OTHER AGENCIES INTERESTED IN NEGRO EDUCATION.

In addition to the public, independent and denominational agencies maintaining colored schools, there are certain funds and associations that are deserving of consideration. There are educational funds, religious organizations and educational associations.

The funds and associations interested in the education of Negroes in the United States differ widely in purpose and resources. Some are rendering a remarkable educational service not only to the Negroes; but also to the South and the whole Nation. A number of the agencies are devoting only a part of their resources to Negro education. A few are of comparatively little importance. The work of the more important agencies is discussed herewith.

General Education Board.—Because of the large sums controlled by this board and its wide influence upon the education of the country as a whole, it is important to outline its attitude toward Negro education. The report just issued by the Bureau of Education describes the attitude and works of the General Education Board in establishing some of the more recent movements in the improvement of the colored schools and communities. Among the more important of these are State supervisors of Negro rural schools, cooperation with other agencies, home-makers clubs for girls and farm demonstration works. Most of these movements have been carried on either directly or indirectly with the schools. In describing these more recent movements in Negro education, the report says:

“The guiding principal of the General Education Board in all its efforts in behalf of Negro education is cooperation, first of all with public authorities and second, with agencies that are thoroughly constructive in purpose. The secretaries are men of ability and foresight. The work and influence of Dr. Wallace Buttrick have been especially notable. The policies of the board are based upon a study both of educational facilities and community needs.”

Its activities have included the improvement of country life through farm demonstration agents and boys’ and girls’ clubs in such projects as the cultivation and canning of vegetables; encouraging secondary schools to adapt their program to the needs of democratic society; and aiding colleges and universities to increase their efficiency and broaden their curriculum so as to provide adequate emphasis on modern problems. These undertakings have been conducted with statesmanship and a real regard for the welfare of democracy. While the sum spent on educational efforts in behalf of Negroes forms but a comparatively small part of the total appropriations made by the board, the activities encouraged or maintained have been effective in the development of cooperation with the public school authorities, and in the improvement of both private and public schools for Negroes.

Perhaps the most important form of cooperation on the part of the General Education Board in behalf of Negro education, is with the State departments of public instruction in the appointment and support of State supervisors of Negro schools. Ten Southern States have made such appointments. These supervisors are capable of Southern white men who are devoting their energy with much success to the advancement of Negro schools. Their efforts have already resulted in small but significant increases in public appropriations, a better attitude toward Negro education, and greater cooperation between public and private institutions.

Another important contribution of the General Education Board has been correlation of effort with private funds, church boards, and individual institutions. The Jeanes fund has received financial aid and encouragement in the excellent work of placing industrial supervisors and teachers in many counties throughout the Southern States. The Slater fund has been similarly assisted in the development of the county training schools. In the study of Negro education, the agents of the Phelps-Stokes fund not only had access to the board’s valuable records, but were enabled to call upon the board’s representatives for information and counsel. Church boards of education and individual schools have received substantial appropriations from the board and valuable suggestions on educational method from its educational experts.

Homemakers’ clubs have been formed in a number of Southern States. These clubs are composed of colored girls who are taught the essentials of rural homemaking, including the cultivation of a garden and the canning of fruits and vegetables. The movement has been very successful in the inculcation of sound ideas of sanitation, thrift and morality. Hundreds of clubs have been formed under the general direction of the State supervisors, and the more immediate care of the Jeanes fund county teachers. Under the provisions of the Smith-Lever Act some Federal funds are also being spent for this purpose.

The farm demonstration movement is undoubtedly the most important educational effort which the General Education Board has encouraged for the improvement of white and colored people. While the influence of the movement has been primarily among white farmers, its future possibilities for the colored people are so significant that a description of the plan must be included herein. The purpose of the movement is the increase of the productivity of the soil. The plan was originated by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp about 1903, in order to enable the farmers of Texas to combat the ravages of the bollweevil. The fundamental element in the plan is Dr. Knapp’s principle that the most effective way of teaching good farming is to prevail upon one farmer in every neighborhood to cultivate an acre of his land according to scientific methods of agriculture. The effect of such a plan has been that the farmer with the demonstration acre extends the plan to the remainder of his farm and the neighboring farms soon follow his example. It has been shown that such an experimental plan is much more effective than the distribution of printed matter or even explanations by traveling lecturers.

When the remarkable possibilities of this simple method had been demonstrated, the General Education Board entered into cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture to extend the movement throughout the Southern States and especially in the section suffering from the bollweevil. As a result of this cooperation, begun in 1906, the board made increasing appropriations each year until the sum for 1913–1914 had become $252,000. In that year the Federal Government also appropriated $375,000, and the States and counties gave approximately $400,000. In 1915, further cooperation was prohibited by Congress, but in recognition of the value of the work, the Federal appropriation was considerably increased.

The economic and educational significance of the farm demonstration movement is now gradually being understood. Committees have lifted themselves out of poverty. Schools and churches and roads have been built. The general average of community welfare has been elevated in many rural districts. Schoolmen have been impressed with the value of actual demonstration in instruction and school methods are requiring that pupils shall “learn to do by doing.”

Carnegie Foundation.—The interest of Mr. Carnegie in Negro education is well known. His gifts have been large and significant. The activities of the Carnegie Foundation, however, have been such that little systematic study could be devoted to Negro education. Many educational leaders have expressed the hope that the perplexing problems of educating the 10,000,000 Negroes may receive the counsel and aid of the Carnegie Foundation. Many schools, however, have received large gifts from the Foundation, and from Mr. Carnegie. Several schools have splendid libraries as the result of these gifts.

John F. Slater Fund.—One of the most widely known funds devoted exclusively to Negro education, is the John F. Slater Fund. The work made possible through this gift, is one of the notable achievements in the education of Negroes in the United States. The fund, amounting to $1,000,000, was given in 1882, by John F. Slater of Connecticut, for the purpose of “uplifting the lately emancipated population of the Southern States and their prosperity.” In recognition of the public spirit of the donor, the United States Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a medal. At the time of the final distribution of the Peabody Fund in 1914, the Peabody trustees voted to transfer a sum amounting to about $350,000 to the John F. Slater Fund, “the income to be used for improving the rural schools for the Negro race.” The total amount of the Slater Fund is now about $1,750,000.

In 1915–16 the Slater Fund appropriated $67,250 for Negro schools located in 13 Southern States. Of this amount $25,425 was given to supplement the work of institutions owned by State or county authorities. The total number of schools receiving aid in 1915 was 68, of which 17 are county training schools, and 19 others are owned by city, county, or State. Approximately $3,000 has been given to aid summer schools for teachers.

The general purpose of the appropriations made by the trustees of the Slater Fund, has been the encouragement of industrial courses. The number of schools receiving aid has varied from year to year. The following statement indicates the number of schools and the amounts appropriated in different periods:

Time.Number of Schools.Amount.
1882–8312$16,250
1883–841817,106
1884–852936,764
1889–903742,910
1894–951642,400
1900–19011143,330
1904–52753,550
1909–104069,750
1914–156869,250

The variation in the number of schools reflects the different policies of the fund as well as the changes in the amount of money to be distributed. The present policy is that of increasing cooperation with public school authorities in all efforts to improve and increase the supply of public school teachers. Dr. Dillard, the director of the Slater Fund and the executive officer of the Jeanes fund, has been very successful in arousing the interest of public authorities in Negro schools. Realizing that the majority of elementary school teachers receive their education in their own or neighboring county, he is directing as much as possible of the Slater Fund to the improvement of public schools centrally located in the counties, so that courses of training for teachers may be established. The usual conditions observed in the organization of these schools are: first, that the property shall belong to the State or county; second, that an appropriation of at least $7.50 shall be made annually by the county for the maintenance; third, that at least eight grades of instruction shall be provided, including some industrial work and simple instruction in teaching methods. In 1912, there were three schools of this character. In 1915, the number had increased to 17. With the aid of the General Education Board and other agencies, it is probable that before the close of 1917, there will be over 40 county training schools for Negroes in the Southern States.

Anna T. Jeanes Fund.—The origin of the Jeanes Fund is so significant of the spirit and purpose of its present policy, that space must here be taken to relate some of the incidents connected with that event. In 1906, Dr. Frissell appealed to Miss Anna T. Jeanes for a contribution to the work of Hampton. Miss Jeanes was an elderly Quaker lady of Philadelphia. As Dr. Frissell described the hardships of the teachers in rural schools, she said: “Thee interests me,” and proceeded to write a check to aid the work of small rural schools. Dr. Frissell, expecting to receive not more than a hundred dollars looked at the check and saw, to his great surprise, that it was for $10,000. He said: “Well, you certainly are interested. Would you like to have Booker Washington call on you to explain the need of small schools in Alabama.” Miss Jeanes replied that she would and soon afterwards she gave another ten thousand to Dr. Washington. At the suggestion of Mr. George Foster Peabody, then the Treasurer of the General Education Board, she gave $200,000 more to be used according to plans to be determined upon by Dr. Frissell and Dr. Washington.

When she was convinced of the successful use of this gift, she said to Dr. Frissell: “I am going to show thee my will.” Reading it, he saw that she had bequeathed practically all her estate for the improvement of little county schools for Negro children. The will also provided that the funds were to be administered by a trustee board to be appointed by Dr. Frissell and Dr. Washington. Dr. Frissell assured her that it could be done, and asked whom would she like to have on the board. She replied: “Andrew Carnegie.” Plans for forming the board were immediately decided upon. Mr. Carnegie, Dr. Washington and Dr. Frissell organized a board of trustees, which consisted of five southern white men, five northern white men and five Negroes. Mr. Taft, then President of the United States, became a member of the board, and Dr. Dillard of Virginia was elected as the executive officer.

When the arrangements were complete, Miss Jeanes consented to see a few of the members of the board. This meeting was dramatic in its simplicity. There were present Mr. George Foster Peabody, President Taft, Dr. Dillard, Dr. Frissell, and Dr. Washington. Miss Jeanes was very feeble, her arm, swollen with pain, was supported by pillows. When she had signed away her estate of $1,000,000 she said to Dr. Frissell and to Dr. Washington in turn: “Dost thee remember when thee came and I gave thee $10,000 for the little country schools? And then I gave thee $200,000 more. And now I am giving all for these little schools. This is a great privilege. I am just a poor woman, and I gave it not to save my soul from hell; but because I wanted to.”

The trustee board in charge of this fund is composed of five southern men, five northern men, and five men of the colored race. In 1915, the trustees expended $34,475 for the improvement of Negro rural schools in Southern States. Practically all of this money is used to pay the expenses of county supervisors and industrial teachers These are usually young colored women who visit the public schools of the counties for the purpose of aiding and encouraging the schools in all phases of their work. The more important service of these traveling teachers, working under the direction of the county superintendent, is to introduce into the small country schools simple home industries; to give talks and lessons on sanitation, personal cleanliness, etc.; to encourage the improvement of schoolhouses and school grounds; and to conduct gardening clubs and other kinds of clubs for the betterment of the school and the neighborhood.

The teachers are appointed by the county superintendent and their work is supervised by that officer. Effort is made by the representatives of the Jeanes Fund to have the country authorities and the colored people undertake as much as possible of the salary and expenses of these teachers. In 1913, the counties contributed from public funds for this purpose, $3,400; in 1914, $6,255; in 1915, $12,183, and in 1916, $17,913. In 1915–16 Jeanes-Fund teachers were maintained in 164 counties distributed through 16 Southern States. It is to be hoped that all of these States will follow the example of Maryland in its provision of State aid, so that every county with a considerable number of Negroes may have county industrial teachers.

Phelps-Stokes Fund.—The endowment of the Phelps-Stokes Fund is approximately $1,000,000. Over half of the income has been spent to maintain several projects pertaining to Negro education. The more important of these are:

1. Cooperation with the United States Bureau of Education in preparing a comprehensive report on Negro education.

2. The establishment of fellowships at the University of Virginia and the University of Georgia. Twelve thousand five hundred dollars is given each of these universities for the permanent endowment of a research fellowship on the following conditions:

The university shall appoint annually a fellow in sociology for the study of the Negro. He shall pursue advanced studies under the direction of the department of sociology, economics, education, or history, as may be determined in each case by the president. The fellowship shall yield $500, and shall, after four years, be restricted to graduate students.

Each fellow shall prepare a paper or thesis embodying the result of his investigations, which shall be published by the university with assistance from the income of the fund.

3. The establishment of a fund at the Peabody College for teachers, Nashville, Tenn., in accordance with the following vote:

Voted, that $10,000 be given to the Peabody College for Teachers to establish a fund for the visitation of Negro schools and colleges, the income to be used to enable the teachers, administrative officers, and students of the Peabody College to come into direct and helpful contact with the actual work of representative institutions of Negro education.

4. Assistance to the Southern University Race Commission by an annual appropriation for traveling expenses.

5. Appropriations for constructive movements, such as the teaching of home and school gardening, the educational use of school dormitory and dining room, the installation of adequate financial and school records, and the dissemination of advice on the construction and care of buildings and grounds.

Rosenwald Fund.—In 1914, Julius Rosenwald, of Chicago, announced through Tuskegee Institute that he would give money to assist in the erection of rural school buildings for Negroes in the South. According to the terms of the announcement, Mr. Rosenwald agreed to give any rural community a sum not exceeding $300 for the erection of a school building for Negroes, provided the people of the community should raise from public funds or from their own resources a sum equal to that given by him. It was further specified that total sums in each case must be sufficient to erect and furnish one school building.

Up to June 30, 1916, Mr. Rosenwald has given $44,718 toward promoting rural schoolhouse building. To meet Mr. Rosenwald’s contributions the Negroes in the communities where these schoolhouses were erected have contributed $61,951; from the public funds of the States, $21,525 has been appropriated; and white citizens have given $8,820. Through Mr. Rosenwald’s benefactions 142 rural schoolhouses for Negroes have been erected, as follows: In Alabama, 107; North Carolina, 11; Georgia, 8; Arkansas, 6; South Carolina, 1; Tennessee, 5; Mississippi, 2, and Virginia, 2.

Daniel Hand Fund.—This Fund is administered by the American Missionary Association 287 Fourth Avenue, New York City. Daniel Hand was born in Madison, Conn., July 16, 1801. When 16 years of age he went to Augusta, Ga., under the direction of his second brother residing there, whom he succeeded in business. Mr. Hand remained in some part of the Southern Confederacy during the entire war. His partner, Mr. Geo. W. Williams, who was conducting a branch of the business at Charleston, S. C., protected the capital of Mr. Hand, from the confiscation seriously threatened, in view of his being a northern man of undisguised anti-slavery sentiments. After the war, when Mr. Hand came north, Mr. Williams adjusted the business, made up the account, and paid over to Mr. Hand his portion of the long-invested capital and its accumulations. Bereaved of wife and children for many years, his benevolent impulses led Mr. Hand to form plans to use his large wealth for the benefit of his fellowmen.

The total amount of the endowment of the Daniel Hand Fund is approximately $1,500,000, and the income in 1915 was $69,000. This income is spent under the direction of the officers of the American Missionary Association for the maintenance of educational work in the schools of that association.

In 1888 Daniel Hand, of Guilford, Conn., gave $1,000,000 as a permanent fund, “the income of which shall be used for the purpose of educating needy and indigent people of African decent, residing, or who may hereafter reside, in the recent slave States of the United States, sometimes called the Southern States.” When Mr. Hand died, in 1891, he left the residue of his fortune, amounting to $500,000, to be added to his original gift.

Stewart Missionary Foundation for Africa.—The total endowment of the Stewart Missionary Foundation is $110,000. The income is used to provide classroom instruction on missions at Gammon Theological Seminary; to issue a monthly journal, “The Foundation,” devoted to the awakening of an interest in missions; and to maintain a lecturer who travels among Negro schools lecturing on missions.

This Fund was given in 1894 by the Rev. W. F. Stewart and his wife, to establish missionary training in Gammon Theological Seminary. Mr. Stewart had been a missionary in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he was eager to arouse a strong interest in missions among Negro youth.

Miner Fund.—The Miner Fund has property valued at $40,000, and the annual income is about $2,100. This income is used for the aid of the Manassas Industrial Institute for Colored Youth of Virginia, and for the Colored Social Settlement of Washington, D. C.

The fund is named after Miss Myrtilla Miner, of Brooklyn, N. Y., who in 1851 established a normal school for colored girls of Washington. In 1862, she incorporated the school as “Institution for the Education of Colored Youth.” The first property purchased by the institution was in the square now occupied by the British embassy. Later this lot was sold and another purchased, on which a new normal school was erected. In 1879 the District of Columbia leased this property from the trustees of the fund, and maintained the institution as a part of the public school system. About 1900 the trustees purchased another building in which they maintained a day nursery and a kindergarten. This work was later taken over by the public authorities. The combined annual income from both properties amounted at one time to $4,000.

In 1915, the city school board purchased a site and erected a magnificent new building to house the normal school. This building was named “The Myrtilla Miner Normal School.” After the removal of the public school from the building owned by the Miner Fund, it was necessary to sell the building and invest the money in other forms of real estate at a reduced income.

Cushing Fund.—The total amount of the Cushing Fund is $33,500 and the income varies from $1,200 to $1,500 annually. This income is distributed by the executive officer among 28 schools for colored people.

The fund was bequeathed for the education of colored people in accordance with the will of Miss Emeline Cushing, of Boston, who died in 1895. The will designated Mr. Archibald Grimke and two others as trustees and executors. Mr. Grimke is now the sole survivor and administers the fund.

The Association for Negro Youth.—This Association was organized at Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1913. The plan has been to admit only institutions maintaining work of college grade. So far 10 institutions have been admitted to membership. The following quotation indicates the embarrassment of the association in its effort to be just to the colleges within and without the organization:

One of the most important topics of the several sessions was that of admission of additional colleges into the association. The consensus of opinion prevailed that the association needed more careful detailed information about the colleges, both within and without the organization, and the executive committee was authorized to make a careful study of all colleges both within and without the association that some standards for grading of membership might be established.

The general purpose of the association is indicated by the following list of topics discussed at the four annual meetings, 1913 to 1916:

1. College entrance requirements.

2. The requirements for a college degree.

3. The reception of students dismissed from other colleges.

4. How far should we allow students to specialize in professional work during their college course?

5. Foreign languages as requirements for college entrance.

6. Uniformity in the exchange of records.

7. What should be done with deficiencies of college students in English, spelling, composition and penmanship?

8. The control of athletics and place of physical education in the curriculum.

9. What should be done on the matter of our students who go North to work during the summers, and who thereby do not return to their home communities for several years, thus getting out of touch with the life of their home communities, in which places many of them are needed after they finish school?

10. How far are we preparing teachers for the public schools and the high schools? What is our part in the forward rural school movement?

11. How far are our efforts for religious education giving our students training for religious leadership?

It is evident that the association is rapidly broadening the scope of its interest from the formal topics of the earlier meetings to the vital problems outlined in the questions discussed at the last meeting.

The National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools.—This association was organized in 1904. Annual meetings have been held each year. State associations have been formed in almost all the Southern States. Teachers representing 21 States were present at the last annual meeting of the national association. These meetings are having a wholesome effect in the development of higher ideals, better methods, and cooperation among teachers in all efforts to adapt education to community needs.

The twelfth annual session of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools was held in Cincinnati, July 29, to August 1, 1915. Among the subjects discussed were “The need of a graduate school for Negroes,” “College athletics,” “Standardizing of Negro schools,” “Harmonizing conflicting views of Negro education,” and “National education.” The 1916 meeting of the association will be held in Nashville. In connection with the meeting of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools the Annual Conference of the Presidents of Land-Grant Colleges took up “Its mission,” “Its responsibility,” “Its opportunity,” and “Its relation to the public school system.” Other subjects were “The problem of dormitory life,” and “Preparation of teachers of agriculture.” Another organization which met with the national association was the Council of College Presidents.