J65 J5 no I DUPLICATION OF SCHOOLS FOR ' NEGRO YOUTH _J^3J ^ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ENDOWED BY THE DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETIES EI85.5 .J65 no. 15 THE TRUSTEES OF THE JOHN F. SLATER FUND Occasional Papers, No. 15 Duplication of Schools for Negro Youth By W. T.B.Williams 3^ 1914 (Hm Liotarp of ti>t OnitjetiSitp of Bonh Cacolina (EndotoeD bp TO? SDiaUctic ano Pllilantliropfc &ocietit0 371.37 TSSo Duplication of Schools for Negro Youth By W. T. B. Williams 1914 PREFACE The bare sight of the facts contained in this pubHcation should be sufficient to lead to some action. What stands in the way? The main answer must be Denominationalism. De- nominations in religion will probably continue to exist so long as the thoughts and tastes of men differ ; but when denomina- tionalism leads to such waste of money and effort as is shown in the eft"orts to aid in providing education for the colored people of the Southern states, it is the part of wisdom and of true religion to seek some basis of cooperation, rather than to continue in wasteful competition. It is time that practical men in the various churches should take action in bringing about a change for the better. Are not all seeking the same end, namely, to promote the spread of effective education and of Christian living? In his letter transmitting this paper, Mr. Williams says: "The more I study the figures and recall visits to so many of these struggling institutions the more clearly does it seem that something should be done to increase the efficiency of a reason- able number of these schools, and to prevent the unwise use of means and well-meant efforts in others, and to reduce the rivalries, divisions, jealousies, and other evils that result from unnecessary duplication of these schools for colored youth. In this day of consolidation, there must be something that can be done to improve the situation, if serious attention be given the matter." Certainly serious attention is needed. During the past year two meetings have been held which bear promise of at least a beginning of wisdom in dealing with the problem. These meetings were attended by executive officials of various boards which are engaged in supporting institutions for Negro educa- tion in the South. At one or both of the meetings the follow- ing representatives were present : Messrs. Ryder and Douglass, of the American Missionary Association ; White, of the Baptist Home Missionary Society; x\nderson, of the Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church South ; Bishop, of the Episcopal American Church Institute; Maveety, of The Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church; Jones, of the Bureau of Education; and Dillard, of the Slater and Jeanes Funds. Other meetings are to be held for the 4 PREFACE purpose of obtaining a fuller knowledge and better under- standing of the conditions, and of recommending such changes as may be practicable. Meantime, any information that can throw light on the situation should be welcomed by all who are interested in ob- taining the best results for the funds and efforts expended. This is the reason for the publication of the present paper. Mr. Williams gives fifty instances. He does not claim that these exhaust the number, and, in fact, they do not. Nor is it claimed that the statistics given in the table are entirely accu- rate. They are, however, sufficiently accurate for the present purpose of illustrating the facts of duplication. J. H. DiLLARD. DUPUCATION OF SCHOOLS FOR NEGRO YOUTH By W. T. B. Williams In Negro education in this country the private school sup- ported by general philanthropy has held an important and conspicuous place. Most of the great churches and other charitable organizations of the country have rendered effective service in this work. However, as the years have gone on, and the work of the respective bodies has increased and multi- plied, a good deal of duplication has resulted in the various efforts to provide education for the Negro. These different and unrelated bodies are not only attempting to do the same thing for the good of the Negro, but a number of them are also trying to carry on their work independently in the very same places. It may readily be seen from the table and map that follow that in many places in the South from two to five different denominations have established and maintain as many separate schools for Negro youth. In a sense, this duplication has become general. It is confined to no particular denomina- tion nor to any special section of the South. In Alabama, for instance, twenty well-known colored schools representing ten different denominations are crowded into seven centers, including the four largest cities of the state. In Georgia twenty-six schools representing seven denominations are situ- ated in ten cities. Of these Atlanta has six, Augusta has three, Macon has three, and Savannah two. In North Carolina nine cities contain twenty-one schools representing six denomina- tions. The same number of faiths has 14 schools in six cities of South Carolina, while thriving centers like Anderson, Spartanburg, and Florence, have no schools of this type. Louisiana has practically all of her strong schools in New Orleans. And in the broad state of Texas at least four cities have two Negro schools apiece. In the fifty cases of duplication among the one hundred twenty-five colored schools listed below, the various denomina- tions are represented as follows : 6 DUPLICATION OF SCHOOLS FOR NEGRO YOUTH Baptist 32 times African Methodist Episcopal 8 Colored Methodist Episcopal 3 African Methodist Episcopal Zion 4 Methodist Episcopal 15 30 Congregational 15 " Presbyterian 9 " Protestant Episcopal 5 Non-Sectarian 8 " State 6 " Lutheran 2 "' Roman Catholic 2 " United Presbyterian 2 In considering this list it should, of course, be borne in mind that the Baptist, Methodist, and Congregational churches have a great many more schools than the other denominations, and, accordingly, are exposed to more chances of duplication. In a list of 196 of the leading colored schools, the Baptists have 49 schools, the several bodies of Methodists together have 42 schools, and the Congregationalists have 29 schools. The Presbyterian bodies come next with 18 schools. The reasons for the multiplication of schools at given centers are many. In the early days in Negro education rail- road facilities in smaller places were poor, and the markets and stores were not well developed outside of the larger cities and towns. So the schools were practically forced into the better places for the sake of the ordinary conveniences. They also went to the cities to get proper police protection. In time a number of less worthy motives led to the duplica- tions of schools now so apparent. Denominational rivalry and proselyting played their parts. With increasing intelli- gence and material prosperity among the Negroes has come a certain sort of race assertion. One expression of this development has been the creation of schools often in competition with the older schools. Poor judgment and personal ambition are responsible for many others in what appeared to be good territory already occupied by other schools. I actually know of the case of a man who raised money in the North for a school he proposed to locate in a town in the South which he had never seen. He bought a miserable site for the school w^ithout visiting the town or finding out that another old and well-established school was DUPLICATION OF SCHOOLS FOR NEGRO YOUTH 7 already on the ground. Both schools are now doing mainly elementary work, and incidentally relieving the town of a large part of its responsibility to Negro children. From a study of the table below it is apparent that the iTiain work of practically all these schools in every one of the fifty cases of duplication is elementary. They are all, then, more or less in competition with one another, and duplicate, in most instances, their literary courses throughout. And the same is true to a greater or less degree with the industrial courses, when they have any. Owing to the lack of ample provisions for colored children in the elementary schools of the South, the private schools are justified in carrying elementary courses. This is particularly true in cities like Macon, Ga., and New Orleans, La., where the public schools do not take the colored children beyond the sixth grade, and in cities such as Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah, in Georgia, where many hundreds of colored children are given no seats in the public schools at all. The loss and harm come, however, from the wasteful duplication of classes, teachers, plants, etc., that result from unrelated efforts. In many instances the rivalry resulting from the duplication of schools in a given city, not only works harm to the private institution, but stifles the development of the colored public schools. Though the school authorities rarely make sufficient pro- vision to care for all the Negro children, yet by the action of these schools they can count upon a large number for whom it will not be necessary to provide. These are often the better children, those most regular in attendance at school, whose constant presence would increase the necessity for ampler pro- visions for all in the public schools. Low average attendance is frequently the cause of inadequate facilities. Furthermore, the parents of these more favored children would take more interest and be the more influential, in all probability, in secur- ing proper schooling for colored children generally, if they were not relieved so largely by the pri\'ate schools of providing means for the education of their own children. An extreme case of the killing off of public school interest by rival denomi- national schools is furnished by Rock Hill, South Carolina. 8 DUPLICATION OF SCHOOLS FOR NEGRO YOUTH Here a nominal sum of public money is given to each of four private schools for the instruction of the public school children. The city conducts no public school for colored children. The colored people have no common interest, are wretchedly divided, and their children at best are poorly accommodated. From a study of the annual income of most of these com- peting schools, and of their enrollment and the teachers em- ployed, to say nothing of the other operating expenses, it is apparent that most of them are not prepared to do effective work. Yet, altogether, they draw heavily upon the public for the support of their weak, unrelated efforts. Now, while it is probably not possible to get these various bodies to sink their differences even for work of this kind, it ought not to be impossible in this age of cooperation to effect some sort of a union of effort in Negro education. In most places one school, perhaps the strongest, would be sufficient to take care of the field. The other schools might contribute to this work at con- siderable saving to themselves, and put the rest into some strong, central college or industrial institute whose graduates would be fitted to carry forth the particular faiths of the several denominations, if the winning of members to their faith be a matter of concern to them. Or if no one church school might be left with the work, especially in elementary education, then might not all withdraw to advantage and co- operate with the public school authorities in providing better educational facilities ? With the tendencies toward the consolidation of schools, even in the rural districts, with the resulting increased efficiency and economy, it is a great pity that the colored children in the elementary and secondary grades in the several schools in the same city must be taught in comparatively small groups at a high relative cost and lowered efficiency. For example, in Birmingham, Ala., 986 elementary students are distributed among five private institutions. In Selma 1,162 pupils in the grades are divided among three private institu- tions. In Atlanta 1,256 such students are scattered around among five schools, and in New Orleans 1,189 among three institutions. Mobile offers a fine illustration of how a weak school, Zion Institute, might be closed entirely and all of its students be sent to Emerson Institute, if they could not be taken care of in the public schools, without doubling the enroll- DUPLICATION OF SCHOOLS FOR NEGRO YOUTH 9 ment of Emerson Institute. And the latter would have ten teachers for 429 children in the enlarged grades and four teachers left for the 113 thus put into the high school depart- ment. Certainly it does not seem possible that the great church boards will much longer delay considering some such adjust- ments as these for the good of the schools. The statistics in the following table are taken, in the main, from the Report of the United States Commissioner of Educa- tion for 1912. A number of schools not found in that list have been added. When it was possible to give any data re- garding the latter schools, or more recent data regarding some of the others. I have indicated the sources. On the accompanying map I have shown the places where the duplication of schools occurs in each of twelve Southern states. The red dot shows the place, and the number of rays projecting from the dot tells the number of schools at that place. 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