00 of this amount. To state it dif

ars ago at least three-fourths of the colored people lived in one-roomed cabins. Let a single illustration tell the story of the growth. In a school where t

ial, not omitting the intellectual, condition of my race is improv

case of bastardy within a radius of ten miles of the court house. Another gratifying evidence of progress is shown by the fact that there is very little evidence of immoral relations existing between the races. In the whole county, during the year 1903, about twenty-five years after the work of

at ought to receive attention. It is in this regard: there is only one religious denomination in all of this county, and

ation, who owns his farm, is a taxpayer and perhaps has a little money in the bank, is the most reliable and helpful man in the Sunday-school, in the church, and in all religious ende

ough the influence of industrial education the race has acquired ownership in land that is equal in area to the combined countries

wealth indicates the ability of a race to exercise self-control, to plan to-day for to-morrow, to do without to-day in order that it may possess to-morrow. In other words, a race, like an individual, becomes highly civilized and useful in proportion as i

with your progress, forgetting, when you are doing it, that you are placing a pretty severe test on the members of my race. If, for example, we were compared with the civilization of the Oriental countries, the test would not be so severe. But we have been placed in the midst of a pushing, surging, restless, conquering, successful civili

and, as they pray, to put their hands upon their hearts and then ask God if they were placed in the Negro's state,