Progress and Achievements of the Colored People / Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success

The extent and character of the educational work done by the white churches are emphatic evidence that these churches have recognized the great opportunity for service in behalf of a struggling people. They have given their money to build and maintain the schools, they have sent their sons and daughters to teach in them, and they have rendered a service to humanity that is destined to receive recognition.

The following table presents the more important facts concerning the schools under white denominational boards:

The total number of schools under the direction of white church boards is 354. The annual income for current expenses of these schools is one and a half million ($1,546,303). The value of property is almost fourteen millions ($13,822,421.)

The attendance on these institutions was 51,529, of whom 43,605 were elementary, 7,188 were secondary, and 736 were collegiate. The number of teachers and workers was 2,562, of whom 1,069 were white and 1,493, or 58 per cent. were colored. On the basis of sex, 714 are men and 1,848, or 70 per cent. are women. Classification according to character of work shows that 1,916, or 74 per cent. of the teachers are academic, 339 industrial, 31 agricultural, and 276 administrative. Comparison with other groups of schools indicates that those under white boards still retain a considerable fraction of white teachers, that the number of women teachers is rather larger than in other groups, and finally that the proportion of academic instructors is higher than in any group except those under the colored boards.

There are ten denominational groups which own and maintain a number of institutions for the education of colored people. Nine other denominations are supporting one or two schools each. Very few of the churches represented by either the larger or smaller of these boards have any considerable proportion of Negroes in their membership. There are other denominations, notably the Unitarians, who have contributed liberally to colored schools without any thought either of increasing their church membership or their control over these schools. The primary purpose of practically all of these organizations has been the education of the Negroes in America, and their preparation for life in a democracy.

In this connection, it is interesting to note the religious preference of the Negroes in the United States as compiled by the United States census of 1904. According to this census there were 3,685,097 Negroes in the various denominations. Of these 2,354,789 were enrolled by Baptists, 1,182,131 belonging to various branches of Methodism, and the remaining 148,177, hardly 4 per cent of the total, were distributed among the Catholic, Presbyterian, Christian, and Congregational denominations.

The larger denominations maintain central offices and one or more traveling secretaries whose duties include both the supervision of the schools and the appeal for funds to the supporting churches. This personal supervision, together with regular reports of both financial and educational activities, has developed economy and honesty in the use of funds and thoroughness in the school work.

The American Baptist Home Mission Society.—The American Baptist Home Mission Society owns or supervises 24 educational institutions. All of these are large and important schools. These schools are effectively managed, and their general average of educational efficiency is very high. The following table shows the distribution of these schools by States:

The annual income for current expense of the 24 schools is $304,861, of which $150,637 is received from the board. On the basis of income five of the schools have incomes between $1,500 and $5,000; ten between $5,000 and $15,000; six between $15,000 and $30,000; and twenty have incomes of over $30,000. The total property is valued at $3,870,744, of which about three and a third millions are in plant and almost half a million is in endowment. According to property, only one school has a valuation under $10,000; three schools have valuations between $10,000 and $25,000; four between $25,000 and $50,000; seven between $50,000 and $150,000; three between $150,000 and $250,000, and six over $250,000.

The attendance of these schools was 5,504, of whom 3,186 were elementary, 2,068 secondary, and 250 collegiate. All the schools maintain elementary classes, and all but two have secondary pupils. Seven of the institutions are offering instruction in college subjects. Two of the seven, however, had neither the equipment nor teachers to maintain college work. The number of teachers is 419, of whom 139 are white and 280, or 66 per cent. are colored; 148 are men and 271, or 65 per cent., are women; and 295, or 70 per cent., are academic teachers.

These percentages for the color, sex, and work of the teachers indicate that the Baptist Society is following an average course in the selection of its workers, and the arrangement of the school program. The high grade of colored officers and teachers now in charge of some of the Baptist Society schools indicates that the transfer from white to colored management has usually been made with considerable care. Of the 419 teachers and workers, only 42 are offering industrial courses and seven are teaching agriculture or gardening. For a people eighty per cent. rural, this proportion of agricultural teachers is evidently not adequate.

The history of the work of the American Baptist Home Mission Society in the south begins with the following resolution passed by its executive committee in 1862:

Resolved, That we recommend the society to take immediate steps to supply with Christian instruction by means of missionaries and teachers, the emancipated slaves—whether in the District of Columbia or in other places held by our forces—and also to inaugurate a system of operations for carrying the Gospel alike to free and bond throughout the whole southern section of our country, so fast and so far as the progress of our arms and the restoration of law and order shall open the way.

From that day to the present time the society has worked unceasingly for the education and religious development of the colored people. Some measure of the remarkable success achieved in these fifty years of service is given in the educational institutions described in this report. The efforts of the society have doubtless been strengthened by the consciousness of a certain responsibility for the colored Baptists, who constitute such a large proportion of the membership of all colored churches.

Most of the schools are well known. They number among their graduates some of the ablest leaders of the colored race. The most widely known schools are: Morehouse College and Spelman Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia; Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina; Virginia Union University, and Hartshorn Memorial College, Richmond, Virginia; Jackson College, Jackson, Mississippi; Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Arkansas; Roger Williams University, Nashville, Tennessee; Storer College, Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia; and Selma University, Selma, Alabama.

The names of the men and women who gave many years of faithful service would constitute a list too long to be entered here. Two of those whose wisdom has directed the policies in recent years should be mentioned. Dr. H. L. Morehouse belongs to the past as well as to the present. He began as secretary of the society in 1879, and has continued until the present time. Dr. George Sale was superintendent of education for several years until his death in 1912. His influence on the educational methods of the institutions under his direction was a valuable contribution to the education of the colored people.

The Woman’s Baptist Home Mission Society.—The Woman’s Baptist Home Mission Society owns and maintains Mather Academy, contributes liberally to the support of Spelman Seminary and Hartshorn College, and provides some aid for other schools. So far as the facts could be ascertained, the officers of the society supervise its contributions with considerable thoroughness, and it is to be desired that their activities in Negro education could be increased, especially in the education of colored girls.

Roman Catholic Board.—In recent years the work of the Roman Catholic Church in developing schools and churches for colored people has been very marked. The various orders of the church now own 112 schools of which seven are rated by the Bureau of Education as large institutions. While most of the colored schools are small they are rendering a needed aid to the meagre public schools in the places in which they are located. The following table is a summary of these schools:

So far as they could be determined, the annual income for current expenses is about $150,000. The value of the property of the seven larger schools is about $500,000, of which $335,000 is in the two schools at Belmeed, Va. The total attendance is 13,507, of whom 13,443 are elementary and only 64 secondary. The number of teachers is 404, of whom the majority are white sisters of various Catholic orders. The proportion of teachers of simple industry is small and the number teaching gardening and agriculture is negligible.

The two largest Catholic schools are located at Rock Castle, Virginia. Both of these schools receive the greater part of their support from Mother Catherine Drexel, of Philadelphia and her family. These schools are the St. Emma Industrial and Agricultural College and the St. Francis de Sales Institute. The literary works of these schools is low; but the industrial work is of high order. Other large Catholic schools are: St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Montgomery, Alabama; St. Joseph’s Industrial School, Newcastle, Delaware; Holy Ghost Catholic School, Jackson, Mississippi; St. Joseph’s Parish School, Meridian, Mississippi, and St. Mary’s Commercial College, Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The Christian Church.—The Christian Church began work among the colored people as soon as the Civil War was ended. The official body of the denomination is called The Christian Woman’s Board of Missions. The church had no organized plan until 1872, when a group of philanthropists formed a stock company to start a school in Mississippi. About 1890 the American Christian Missionary Society took over the property and work of the stock company. In 1900 all the property was finally transferred to the Woman’s Board. Through the efforts of this board the annual contributions have increased from $3,000 to $10,000, and four schools have been added to the one in Mississippi. A summary of the schools of this church is given herewith:

The Christian Woman’s Board maintains five schools, of which two are rated as “larger or more important.” The total income for current expenses is $29,910, of which $21,000 is for the Southern Christian Institute in Mississippi. The value of property is $184,602, of which $160,492 is also in the plant of the Southern Institute. The total income for current expenses is $29,910, of which $21,000 is for the Southern Christian Institute in Mississippi. The value of property is $184,602, of which $160,492 is also in the plant of the Southern Institute. The total attendance is 440, of whom 409 are elementary and 31 secondary. The number of teachers is 37, of whom 15 are white and 22 colored; 14 are men and 23 are women.

The general management of these schools is economical and the educational work is effective. This simplicity of organization and the genuine interest of the teachers are noteworthy. The other important school of this denomination is The Alabama Christian Institute, Lowndes County, Alabama.

Congregational Board.—No church denomination has made a greater contribution of the Negro than the Congregational church through the American Missionary Association.

The American Missionary Association owns and supervises 29 schools for Negroes in the Southern States. The Association also owns property in other schools and makes contributions to their work. As the management of these affiliated institutions has been transferred to independent boards of trustees, they are classified under other groups. Credit must here be given to this association, however, not only for such splendid affiliated institutions as Fisk University and Atlanta University; but also for a number of others now maintained independently.

No denominational schools surpass those of this group in educational standards or administrative efficiency. It is probable that no church board has equaled this association in the thoroughness of its self-examination. The following quotation from the 1914 report outlines several policies to which every church board should give serious consideration:

In the realm of educational policy we record a most important change of tendency, which it is better to state positively, as a movement toward concentration in order to greater efficiency. This has involved the discontinuance or radical limitation of five of our smaller schools, including some of long history and rich service. * * * The time had come when the socialized Christian conscience demanded such improved methods in missionary service as it requires—often by law—of educators, landlords, employers of labor and congregations of men anywhere. It has cost $1,000 for instance, literally to stop rat holes in mission buildings, and thus to save New Orleans and Porto Rico from danger from bubonic plague. We had to do better what we did at all, and our resources were insufficient. We simply had to close institutions. * * *

While these peremptory conditions have closed some of the schools nearest to the masses of the people, we are glad to record as the chief technical gain of the year, that the colleges have been made more available and useful to the masses. Their curricula have been broadened, and the conditions of entrance made more democratic and in harmony with those of the great middle western State universities. This is immediately manifest in the increased number of high-school pupils, and will affect the colleges tomorrow.

As to educational plant, last year’s survey touched upon the demand of the socialized conscience for better housing conditions in missionary institutions. Our response is in the fact that no year has ever spent so much for sanitation, that more fire escapes have been erected, and more bathtubs installed than any previous year. * * * As a class, they are more nearly fire-proof, they have more steel in their structure, more scientifically determined allowance of light and air, and more beauty than any previous group. * * * If the Lord’s work is attempted at all it shall be done under somewhat decent conditions. Nor do we feel that it is a substitution of the physical for the spiritual. To live up to plumbing is itself a training of character, health is a prerequisite of thought, and beauty an inalienable right of the spirit.

A summary of the schools is given below:

The total income for the current expenses of these institutions is $235,461, of which $129,429 is from the association. This includes the income from the Daniel Hand Fund, which is administered by the association. On the basis of income 5 of the schools are under $2,500, 7 have incomes between $2,500 and $5,000, 13 between $5,000 and $15,000, 3 between $15,000 and $30,000, and one has an income of over $30,000. The total property is valued at $1,733,589, of which about one and a third million is in plant and a third of a million in endowment. With the Daniel Hand Fund of almost two million dollars, the property of the American Missionary Association for work among Negroes aggregates over three and a half millions. According to property, four schools have a valuation under $10,000, ten schools have valuations between $10,000 and $25,000, nine schools between $25,000 and $50,000, five schools between $50,000 and $250,000, and two have a valuation over $250,000.

The attendance on these schools was 6,922, of whom 5,448 were elementary, 1,380 secondary, and 94 collegiate. All the schools have elementary classes, all but three have secondary, and four offer instruction in college subjects. The number of teachers is 383, of whom 212 are white and 171, or 45 per cent. colored; 92 are men and 291, or 76 per cent. are women; and 270, or 70 per cent., are academic teachers.

Though the colored membership of the Congregational Church is almost negligible as compared with that of the Baptist and Methodist Churches, the American Missionary Association was probably the first to undertake educational work in behalf of the Negroes. In 1861 Rev. L. I. Lockwood, commissioned by the Association, wrote from Fortress Monroe:

“I ask especial interest in your prayers that I may be endowed with wisdom for these peculiar and momentous responsibilities. Parents and children are delighted with the idea of learning to read.”

The history of the American Missionary Association is a story of the patient and persevering efforts of hundreds of faithful men and women who have given themselves and their means for a people struggling upward from slavery.

The administration of the affairs of the association has always been in the care of strong men of broad education. Some of them were statesmen in power and vision. Dr. Beard, the honorary secretary, and secretaries Ryder and Douglass, are worthy successors of these able men.

The most far reaching work of the association was, perhaps, the founding of Fisk University, Atlanta University and Talladega College. The names of these institutions are inseparably connected with the higher education of the Negro. Fisk and Atlanta are now independent institutions; but the spirit of their founders still lives in them and the policies of the American Missionary Association are still maintained.

The names of the American Missionary Association schools and the States in which they are located are given below:

Alabama: Burrel Normal School; Cotton Valley School; Emerson Institute; Lincoln Normal School; Talladega College; Trinity College.

Florida: Fessenden Academy.

Georgia: Albany Normal School; Allen Normal School; Ballard Normal School; Beach Institute; Dorchester Academy; Knox Institute.

Kentucky: Chandler Normal School.

Louisiana: Straight University.

Mississippi: Girls’ Industrial School of Mississippi; Mount Bayou Institute; Mount Hermon Seminary; Tougaloo University.

North Carolina: Gregory Normal School; J. K. Brick Agricultural, Industrial and Normal School; Lincoln Academy; Peabody Academy; Washburn Academy.

South Carolina: Avery Institute; Brewer Normal Institute.

Tennessee: Le Moyne Institute.

Texas: Tillotson College.

Virginia: Gloucester High and Industrial School.

Friends Educational Boards.—The various societies of Friends maintain six schools rated as “larger and more important” and two smaller schools. All of these schools are owned and managed by independent boards composed largely of Friends. The names and locations of the six more important schools are as follows: Schofield Normal and Industrial School and Laing School, in South Carolina; Cheyney Institute, in Pennsylvania; Christiansburg Industrial Institute, in Virginia; High Point Normal School, in North Carolina; and Southland College, in Arkansas. The educational work and administrative management of these institutions compare favorably with those of other church schools. In proportion to their numbers no religious group has surpassed the Friends either in financial contributions or personal endeavor for the education of the Negroes. While none of these schools are of college grade, all of them are doing excellent work. Cheyney Institute, Christiansburg Institute and High Point Normal are presided over by colored men who rank high in educational circles.

A summary of the schools maintained by Friends is given herewith:

The total income for current expenses is $63,868, and the value of property is $915,000, of which $378,900 is in plants and $537,000 in endowment. The attendance is 1,642, of whom 1,444 are elementary and 198 secondary. The teachers are 96 in number; 9 are white and 84 are colored; 19 are men and 67 women; and 57 are academic teachers. Only two of the schools are managed by white officers. The proportion of industrial teachers is fairly adequate. Instruction in gardening and agriculture is, however, not sufficiently emphasized to meet the needs of a rural people.

Lutheran Board of Education.—The Lutheran Board of Colored Missions owns and maintains two large schools and seven smaller schools. Luther College is located at Greensboro, N. C. While the name would indicate college grade, full college courses have not yet been provided. Luther College at New Orleans is also to be developed as a training school for colored leaders of the Lutheran faith. All of the smaller schools are located in Louisiana.