• 1••I lIIIIIIII1l11l11DmnllDlRm-.•••• ,llIlIIImIlllBlllBmllDDU~ ••••• Ullm:nnIUIl"I!IIIIIIIII_lIIlIIUIl!I. • i r I r February 1915 I = a= I .The Institute I I Monthly I f = I I I ----:-- I •• ~~~~~~~I~~ II vThe Institute Monthi;'1 Entered as second-class matter January 29, 1914. at the post office at Institute. West Virginia. under the Act of March 3. 1879 Devoted to the Interests of The West Virginia Colored Institute ; AT~~~~:~OL§E~~~~t; 25 Cents the Scholastic Year : : : . : 5 Cents Per Copy _··m· Contents for February J 9J 5 1915 PAGE and Lasts Six Editorials. 4 ~ ~eeks Negro Education in West Virginia. 5 Back to the Farm . 9 TWO MAIN COURSES: Buy Maine Seed Potatoes. .10 Teachers' Review and Professional. EXPENSES LOW Our Exchanges. .11 ; Special Program. .12 Junior and Senior Academics give a Creditable Program .. 12 Student Notes. .13 FOR FURTHER Around the Institute. .14 INFORMATION, WRITE HON. M. P. SHAWKEY,Charleston, W. Va. N. B. Communications for publication should be given or sent to or the Editor, or Managing Editor. All news will reach these columns through the Editors. PROF. BYRDPRILLERMAN, Institute, W. Va. EDITOR BYRD PRILLERMAN MANAGING EDITOR S. H. Guss BUSINESS MANAGER C. E. MITCHELL THE INSTITUTE MONTHLY • THE INSTITUTE MONTHLY 5 and the postal requirements. ~ Govern yourselves accordingly. ~ ~~ E HAVEBEENGENTLYCRITICIZEDBYA FEWOF THE ALUMNI, 1.111~ for not having more items of interest of what the alumni \. I are doing. ~ We depend upon you, dear alumni, in a ~ great measure, for information. Anything you send of tEbttnrtal.a interest and worth will be given space. Be a critic, but be a construct- ive one. Our columns are open. (. "' HE MONTHLYHAS MADEAN HONESTENDEAVORTO CARRY r ~our school to the homes of all friends and graduates of the ~ ,I schoo.I. It ha~ tried to preach the doctrine of usefulness, N turn tEburattnu tn IIpllt lttrgtuta ~~ and imprr ss Its readers that the West Virginia Colored Address delivered before the association of colored teachers of the state Institute stood for ,the greatest good and highest efficiency of the by L. J. HANIFAN negro youth of West Virginia. ~ It has solicited articles of interest and (Continued From January) worth from the graduates of the school who are out in the, world I think it will be profitable to as illiterate. It is encouraging to doing something. It has tendered its services for the promotion of inquire for a few minutes as to look a little farther down the table any interest that promised benefit to the people that the school is what should be our aim in pro- and note that in 1900,33.6 pi r cent is designed to help, and has taken pride in extolling the merits of any viding educational advantages for were so classed. If you care to go laudable enterprise undertaken by the graduates of the school, and the negro youth. As a general back further you will discover that the negro citizenry of the State. ~ These things have been done proposition I would say that the each succeding census has shown a gratuitously. Until the postal laws demanded it. The Monthly' cost aim should be the same for the large decrease in negro illiteracy in you nothing; for the pittance asked for a year's subscription was never negro youth as for the youth of this state. Furthermore, we remitted, except in avery, very few instances. ~ As far as the man- any other race, namely, to give should all remember that a large agement knows, The Monthly has ever been acceptable, and has been him such training as will enable proportion of those classed as illit- emphatically demanded by many who have never sent a cent for him to have the greatest possible erates are among the older citi- subscription. ~ Now gentle reader, whoever you are, be fair With enjoyment of life that he is going zens, those who grew up before yourself. Dont practice the something for nothing school of philosophy. to spend as a useful, law-abiding, the schools had been provided, so ~ We want you to read THE MONTHLY. We want you to eagerly productive citizen. This is a prin- that the number of illiterates of wait for its coming to your homes. We want you to learn of what the ciple of education that knows school age would be greatly re- school is doing for Negro uplift, and we want you to become practical- neither race nor creed. The habit- duced. And it is interesting to lyenthused with the doctrine of public service that, we are-preaching: ual loafer, the social parasite, the note still further that 57.6 per cent ~ut we cannot continue to get in touch with you unless certain obliga- non-producer, be he white or black, of the negro population of West tions are complied with.~. We believe you are honest, but forgetful has no rightful place on this earth. Virginia were born outside of the of an honest obligation. We would deem it a reflection on the large How nearly then are we approach- state, many of them in southern body of ou~ alumni, were we to publish the names of those who have ing our aim? states where the educational ad- cleared their consciences by paying their subscription for THE MONTH- , The census of 1910 shows that vantages for the negro are not as LY. ~ Inserted in your paper, you will find a memo of your obligation, 20.3 per cent of the negroes ten good as in our own state. years of age and over were classed Closely related to illiteracy 1S 6 THE INSTITUTE MONTHLY THE INSTITUTE MONTHLY 7 school attendance. In 1913-14 All that is necessary is capable leads the total enumeration of negro ership by the teacher. The teach- education are reasonably capable white man, I believe, prefers to youth between the ages of 6 and er herself can decor-ate the walls of taking care of those who aspire work two or three days out of the 21 was 19,260. The total enroll- with a few inexpensive pictr i e- to some of the higher walks of week and then live up what he ment in the schools was 12,408, and see to it that the building is life we may say then that our im- has earned before going to work which was 64 per cent of the enu- kept clean and attractive. mediate problem here in West again. Doubtless, this is a habit meration. The average attend- My discussion would not be com- Virginia is that of providing every that he has formed by reason of ance was 8,555, which was 69 plete unless I say something of the negro boy and girl with a good his environment, or possibly it is per cent of the enrollment but only character of the education that elementary education. This edu- for lack of proper training in the 44 per cent of the enumeration. should be offered the negro cation should be as closely related schools. Anyway this easy going, I need not stop here to tell you children. Yet what I have to say to the life that he lives now and is happy-go-lucky way of living is that one of the most important could as well be said to the teachers expected to live as it can possibly not admired by anyone, and it is things that you can do is to in- of white children. When I say, for be. Something to look foward to a conducive to idleness and poverty. crease as rapidly as possible both example, that not all negro children few years in the future is the The negro man is too much in- the enrollment and the daily at- should be encouraged to go to col- providing of trade schools where clined to let his wife earn part of tendance. Perhaps the best way lege or to enter one of the learned these young Americans will have the living by keeping boarders, to convince boards of education professions my statement would an opportunity to learn to do well taking in washing, or serving as a that your school needs a new apply- equally well with reference their life work. If these proposed domestic in the home of his white house, a new blackboard, or better to white children. We are not all trades schools come to the negroes neighbor. Possibly this custom is equipment is by keeping all the made for the higher callings of life. before similar schools are provided a result of slavery times when the children in school. A school that nor does the world need all of us in for-the whites, then the negroes women had to work as hard as has an enumeration of 50, an en- that kind of service. On the other will be just that much ahead, for the men. But the sooner the ne- rollment of 20 and a daily at- hand, the world is always in great that is what we are all coming to, gro man abandons this practice tendance of 10 does not easily 'need of skilled workmen, whether sooner or later. I say this because and determines to be alone the persuade a board of education tnat they be white or some other color. I am firmly of the belief that the breadwinner of the family, the improvements are needed. What the world needs most to- first consideration for us all is to sooner will the negro man come in- A great many improvements can day is men, and women too, who be able to make a living, to stand to his own as a respectable and be made by the people themselves, know how to do something and to on our own feet.