BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.
The close of the Civil War brought the American people to a problem, vast in its importance and intricate in its solution. The negro race had had no opportunity for education under the institution of slavery. But with their freedom came the necessity for creating a system of schools which could be of special help to this new body of citizens. The South has preferred generally that separate schools should be provided for the two races. In the ante-bellum days, the wealthier families usually sent their sons and daughters away from home to obtain their education under better auspices than their own neighborhood could afford. So when the war concluded, and there was but little sign of public schools, a new system must be created, and at once. The first work toward educating the negro was done by the national government, through the schools opened by the Freedman’s Aid Society. The different religious bodies throughout the country took a hand in the good work, by establishing special missionary boards for work in the South. Private benevolence lent substantial assistance. George Peabody, the philanthropist, and John F. Slater, both founded trusts which they richly endowed to aid in the establishment of schools in the Southern section. But the greatest work was done through the awakening of the people to the value of education, leading to liberal appropriations and to a firm public support.
Within recent years, negro education has assumed a new and interesting phase. Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, Alabama, is the leading educator of the Afro-Americans, and he has won his high place by the success which has attended his efforts at industrial education. His school at Tuskegee was started in 1881, and to-day contains over one thousand students. While fully appreciating the value of an academic education, Mr. Washington has felt that the first necessity for his people was the knowledge that would earn a livelihood. As a consequence, the industrial side of education has been accented; twenty-six different trades or industries are in operation at Tuskegee, and one is taught to each student of the Institute. As a consequence, its graduates have gone forth into active life, well equipped to become bread-winners and to fill a useful place in society.
The care of those who, from birth or by accident, do not possess all the powers of a normal person, has aroused much interest during the century. The deaf-mutes, the blind, and the mentally deficient, have each had institutions created, where they are taught as much of the knowledge of the world as is possible. The instruction of the deaf and dumb proceeds along two lines. The manual or sign method of conversation, based on gestures, was founded by Abbé de l’Epée in 1760; while about the same time Samuel Heinicke, a German, introduced the oral method, by which the eye of the mute is trained to perform the part of the ear, by learning the meaning of spoken words through observation of the changes in the position of the vocal organs. Special institutions for these classes abound in Europe and America, with the difference that, in the former, they are generally private or maintained by charity; whereas in the latter they are maintained by the State. Rev. T. H. Gallaudet and his son, Dr. Edward M. Gallaudet, have been the leaders in the instruction of deaf-mutes in the United States, and have achieved a high degree of success.
The teaching of the blind is of equal value to education. Two methods are generally followed; an alphabet of raised letters is employed in some cases, or, and more generally in the United States, a system of raised dots or points, which do not resemble the letter in form, but are a kind of shorthand to the reader. In both methods, the sense of touch takes the place of sight. In some cases, notably Laura Bridgman and Helen Keller, the success has been so complete as to excite universal wonder. Perhaps no institutions alleviate more human misery than do the schools for the blind, by bringing world-ideas within the limited horizon of this afflicted class.
Much also has been done for the training of idiots or those who are mentally deficient. In 1848, the Massachusetts School for Idiots and Feeble-Minded was opened, and other States followed with equally generous provision. Within recent years, special schools have been opened in connection with the school systems of large cities, so that children who need individual care and watchfulness may receive more attention than they could secure in the graded class-room. All these tendencies are exceedingly hopeful, as indicative of society’s recognition of her duty to those who cannot satisfactorily care for themselves. Humanitarianism in education has been a powerful and constant force during the whole of this century.
DR. E. BENJ. ANDREWS, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, CHICAGO, ILL.
It must not be forgotten that other agencies beside those established by States have been contributing to education. The Sunday-school movement is one of the great efforts of the century, to help in training children by a voluntary organization. In 1781, Robert Raikes employed some teachers for the poor children of Gloucester, in order that their Sundays might be spent quietly and with profit. Presently, as the number of Sunday-schools increased, men and women proffered their services gratuitously. The teaching followed two general lines, secular (reading, writing, etc.) and religious. The former was of help, especially to children who were employed during the week. From England, the movement came to the West. The American Sunday-school Union was organized in 1824, and has ever since continued to stimulate the establishment of more schools of this kind. In 1896, there were 132,697 Sunday-schools in the United States and 9097 in Canada, with a total membership of 12,288,153 and 721,435 respectively, while it has been computed that in the world the number of Sunday-schools was 246,658, with an enrollment of 24,919,313.