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Methods for directing children's racial attitudes through literature with reference to the Negro
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Methods for directing children's racial attitudes through literature with reference to the Negro
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Content
THOD FO D CTI CHI
'
T O00-H LITERA TUR ITH
A Thesis
sented to
t Faculty of tm School of ducat1on
University of outhern California
In art1al Fulfillment
oft qu1rementa tor the D egree
star of Soi nee 1n ducat1on
by
D orothy Vena Johnson
F bruary 194-2
This tlz esis, ritt n under tlz e dit·e tion f the / °' O
Clzairnian of th andidate' s Guidan e Committee (
and appro ed by all 111 embers of tlz Committe ,
lzos been pre nted to and a epted by the Fa culty
of the lzool of Edu ation of T lz Uni ersity of
outlz rn California in partial /ulfillm nt of the
requirernents for tlze degree of a fer of
.
ien e
in Edu cation.
,. 9 ... ,...
Date .. ~. ~ .. ~-. ~ .. -~ ~ ......... ! ... -:: .................... . .
Guidan
O.u
'lzairman
lo~ e
f •
,..
e
C
I.
II.
III.
• r BIE OF 0
OBIE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Intro ction ••••••••.
Statement of the problem .••
• • • • • • •
• • • • • • •
The nature an purpose of the probl-m •
De fi ni tions of terms. • • • • • • • • •
Impor ta nee of t prob lam • • • • • • •
Related 11 terature •••••••••••
Scope of th3 1nv atigation.
• • • • • •
• •
• •
• •
• •
• •
Data and metho of procedure .••••••.
O~gan1zat1on of th9 study .••••••••
0 PORTU TY GIVE BY UTERAT , TO I LUE CE
CIAL ATTITUDES •.••••••••••••
Intro uction .•.••••••••
eason for ~1rect1ng racial attit
• • • • •
ea in
ch11 ren ..
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Inadequacy of text-books to create race
G
1
l
1
2
3
4
6
7
1
8
10
10
10
frie lineas. • • • • • • • • • • . • • • 12
Influence of literat re on racial
attitudes. • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • 14
'Trashu against c laasical 11 terature. • • • 19
ummary • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
THE
FRIE
C • SSITY OF BUIIDIID
LI
S ITH
C
IALS
IDE AND CE
0 AVAIIABIE •
23
25
IV.
v.
Intro uc io n . • •
T gro t h of rac
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
pr1 e •
• • • • •
A poet's approach .•••.•
Text-book supplements •••.
Racial fr1ertll1ne a •••••
Bio raph1cal lit ratur .
• •
• • • •
• • • •
• • • •
• • • •
• •
• • •
• • • • •
• • • • •
• • • • •
• • • • •
Summary ......•••
• • • • • • • • • • •
BIOG P! ICAL S O IES • • •
• • • • • • • • • • •
Introd uct1on
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
reface to stories •••••••.••....
Intro uction tot bio raph1es .••••••.
1111am Grant Still •••••.•••••••
o l a yes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Dr. George ashington Carver ••••••••
La aton H u hes. • • • • • • • • • . . . • •
Objectives an:l utility of stories .••••••
1111am rant Still .••••••••••••
olan Hayes ••••••••••••••••
George · ashi ton Carver . • • • • • • • • •
Langston ughes. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
111
AG
25
25
?{
29
32
35
38
40
40
40
41
43
47
51
55
60
60
61
62
64
Creative ork through biographies .• • • • • 65
Summary •.•••.
s Y A CO CLUSIO
HY • •
• • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
67
69
75
Introduct10£· The proble a of minority groups a
r ce pr jud1ce ar ol. Thy are
in v1tably rise in 11f its 1:r.
problems h1ch
dern 11:r
1th continual
changes and complexities only adds p r plexitiee tot
d justment dif 1cult1 a of youth. These problems require
adult understanding, ooo perat1on, sym athy, a
tol ranc .
Unb1as d adult kno 1 dge or some oft
educative method s
of combating racial antagonisms am ro ting inter-racial
fr l n 11neas is vital and n cessary for future orld co-
operation, progress, a
.. ace.
Statement 21. the Rroblem. T
pur oae of t his
investigation as to study th possible us of literature
to influence racial attit des 1th certain illustrative
material
itten for the pur oae.
In other ords this st y as mad to f1 t
ans ere to the follo 1ng qu st1ona:
hat are t
best aye of bra ing don rac
prejudic in children?
2. H o can racial prid b instilled arly into th
gro child?
3. Ho can int r-racial friendliness be promoted?
2
Th natur and
of this study a to make an analysis o
ur poa
ethods of t aoh-
ing other rao sand of er at1ng attitudes o orld frie -
ship. In ork1 1th ohildr n, the 1ter !ou that
they kne 11 tt le about ot r rac a. hat t y had learned
or hard was in many cases dis orte an:1 mi leading.
There has been lo -felt n ed of teaoh rs and
ducators for something to lace int ha a of the
el mentary child and tac rs, some asy and int resting
mat rial that 111 help th child appr ciate t
aspirations, h roes, am achieve nts oft
trad1 tions,
gro rao .
Du Boie says, The egro has lo been t clo n of
history; the football o anthology, and the slave of
industry.
1
(
In speaking of attitud s of peoples Finot says:
looked at from this Point of vie t Paye logy of
P oples d scends to the level of psychology of novels.
It treats national or racial groups as good or bad,
base or noble, virtuous or v1o1ous, modest or
arrogant. As the individual has created the De1t
after his on image, he has created t e
2
oollect1v
soul after th fashion of his on soul.
1
York:
efaoe.
•
• B. Du Boie, Black Folk--Then and
Henry Holt nd Company, 1939), p. ix,
2
Jean F1not, York: Dutton,
1906), p. 180.
ejud1ce (
It 1 bot opportu
one o instill a raci 1 pri
in
3
rg nt that omethi
b
gro ch11 ren an at
0 all
the s e tie to foster bett r r ci 1 relations
groups. Thi ai can b achi ve by rev all
to chi l ren
the eep reservoirs of
roi m 1 thin the
gro r ce.
e less to say, any chil sho 1 hav a greater resp ct
for the contribution oft
egro to civilization after
Vi
the
en present
ro.
1th simple a
n appr ciativ un ersta 1
irect stor1 s of
of the lives an
problems of t
e ro peopl provi
the fi eat means of
dispe 111
stupid, vicious race prej ice born of
1 norance an off rs he oat encourag1
h oe for future
uc stu 1es,
orl cooperation, progress, a
peace.
moreover, unfol to ch11 ren, broa , cballe ing
aven es of intellectual gro th.
ef1n1t1ona of terms.
n effort as ma e to ef1
the fo llo 1 terms:
Race preJu ice. Bogardus , in h1a oo1al sychologi,
says:
ace pr ju ice is n antagonistic attitu e of a
p rson of one race to ar th m mbers of anottsr race.
It is usually non-scientific preju gment. The pre
judgment may be caus d by the hearsay, by experience
1th a f non-typical members of th other race, or
by sneering remarks, rath r than by ac1ent1f1cally
obtained v1dence. ace re ud1ce is the moat subtle
and insidious form of conflict.3
ao1al attit des. acial attitud s a t~e bearing
assumed by a person or boy of p rsone indicative of
fe ling or o inion to 1ards members of another race.
4
Importance of the problem. Too little importance
has been attached to the status and contribution of the
minority cultural groups to American life and c1v111zat1on.
Thie ne lect is particularly evident in the case of the
two oldest groups in America: the· egro and t I ian,
1n spite of the fact that no oth r single group in the
United States or elsewhere has equalled t advanc ment
civil ar. of the egro since t
For many years t public schools have sutfered
from a lack of materials 1th h1ch to take up tre study
of th Nero. In school histories no ord 1s mentioned
of the part that the egro has played in the history of
the United Stats.
Erroneous and unfavorable estimates of the Jegro
are created through constant presentation of him:
3 Emory s. Bogardus, ooial
University of outhern California
syohologx (Los A alee:
ass, 1920), p. 237.
(1) throu h adv re a o 1 a us in ac ols hich tend
to ard rac antagon1s an t lo ring of o inion con-
e rni t gro, such a , for exa ple, Little lack
ambo; (2) as a savag or a barbarian ithout pres nti
any of th frican ach1 v m nts; (3) as a present-day
groin novels, movie , a eta e Plays in it r
servile or buffoon charact rizations (rarely is or his
proble portray r sl1st1cally); (4 as a criminal, for
1 has b n the Policy of the press all over the country
to avoid us1n th term gro hen a egro 1 1v1 ual has
accomplished some a oial feat orthy of honor a
recognition, yet, n a ori has b n committ d or
something derogatory to th gro race has occurr , t
ter gro 1s usually damagi tot egro.
oat P ople form th 1r opinion of a race through
analysis or obs rvation or one or tom mbers 1th hom
they come into contact. Thy then classify an entire
race or nation on t basis of this obs rvat1on.
The white race 1 j dged by its best products;
the black by its orst, as is t cas 1th nearly all
minority groups. Th n too, wh re t h1te rao 1s th
dominant one, the color hite has been glor1f1 a
h ld at a premium, while t color black 1s usually used
to represent opprobious object.
5
6
It a, t r for , both urg nt nd apropos that
so h1 be don to pres nt t true story of t gro,
something that ill instill a racial prid v ry arly in o
th gro o 1 and at t earn time fost r bett r racial
r lat1ons among all groups.
literature. There have been many sy temat1c
1nveat1gat1ons on gro culture and egro history h1ch
have l d m n to arriv at ac1 nt1f1c conclusions. A fe
4
h1stor1 , such as oodson, egro kere of History;
Braley, Short History of the egro;
5
Du Bois, Black
6
have endeavored to record the gro'a
contribution to c1v111zat1on. These accounts, ho ever,
are r tten for adults or un1or or senior high school
students.
Shackelford has r1tten _T_ Child's Story of The
egro.
7
This story tells of the egro and is for children
in th th1rd, fourth, and fifth rades. 11 the material
4
Carter oodson, _ _ _ kers of Histor~
( ashington, D.C.: Aeeoc1at d ubl1sh8re, 1928, 362 pp.
5 Benjamin Griffith Braley, hort History of the
gro ( e York: ao illan Company, 1939), 228 PP:-
6 Du Bois, 2.£· c1t.
7 Jane D. hackeltord, The Child's Story Qf t e
gro ( ash1 ton, D.C.: Associate ubl1shers, 19m,
219 pp.
1s motivated. ao h eel ction or g. ou of eel ctions is
pr c d d by thought rovoki qu stions to stimulat the
pu 11s' · int rest and un eretandi •
F uset's, For Fre dom
8
is a book for fifth a
sixth graders. This book contains accounts of various
lives of famous e roes an:i historical v nts.
Th re 1s a aeries of tex -books called egro oye
and Girls.
9
Thia s r1 a includes books fort first
7
six rades . . Th book is a text-book or simple, tru -to
life stories of Nero children in rural communities. Eac h
book contains one or to stories about some famous egro.
Th investigator has found that the at r1 1
collected has not been adequately completed. In other
word s the probl m has not been xhaus e.
Scope of the investigation. Thia study limits
itself to the at dy of the constructive asp eta of Negro
life and culture. It does not eal 1th sooial problems
of ad ustm nt.
Data and method of procedure. The information upon
8
Arthur Fause , For Freedom ( hilad 1Ph1a:
Franklin ublishing Co pany, 1927), 200 pp.
9
mma • A1k1n,
(Oklahoma City: Harlo
egro Boys a Girls, Series
ubl1sh1 Company, 1938).
hich this 1nv st1 at on is ba d a eour d from the
library and o ganiz d by t inv st1gator. It contains
only mat rial from reliable booKe, magazines, a
pamphl ts r1tt n by 11-kno n ucators.
This atu y pr ants books that in luence racial
attitudes 1n children. It attempts to ho that rao
prejudice exists and that it 1 excited through various
books, hile rac frien liness is noouraged through
another type of lit ratur.
The 1nvest1 ator t n attem ts to sho t ad
vantages or t nee ssity of building rac r1 e in egro
children and 1nform1 other racial grou~s of the accom-
11ahm nts oft Nero rac.
The inv stigator ha created some illustrative
stories reveal1 one type of material that it is hoed
111 acco pliah t obJect1ves oft is t sis.
Organization of the st i• Follo 1 the resent
chapter, hlch has been evoted tot pr a ntation of
the problem, its importance, definition of terms, sources
of data, an:1 relat literature, there re four chapters,
as follo e:
Chapt r II 1s evoted o the opportunity given by
11teratur to influence racial attitudes 1n ohildr n. It
presents existing literature to aho that racial
8
discrimination an preju ice xis.
Chat r III att mpts to pr sent t · n c es1ty of
buil 1 a rac prid in the gro child, an the irect-
1 of attitu s of other racial ro pa to ar. rind
liness.
Cha ter IV includes a unit of stori s creat d by
the inv etigator as lluatrations to be u ed 1n this in-
v sti at1on. It is xpla1n d ho t stories ay be used
in a ohool program for 1nfluenc1 racial attit ea.
Chapter V contains th conclusions a summary of
the study.
A select b1b11o raphy dealing 1th t various
Phases oft problem u r d1acuss1on, follo t final
chapter.
9
0 0 TUN TY GI BY LI
CI L
0 I LUE CE
TIT s
Intro uction. Th pr sent chapter eala 1th racial
pr u ic , givi illustrative material to a that 1 t
xists. It resents a 1gest of existing literature that
excites rac1a1 antagonisms. It considers br etly ta,
1nadeq acy of text-books to create rac friernlinesa.
eaeon for 1rect ng racial attit e s in chilaren.
ac prejudice exist . It is hardly ecessary to go in o
t ethno psychology of racial rej ice. It is not
inherited. The very yo ng do not have it unless 1 is
superim oaed upon them by their elders, or it may be 1m-
reaae upon tm child from ciroumetanc a in his environ-
ment. Noth1
so em hasizes t bli hting effects of
pre udice on tre v ry you
as th3 follo ng poem by th
scholarly e ro oet, Counte Cullen:
Once ,ri ing in old Baltimore
Heart-f1lle , head-fill d 1th gle ,
Isa a Baltimorean
K p look1
straight at me.
o I as e 1 ht a
n h
An so
as o h
very s 11,
big er,
a 1le , but he Pok
out
His ton te, an called e,
1
Isa t
hole of Baltimore
Fro ay until I cemb r;
r.
Of all th things that hap n d t re
That's all that Ir memb r.
1
11
There are other reasons for 1v1ng a c1al attention
tot
1r ct1ng of raci 1 attit
s 1n children. Teats
of adult opinion have shown that pronounc
fee lings of
av rsion or attraction to ard otter racial rou
often
a pear quite arly in life--so early, 1 eed, that the
individual 1n retros ct cannot 1st1ngu1sh cl arly bet een
reactions 1th hich e as born an those h1ch has
acquired in infancy and youth. Teachers, parents, and
others concerne
1th ch11
ucation seemed artioularly
anxious to learn more oft ocesses by hich .tese
early race attitudes arise, evelo p a 1ght, rhapa,
be changed.
Th
aya in h1ch t
ch11 ish mi d absorbs tte
1
Countee Cullen, Color ( York: Harper an
Brot rs ublisher , 1925}, 108 pp.
12
fol ays oft grou in h1ch it is n t dare only
be inning to becom known. er a the moat serious aspect
of this roceaa is the de ree to hich the insinuating
tactics of a lfish propagan a hav auccee ~ e in affecting
social teaching. Compar 1th tre problem of preservi
the primary functions of public e ucation, the techn1c 1
task of engineering influences that make for better
inter-racial understanding int American community plays
a relatively minor part.
N v rt less, tl:e subject of race attitu ea off rs
a convenient o n1n for the comprehension of the larger
e ucational oblem befor America and, ind ed, tte hole
civilized orld. It is a sub ect 1n h1ch many iverse
grou a are interested; it is on that rmits of a realistic
approach toward our soc1 1 philosophy. It enters into many
as eta of our public life a eta ever ne and e lleng1
tests of sincerity to oft-proclaimed convictions. It in
vites the formulation of a gradually enlarging and dee en-
1n program for bringing every-day behavior into harmony
1th these policies a ideals.
Inadequacy of te t-books to create race friendliness.
The teaching of social stl.¥i1es may u ermine attitu es or
er ate disadvantageous ones. Negro a and Orientals suff r
in the estimation of American citizen from an association
13
of 1 eaa hich 1a inculcated through the public school
teac hing of social etudie. As a rule those ho
1te the
text-books are far behind the findings of recent research
as regard s tr.e complexity of, shall e say, an African
community organization, the rigid ity of Afr i can morals and
customs, am the variety of race character that is to be
found 1n that h e continent.
hen tl:e term African is
a pplied to an American Negro it usually denotes to the
average person a aava e in the most primitive form.
A southern writer in a re port on public schoo l text
books to the Kentucky Inter-racial conference makes the
following statement:
In no text-books that your comm1 ttee has examined
1s the American Negro shown, in a creditable sense, to
the pupil, hite and colored , as a people, a race
group , 1th past ani authenticated history of their
on in Africa. Again, no text-book that we have
examined tells the pupi l that practically every people
in the orld have been enslaved by some other eople,
at some period in their history; no text-book that we
have examined explains to the pupil, wh1 te and colored ,
that slavery 1a a condition imposed , endured , not
necessarily merited.
Your committee, in a ord has found no sc hool text
book h1ch , first, presents and considers th egro as
a race group , 1th the rights and attributes of such
a group , and next, as a slave oup , contributory to
t economic develo pment of America.
2
2
The Crisis agazine, Ne York, February, 1925,
p . 181.
14
Influence o
any
opl hav stereotyped bell fa concerning the a
arance,
social atan ar a, and conduct of m nority rou a. T ae
beliefs are iven au port by various ritera hereby they
take root a s rea to ot r peo ple in pro ort1on as the
l terary pro ucta t maelves are s pread . I t matters little
t the acts ar ; no racial or nationai ater otype can
even a pproximat reality. The it r iffers from t
rest of his group prlmar ly in his literary ab lity and
trainin. Hie social eta ar s a n evalu tiona are
absorbe from his environment. o ver, au erior or
origina l his artistic t cnn1que may be, his creation must
ive evidence of his social bac roun unless they are
abso l utely neutral.
uch 11teratur 1s of course n utra l in re ard to
racial quest ons a much s owe a racial bias only vaguely.
The neutrality of some 11t rature lies in th fact that
the mention of
c racter of a minority
ople is
ne glecte ent irely. For i nstance in a story of th3 history
of Amer ca or of its heroes, a e ro 1a never ment1one •
Yet, the Ne gro race 1s full of h roes· men ho have
contributed reatly to the history of merica.
In similar vein, the highbrow fiction writer ho
has neitrer desire for nor hop of publication n a
eekly publication 1th a circulation of several million
15
copies ay b and not infrequently is iconoclastic 1n his
tr at nt of racial myths.
ritera of novels an stories
for the masses, as typi ied by those ho publish in the
Liberty, if t y mention race or
nationality at all, feel they must be careful to keep in
step 1th their rea era' stereotypes. Cohen's stories of
pie eters, La yer Che , "The ons an Daughters of I 111
Arise, and other burlesqued gro characters usually in
ludicrous situations, as publ1sh3d in the oat, are almost
a national tradition.
The total impact of a child's rea ing far exceeds
the content of school books. They are early conditioned
by heari of adult convers t1ons of books read and they
bav sen illustrations in books an magazines hich have
played havoc 1th t att1 tu a to ard other peoples and
races by books hich contain imaginary or intentionally
mis leadi eacr1pt1ons of the •
It does not require the ascription of hole p oplea
in a piece of literature i ely read by chil ren to create
a prejudice against trem. Often a single character of
fiction suffices to fix for many generations popular
attitudes to ard a racial roup.
probably, 1s hakeepeare's Shylock.
n outstanding example,
The erchant of Venice, -- ;;,.., ____ -
teaches the boys and girls, that t Jes are a crafty,
designing, usurious cruel people. hylock b comes a symbol
16
of a race.
That literatur r a 1n chil oo rally does leave
a last1 impr as1on injurious to the ormation of attit es
on th basis of person 1 experience 1s illustrated 1n the
follo in communication:
Catherine, aged _ five, attended kin ergarten an as
taught the story of L1 ttle Black Sambo ho as picture
ae a rather stupid and illy black boy, dr seed 1n
extre ly bright colors, doing a aeries of silly
t nga. There as no lesson of inter sting facts to
be learned from the story. A hite child called
Catherine a nigger, and she reported it to her teach
er, ho ans ered, " ell, aren't you a a ro? Aren't
you a little Black Sambo? at hich remark the chil ran
laughed. Catherine as much hurt because the chil ren
laughed. Her mother too 1t up 1th the school prin
cipal nd pointe out to her that t story as plant
ing in the chi l ran' a minds the first seed of the
idea that egroes ere inferior. Uttle Black Sambo,
she pointed out 1s rather a silly, uninteresti
person, but later hen the children can read the
newspapers for themselves they 111 otice that one
colored man had done one crime and another one another
crime; their minds 111 go back tot childhood
stories in the kind rgarten and h 111 remember Little
Black Sambo. Th ideas 111 b correlated, and 1th
each additional unpleasant fact that 1a brought to his
notice his opinion 111 be strengthen d that egroes
are orthless. On the other hand. s:he continued, had
the story been told of the life of oo er T. ashington
or of Paul L. Dunbar or numerous others, and if t
ne spapere printed in headlines the inventions,
musical, literary and scientific accomp11s ents of
Negroes, good opinions of egroes ould be built up.
The story of Little Black Sambo had also planted the
seed in Catherine's mind that she belonged to an in
ferior race.3
3 Bruno I.asker, ace Attit es 1n Children ( e
York: Henry Holt Company, 1929), P• 1b4.
not e
4
book, Sojo 1th the sub-titl, The Story
of Little Lazy Bones, is us d by any primary teachers.
It pictures a lazy bl CK boy, presumably an African, o
nt1ces all tha animals to do his ark. he investigator
as told by a hite teacher that a had be n tau ht rom
a c ld that all egroea re lazy and that books suoh
as Sojo strengthened t a idea in her mi
•
T story, paminonias a His Auntie, 1th the
sub-title, Sout rn onsenae Tale," is found in
collection of eat Stories to Tell Chil ren.
5
T s, too,
-
1s the story of a silly boy ho does as riea of very
foolis h acts. e 1s never able to follo directions. It
employs the term " m y," hich is antiquated arii uses a
17
peculiar tre d of speech that 1
teacher to read .
1ff1cult for the average
e all kno the Uncle emus stories 1th their im
possible dialect. This typ, of story relegates itself to
a back shelf. Teacher
ho f el no particular race
consciousness are unable to decipher it 1 h ease an so
6
they fail to use 1t.
4
Publ1sh1
rick Berry, So o (Cleveland, Ohio:
Company, 193 , 37 PP·
Harter
5 Sara Cone Bryant, B st tories to Tell ~c _________ ~
(Ne York: ou hton iffl n Company, 1912).
6
Joel Chandler Harri~, 1~hts • th Uncle emus
(Boston: ou hton 1ffl1n Company, 18S3), 404 PP•
18
egro riters h ve v n b n in lu nc d by
reotyp d op n1on and publish rs'd ma a. Th use of
dialect in chil ren's books ia very mislead1
•
It caus a
ri 1cule an 1 as t you r der v ry often to attempt
an imitation. Thia effect becomes of enaive and 1 a a to
racial anta on1sma an bitterness.
It is inter st1 to not a typical sample of
childish opinion of oth r races and peoples. The test
u er revi as taken by at acher 1n the choir school of
a church kno n throughout the country as a center of
liberal Christianity in a cosmopolitan city; the an er ,
therefor , mi ht be expected to be more to l rant t n those
ch a similar questionnaire ould produce un er average
conditions in a public school. This is hat the boys say
in their on spell1
•
•
Chines and J s. I do ot like the Chinese because
they 111 plun ea nife into me hen my back 1s
turn d. I do not like the Je a because they are so
tight and becaue if you are in a sub ay rush t y
push you a ay and are nerally disagr eable.
eagro. I do not like the
1th raaers and are v ry sly.
agro because ha fits
xican are v rry sly and they en ek upon you.
Jape are a stealing and distrustful people.
Ir1sh--they s air and 11e.
7
7
Lasker, .Q.E.· cit., p. 140.
19
In consid r1ng the 1nflu nae t t 11 t r t r h s on
__,.
th development o American race attitu es, I.asker says:
rdly to gener tione ago, the I ian as a feared
reality in t houaa a of American homes. He had no
qualities toe ear him to the people; at least if h
had such qual1 tierr they era not generally kno n.
But to a eneration not so exposed to da er from too
close a unfortunate a contact, the Irnian stands for
t same heroic qualities that are admired hen
translated into the past 1n the history of both the
Latin and the Germanic peoples of Europe. A single
1ter, Feminore Cooper has brought about this trans
formation int attitudes toward the Indian by
creat1 fictional I 1ans in the 1wage of the
accustomed hero of myth am legend.~
A ne American attitude has been created to ard the
Indian, h1ch is reflected 1n a ealth of literature for
chi l r n and in the crafts, r1 tea, and names of recreation
al inter sta of many national organizations.
There 1s a great n ed for literature that portrays
the Negro 1th these same heroic qualities. In our on
internationally famous American booK about the e o e is
pictur d as a faithful slave. It is int resting to note
the treatment of the egro by Cooper. His attitude to ard
the egro as displayed in his stories as very con
temptuous.
Trash" against c lass1cal 11 terature. There is a
ide gap bet een literature an:l trash
h1oh may not
8
Ibid., P• 310.
-.._.,. ---111111.--;.a--------1111 .. 1111111111111111111-
20
rea ily be
find, but is non t
l ss real. In th
tudy of r 01a1 att1tu sit is hardly necessary to
dist1 u1sh bet een these for th
trash make as lasting
an deep impressions on the minis of 1 1v1duals as the
exquisite perf ctione of th genius.
The public seems to be much more 1.mpres ed a
guid d by the shabby products of sham or purely commercial
11teratur than by offerings
C haV on the approva 1
of literary critics. The circulation of trashy eekl1es
climbs into millions, bile older magazines of 11 er ry
merit die or rag along on pitiful subscription lista.
9
It ould, ther fora, s em that racial a national
attit es ani liter ry ach1 v ments are influenced not only
by the beat in all literature, but also by the orat. The
poorer pro ucts ar the more 1 ely c1rc lated, if not the
more enduring. The effects of the inferior varieties may
be assumed to be the more far-r ac ng. One might argue
that the popular manifestations of literature are not
actually inferior to the clasaical. o ever, t task at
hand is to discover or relate the effects o literary
expressions, crude or claasical, on group relationships.
9 Lewis Conrad Sm1 th, "Comics as L1 tera ture for
C ldren," (unpublished star's thesis, Colorado Stat
College, Greely, Colorado, 1938).
21
Th r is quit an abye b t n "Th History of
merica, a th comic strip 1 t ratur , yet the influence
o latter o either s r oue or h moroua int nt on social
ttit e is 1f nythi r a r than t former. The
comic strip literature is crea d to appeal to the larges
number of people possible. To b u eratood by the
reatest n~mber of readers, 1t p nda upon stereotyped
figures, Uncle Sa and John Bull, for instance. acial
and national stereotyped characters are practically al aye
among those pr sent. a1rbr adth H arry, th Katzenjammer
K1 s, oon ull ns, I.Drd lushbotto , arrl many more of the
better kno n comic strips f 11 in line 1th the popular
ental picture of the ro pa to h1ch t y belong. T
false 1mpreea1ons created by con tan depenience on such
stereotypes ar not reduced, but rather incr as din im
portance by the humoro a intent of the comic strip.
These "funnies ar read by adults an c :L ren
1th no 1nten of learni anytbi • ather t y are t1me
k1llers. The fact that the impressions created are
unconscious impressions dos not estroy their reality.
Children look at the unday "funni s" even before they can
read, with the result that pr ic1ous id as concerning
other rac sand nationalities are son in their mi sat
an early impressionable age. Ad lts have similar 1 eas
confirmed by th same story pictures. The doctrine of the
22
aupe 1or1ty of
the m r1can
te man 1a al ya reinforced
by "Super- an
kill1 thousa s of I 1 ns el le-han ed,
or by "Tarzan" ipi out her a o fricana in th
t 1nkle
of an eye.
The agro is al aye a ju le savage or an
American servant. Orientals are pictured as mysterious
plotters or as faithful servants, or the future invaders
of the estarn or ld.
The investigator did not realize t amag1ng in-
fluence of these pernioious 'funnies" until s as asked
recently by a child of nearly four years to read them for
him. The investigator in that one readi obeerv d an
urrloubted s1gn1f1cance in race relations. In essence, it
1a the uncritical acceptance and presentation of popular
myths and the informal education of you and old into a
similar uncritical acceptance o the same generalizations.
In truth it 1s a v1c1oua circle 1th only a fe 1 1v1 ual
riters ineffectually str1v1 to break out of 1t.
ace pre ud1ce 111 not 1aappear by magic. Ed -
cation through various metho a 111 produce it. Each or
the races of mankind has its special merits am has made
its on contribution to the progress oft world. In our
effort to make brotherhood r al am to cure race pre ud1ce,
our literature 1n the public schools should present these
contribut ions in their lo ioal and rightful manner. In
this ay, by directing education ani creating certain kind
23
o experi no a a stablishi ne customs a influ nc1
roup opinion, the d ep- eated, 111 ff eta of race
preju ice may be in a lar part overcome an oft n
complet ly cured.
ummarl· In this chapter the writer has atte pted
to aho that rac pr judice exists inc 1 ren.
The writer has stat that literature 1nfluenc a
stereotyped bel1 fa that many p ople ve concern!
minority groups, a leaves lasti impr eaiona in urioua
to the formation of univ real attitudes- The riter has
eho n that •comics, tt t
feature today, have a
of ohi 1 ran.
moat 1dely circulated ne spaper
evastating effect on t att1t ea
Attitu es, both racial arrl national, are influenced
by not only t b st in all literature, but also by the
oret. The riter has 1ncl a brief list of books that
illustrate t a statement. The 11st 1a limit d as the
riter only 1nclud d either the most outstanding author1-
t1 s or books.
uch of o literature fails in its task to dis-
seminate 1nflueno s that make for better inter-racial
u erstand1ng. any boo a such as tm histories of
America are neutral in regard to affecting racial att1-
tud a. Their neutra 11 ty lies in the fact that the mention
24
of a minority people 1s neglect d n 1rely. They fail
to present racial contributions in their rightful manner.
The ritar ha aho n that dir cted education can
influenc group opinion a
er at a better racial and
national un erstand.1
•
CHA
THE NECESSITY OF BUI
I NDU SS IT
II
I E IE A CE
T I LS -o VAIIABIE
Introduction In this chapter the r1ter att mpts
to explain the necessity of build race pride ani race
friendliness 1th the materials no available .
The orka of some of the moat noted uthor1t1es 1n
the field coveri this research ar r vie ed. Text-book
supplements are also listed.
The latter section of this chapter attempts to sho
that bio raph1cal literature is best used as a ed1um for
further1 an understa 1 of basic racial attittrles.
The gro th of race pride. Rae pride or the 1 act-
1 of racial att1t des cannot b built up in an in:iividual
overn1 ht. A foundation must be laid and t seed pl nt d
that 1th constant nurturi 111 blossom into somethi
stro ad b autiful. An adequate back rour:rl ust be
given to each individual eo that he 111 be able to
r1 tfully place himself an:1 s rac in m asurin peoples.
One cannot lectur to children on rac pride or
racial friendliness am expect to instill it into youthful
mime. One must give their m1 s somet to feed pon.
ace pride muat ro from their kno ledge of all that is
best 1n racial
26
story. It must b th out ro th of a faith
of th stre th and capac1t a of the rac .
hen the forces
of prej ices rike, unless t y ar ell fortifie 1th a
knowl dg n aith, t h y hav nothi to fall back upon.
Th young child is not pr marily a reasoni ~ bei •
He accepts literally hat he sees an hears. Heb 11 s
his 1 pressions on hat he contacts in his environment.
If he is unabl to identify mself it that ch
is superior, he unconsciously as umes that he 1s in
ferior. e ho control uch of his environment are
responsible for the conclusions he dra sin r rd to
himself a his race.l
Chil ren are great r alis a. • he t ey leave t e
imaginative period they lo to repeat t e exp rience of
their anc stars. They crave action arrl ar1n and thus e
find them thoroughly immersed in a hero c perio. ny
riters realizing t a fact floo the market 1th adventure
stories. These stories embody no 1 als or lof y
aspirations. Yet 1t is ust s easy to create literatur
that w11 arouse high ideals, tales that ro out of the
life of a race am perp tuate t
race.
The problem of 1nst1111
noblest traditions of the
a racial pr1 e into e ro
chi l ren is not n easy one. Chi l ren njoy fairy ta lee.
The fairy tales that are read to tmm have as their heroine
1
The Nesro Hiator~ ullet1n, "I ashi ton, D. •,
o. 3, 3:36, December, 1939.
27
1th ol en hair, b by bl eye ,
a beaut ful ma1 en
no - hit k1n.
Th villain 1s usually a bl ck goblin or
a witch rob din arkn as, g1v1 the chil, both blac
and hit , t association of black 1th v11.
_ poet's pproaoh. Langston Hug , th famous
gro poet , novelist, a play- r1 ht, main ains ad ep
an pas ionat pr1 in his rac . Thie pr1 e is asserte
in his 11terat re 1th hope o 1aaem1nat1 it to
others. In a poems, in hich hem kes black so thing
to be prou of, h says:
I am a gro:
lack as the night 1s black,
Black like the epths of my frica.
I've been a slave:
Caesar tol me to keep his
I brushe the boots of · as
I've been a orker:
oor-steps clean.
ton.
Under the han a the pyram1 s arose.
I made mortar for th ool orth bu11 ing.
I've been a si r:
11 t ay from fr1ca to Georgia
I carr1e my sorro so a.
I made ragtime.
I'v be n a victim:
The Belgians cut off my hands in the Congo.
They lynch me no in Texas.
I am a egro:
Black as the ni ht is black,
lack like the epths of my
2
frica.
Ani in another poem, still emphas1z1
of black, he writes of his people:
The night 1s beautiful,
So the faces of my people.3
the beauty
28
He speaks of the black mother am child in Lullaby:
y 11 tt le darlt baby,
y 11 tt le arth-th1 ,
11 ttle love one,
1
Nhat shall I sing
For your lullaby?
4
In The egro s2eaks of 1vers he fairly s1 a of
2
Ia aton Hughes, The , eari Blues (New York:
Alfred Knopf Company, 1935},p. 19.
3 ____ , The Dream Keep r ( e York: Alfred
Knopf Company, 1937), P• 67.
4
Ibid • , p • 57 •
th gro s ancient 11 eage.
I'v kno n riv rs:
-
I've kno n rivers anci nt as the world and older
than the flo of human blood in human veins.
soul has gro n eep like rivers.
I bathed in the uphrates hen da ns ere you
•
I built my hut near th Congo am it lulled me to
s leap.
I looked upon the 1 le am raised t pyram1 a
above it.
I heard the a1 1 of the ' aeiss1pp1 hen Abe
L1nco ln ant do n to Ne Or leans, and I've seen
its muddy bosom turn all golden in the suns t.
I've kno n rivers.
Ancient, du ky rivers.
soul has gro n eep like the rivers.
5
29
Text-book supplements. Until our social studies
text-books are changed, racial prid and frieniliness must
be ta ht through 11 terature. American history arrl even
orld history needs to be told in terms of the hole
society. There are many un ritten forces hich have mad
5 The eary Blues, 2.£· cit., P· 51.
30
for the upbuil 1 , the destruction, an:1 the r building
of c1v111zat1on an cultures. Our t xt-books must be
impartial and "tell all. n
eddick says:
Until the da n of this historian's Utopia, t 111
be n cessary to furnish a corrective to the text-books,
to place along side of them, commentaries a
supplements hich include essential elements left out
of the story. 6
One text-book eupplem nt is the egro History
ullet1n published monthly for children of the elementary
and high schools. Its task is to convince both black and
hite America that the e o's history is orthy of
attention.
Shackl ford7 has ritt n a apler:d1d rea er to help
chil ran to appreciate the traditions, aspirations, a
ac evements of the egro race. It 1s a reader containing
informative material of Africa, frican folk tales arrl
myths, bio raph1cal accounts of egro soldiers, scientists,
orators, poets, musicians a
artists. It ould appeal to
boys am 1rls especially o the sixth grade, but may be
used 1th ood readers as early as grade three. The book
6
The egro _ 1story Bulletin, o. 2, 4:45, ovemb r,
1940.
7 Jane n. hackleford, The Child's Story of The
e ro ( ash1 ton, D.C.: Associated ubl1ahers, 1938),
19 PP•
31
contains attractive p1ctur s. t t e of ach chapter
th r ar qu stiona nd suggestions for activities
stimulati th c ld to ori ina 1 1nve ti a tion.
Tob , a book 1th true to life mat rial for third
ra era, as itten by harp. The photographs, by
Farrell, ar also the real photo rapha of a egro am1ly
about hom the stories er eritt n. T y are very natural
photo rapha, so completely has the photographer cau ht the
spirit of the text.
8
Harris has published a boo of Stories for Little
Tots. This book contains:
••• stories oft lives of great egro persons
written in easy language 1th meani ful illustrations
to help little c 1 ran to appr ciate arly in 11fe
9
the aspirations and ac evements of th ro race.
timely an:1 user 1 book just off th press 1a
ord 1ctures of th Great, A Book-
10
T s boo has
------ - -- --- - --
r sulted from an effort to dot o t n a, namely to intro-
duce the study oft egro in t
1 m ntary grades a
S Stella Q. harpe, Tobe (Chapel Hill: The Uni
versity of orth Carolina .eas, 1939).
at
Q
7
Eva aline E. Harris, Introd ct1on to
Little Tots (Terre auta, In:liana: The Family
ompany, 1940).
tories for
ubl1ah1
10
and Tur er
Book ( ashi
erriootte, _or_d ___ c_t_ur~e_a _ _ of the
ton, D.C.: Associated ublishera
he same tie so to 1 pl1 y t lan uage an t
32
task as
chil to 1 ave a laeti impression upon th mi oft
and stimul t further stu y of th:3 ac evement oft
egro.
11
Bontemps an Hugh s,
12
pioneers 1n the f1e1 of
1rect1
racial attitu ea through literature, rot the
first 1st1nguis
c 1 story about the black race,
calla
OEO _a_ F1f1na. It is an 1nterest1 ly ri ten
realistic story full of po tic charm a
1 t introduces
Haiti to you
rea era. It is illustrate by Campbell.
Sa -Face Boy
1
3 by Bontemps is a charm1 ly ritten
story about life amo
illustrations.
ro chil ren a
has el1ghtful
acial friend lines a.
fe short biographies of
successful or emin nt e ro shave be n ritt n in recent
years by both hite an black at ors. In one boo the
purpose as to iv
ite youth an appreciation a
respect for egro lea ers hip,
14
and int e secon book t e
ll Ibi .
12
Arna Bonte pa a La. ston ughee, o o and
1f1na ( York: acmillan Company, 1932), 100 PP•
1
3 rna Bontemps, Sa -Faced Bo ( oston:
1fflin Company, 1937), 11 PP·
OU hto n-
icaps ( re
33
purpose as to d v lop a aen o pri e of race in th
mind o egro youth.
15
oth are very co endable purposes.
ogress cannot b mad in race frie d11ness until ach
group kno s something oft
Inculcating rac pri
lea ers po the other.
ani respect by substituting
egro oharact rs of history for bite oharaoters is not
the ideal for hich e should strive. History should be
supplemented 1th the addition of these neglected names.
The benefit of such supplementation ould have the value
of commum.cating this kno ledge to bite persons as ell
as egroes. eatherford says:
ace pride 1s not eno h; there must also be res
pect for race. Status is determined not alone by
bat one grouD t nlts of itself, but also hat others
think of it.
10
Att1t ea form the aci teat of our civilization.
Haygood says:
The teat of our c1v111zat1on 1s not ho much money
e have, or ho much po er e have, but ho much of
good 111 we have. Our religion 111 not be tested
by the correctness of our creeds, but by our attitude
toward our neighbor. The final test of righteousness
is not correct intellectual interpretations but
attitude toward human beings. The practical task of
15
Arthur H. Fauset, For Freedom (Philadelphia:
Franklin ubliahing Company, 1928), 200 PP•
16
1111a D.
ace Relations ( e
P· 550.
eatherford and Charles s. Johnson,
York: D. c. Heath and Company, 1934),
very good c1t1z n, ad of very e uoat d parson 1n
particular, 1a to velop a p1r1t o good 111.17
hat most m n n d 1 mor courag, more confid nee,
mor self-r spect. To this solution of a ev loping life
for both races need to bring th full st kno 1 g of
facts, the fullest a de peat hu nu erstand1 , and an
att1tooe of unqu nchable goo 111.
ather!ord says:
Indeed, the essence of a true patriotism ould be
the appreciation of the orth of our 1netitut1ons and
our people, and ou ht to be the basis of a real ppre-
c1at1on or all the culture a evelopment of other
peoples, as ell as a r apeot for those ho have
achi v d such progress.
The Negro has been a hani1capped compet1 tor in
American life. He ne ds not only a pride in his on group
but also a united interest from other groups. It 1s per
haps on this basis that many of the biographies have b en
written. The bond of common cause do a much to develop
racial frie 11ness . . eople may b lo
to 1 ely separated
religious groups or nationalities arn yet have common
purposes.
If the h1 te child 1s ta ght to appreciate such
Negro men as Booker T. asbington arrl George • Carver, it
17
roe. c1t.
lB Ibid.
35
do s not an th t h
111 not ve d p appr c tion
for eorg ' ashington am Thomas • Edison.
t 1a a
ahort-s1ghte p ogram that eprivas the
te c l of the
1nep1rat1on that comes fro kno 1 t lives of these
ro leaders.
nd lmoat ynonymous 1th t s 1nap1rat1on
111 be the creation of
chil for the bl ck one.
de pr appreciation of the bite
Biographical literature. It is through the mediu
of the individual, his aye, do1 a, aayi s, arrl vies
about t problems of life that e can come into much more
intimate touch 1th the force of race consciousness n-
ver pr sent. Insight follo a upon contact, am therefore
acquaintanc 1th t various historical characters 111
naturally furth r an eretaooi of their basic attit es
to ard racial questions. Biography can, unfold the life
of nations a peoples am er ate
kno ledg of them.•
1
9
d sir for first-hand
Hughes says, 1n speak1 to the black race:
e hav a need for heroes. e have a need for books
and plays that 111 e courage ani inspire our youth,
set for the examples ani patterns of co uct, move
am stir them to be forthright, atro , cl ar-th1nk1 ,
19
1ldred Forb a, Good Clt1zensh1E Through Story
Tell1M (Ne York: acm1llan Company, 1926), P• 9·
36
and unafraid.
20
A
aga n h
its:
It is th aoo al uty of egro 1tera tor veal to
the people t de pr servoirs of hero1e ithin th
rao. It is one of the ut1es of our literature to
co bat by example, not by 1 trib --the caricatures of
Hollywoo , the lazy Bones oft popular so s, t
ndleas feats of play aft r play nd novel af er
nov 1--for e are not lessly funny, not al aye lazy,
nor forev r quaint, nor eternally efeated. After all,
there was Denmark Vesey. There as Fre erick o glass.
There as Oliver Ia a. Thar is Ja a eek. There are
the Negro voters of am1. Thar are the fourteen
sailors of the u. s. s. Ph1lad lphia. And t re are
you.21
Biography offers a particular rich field from
ch
to ra material for children.
oth1ng rives home 1th
more force a lesson in patriotis, loyalty, courage, pride,
faithfulness, herois , obedi nee, or self-respect than to
read of some one ho has been put to the test and has
triumph d. Bio raph1 a oft
heroes of th
egro race
are necessary to the egro youth aa a sustaining force.
This pride 111 strengthen them spiritually and add to
th ir value as American citizens.
These hero stor1 s 111 er ate noble ideal 1n boys
and girls of today just as it created id ala am established
20
Langston Hughes, The Crisis agazine, June, 1941,
p. 184.
21
Ibid., P• 185.
37
st n ards on those of the past. T y 111 arouse an
ambition to live ani ach1 ve so that thy may be orthy of
the emulation of the ohildr n of the future ven as t y
emulate t
heroes of days gone by. In no oth r ay can
such deep es1re be a akened as through story hearing arrl
read1
• In no other ay do ch1ldr n realize so completely
th truth of w fello 'a ords:
Liv a of great men all remi us
e can make our lives subl1m
A , departing, leave behim us,
Footprints on the aarrls of time.
22
Education by stories oes not assume that stories
can accomplish everythi
•
hey are a po erful tool 1n the
hands of the educator. Cather says:
It 1s possible to intensify tm child
1
s interest in
most of the subjects compos1 the curriculum, not by
advancing an untried th3ory, but by travail along a
path that has been founi to be a certain road to
attainment, not only for the gifted creative teacher,
but for the average ordinary one who is often baffled
by t bigness of tre problem she has to solve.
2
3
Barzum, in speaking of race prejudice, stat a:
22
H •• w fello , Complete Poetical orka
(Cambridge: Houghton- 1ffl1n Company, 1893,.
2
3 Kat rine Dunlap ather, Educating }?.l tory
------~1~nB~ Yonkers-on-Hudson: orld Book Company, 1918),
ce, p. 1v.
or can th problem b solved by a ve-and-let-
11ve resolution, sine it is quite obvious th t t
38
last thin anybody ants to do 1a to let 1 v aom body
lse born he f ara an t refer dialik a.
4
io raphy tol1..r int re t1n ly to c 1 ran can becom
such a part oft m that it becom a a fix d ar:d 1 sting
possession. It stays th the bearer t ough t
becoming hie 1 eal arrl do1 much to ard ahapi
years
s
character. Any c 1 so fortified 111 be able to lapel
race pre ice and will dev lop a reat atrengt of
spiritual integrity. He will atn"mount pr ices 1th a
deep un erstarrling ani can look all peopl sin the fac a
say the follow1 pled e:
I 111 not allo one prejudiced person or one 1111on
or one hundred million to blight my life. I 111 not
let prejudice bear m on to spirit al defeat.
inner life is mine, ani I shall efe a ma ntain
its inte rity gainst all the powers that be. 5
Summary. Race pride arrl race frien liness can be
built up in individuals by g1v1 t an adequate back-
grou hich can be use aa a measuring stic . It must be
built by a kno ledge of all that 1s best in racial story.
The poetry of the famous egro poet, Hughes has been
fou to be a source of great inspiration an:1 utility for
24
Jacques Barzum, ace: ~ tu1y in oderu
Superstition ( e York: Harcourt Company, 1937).
25
James eldon Johnson, e ro Americans, hat
( e York: The Viking resa, 1935, P • 103 .
39
th sub ct oft s res arch.
The iter has attemp ed to a that, since
h1stor1 s negl ct to present a true pictur of tre history
of the egro in th United tat e of America, biograp cal
literature is a po rf 1 tool in the harrls of educators in
hap1 racial attit es in chil ran.
BIO
IV
PHICA STO I
Introduction. T 1s chapt r 1nclu a four bio
graphical stories 1tten in ord r that the 1ter might
illustrate t e ucativ eff ct of this type of literatur •
The last half of this chapter descr1b a various
methods of correlating t s b1o raph1cal literature in the
lementary school c urr1culum.
I. EFACE TOSTO IS
The follo 1 stories ere written in order to give
an appreciative uni ratarrl1ng oft lives a problems of
the egro people arn to dispel stupid, vicious race pre
ju ice born of ignorance. They ere itten to offer he
m oat encouraging hope for fut~e orld cooperation,
progr as, and p ac .
The title, Little Black Boys, as given to these
stories to counteract boo a such as Little Black------~
hich only excite racial antagonisms.
It 1st hop that t se stor1 s 111 unfo to
ch11 ren, broad, challenging ne avenues of intellect al
and sp1r1 tual gro th.
eedlesa to say, any child shoul hav a gr ater
resp ct for the contributions oft egro to c1v111zat1on
41
after hav1 b en presente
1th t~1r hero1s •
II. I
0 UCTIO TO THE BIOG s
In introduci
b ography tot a youngest rea ers it
is necessary that those names be repeate am. presented in
various con ctione so frequently that they 111 finally
become as familiar a
meaningful as the names of class-
mates. These names 111 serve as fra a on h1ch they may
hang additional 1nfor tion as thy requir 1t.
e can also in erest ch11 ren in the life of an
author so that they will want to kno something of
his ~ork . Is it not tru that t chil hoo of all
great men contained 1n r sting experiences that if
tol as stories 111 lea lit l people to ant to
no about hat these boys an girls 1 hen they
gre up?
1
It 1a found 1th children a 1th a ults, the more
they know about a subject the mo e 1nterest1 it becomes,
an the more eager they are to read a increase their
kno le ge. They begin to make it a part oft e selves,
an hen they find material relating to hat they alrea y
no, it is like meting tre friend of an ol friend.
Therefore, the more our boys an 1r ls learn bout them-
selves an their history, the more t y 111 esire to
1
Katherine u lap Cather,
Telling (Yonkers-on-Hu son: orl
~eating 12.Y, Story
Boo Company, 1918).
kno , prov1 d t
It is 1th th1
given.
42
1r needs arrl interests are k pt 1n m1 •
in mind that the ollo 1 au geations are
The 1ter create the stories th the thought that
the story shoul ant rtain as ell as it should e ucate.
lso the r1ter attempted to er ate a story that ould
be adaptable to t:t:e lower as ell as t upper and dle
elementary grades, depending upon the maturity of the
child. The iter att mpted to tell of the various
struggles of these famous men 1thout d elling on them.
ny t mes the chil is burde03 too much 1th the hard
ships of life. In r1t1 t follo ing bio raphies the
writer tried to avoid this fault.
T STILL
1111am rant Still'a cravi for mua1c as 11ke
flies ear into a heated roo on a co , intry day.
Its eetn sa f1lle not only h1a ears s but al o his hole
.
body and soul. It glad en d his heart and the fee ling
strong 1th1n him to pass on this happiness to others.
He ent often to the house of his motl:ler's friend
in 1ss1as1pp1 to hear the pleasing notes of her little
music box. e asked her about 1 s beautiful soun:is, an
she said, I is very old-fashioned and has lived in my
family for many years. It plays many tunes. ome are
very old melodies that everyone kno s, but aom are ne
and different. ny people do not like them, and they
are seldom ever played. It is growing very ol. etty
soon it shall be too rusty to play.
as
· 1111am like the music that as different because
1t ave him the feel1 of ne and strange joys. He had
one favorite piece. In it he seemad to hear many differ
ent aoums. Tunes came from all aorta of instruments.
y! He had never heard such exciting music as that one
piece made. He ould play that piece over and over again.
One day hen he oun:1 Little us1c Box, the little
old lady said, Today you 111 hear the box for the last
time.
e are moving a ay. No one else has ever been so
44
attentive to 1. hen w go shall 1 ave you its spirit
of ne music. ome ay all th orld 111 · oner a you.
en they left, 1111am as very lonesome. He
constantly nt a archi for those s e and stran e
tuna. He listened everywhere for the right soun s of
music, but they re not to found easily. t last he
en to th frog pool eay1 , L ttle Frogs, tell me
here to f 1 tbe music that the Litt 1 usic Box m de. '
The fro gs croak d, Brek -Keah, Koo eh, Kooash. 1111am
laughed aloud because that as the same soun:i one of the
instruments ma a in his favor1t piece. All the way home
he repeate , Breke-Kesh, Kooaah, Koo sh.
Still search1n for more sou s, he ant o the
alli ators and ea1 ,
1
All1 ators, can you tell me ere
to find some of the music that Littl usic Box ma e?'
The alligators, busy trumpet1
to one anoth r, id not
hear him. 11111am, pl as
once ore , aa1 , 'Tha
you,
alligators, for that musical aoum.
H asked the horn o ls, arrl t y sai , Hoot- cot!
Hoot-hoot!
He passe the bull, and the bull bello ed for all
he as orth.
Finally he found all of the sounds the Little us1c
Box made, a many more too, b cause he as al ays listen
ing for ne ones. A thought puzzled hi : Ho 111
eve put all of those so
s toget r? •
45
is mot r looke
at hi just then, an eai , n 1111 m h s th t orches ra
look a ain.
.
1111am'e muc cal spirit soon ep ea t ou out t e
e1 hborhood. He ecid d 1f he ere to hav music, he
must first h ve
neig borhood orcheatr , ar.d hem de hi
on instr ments. He ma ea clarinet from a hello reed.
He made rums of tin cans a
ci ar boxes. It as not lo
rubber, a v1o lins from
befor he lear e to play
all typ s of musical instruments.
hen 1111am gre older, he left rkansas a ent
to sc ool in Ohio. Often he cold not stu y his lessons
because he yearned for the music box and a a of putting
those soun s to ether. Then he woul immediately rite
the music he ima ine he heard. Al ays 11sten1 for ne
sounds of music, he has
itten symphonies, operas, and
ballets. One of his beat orks is an fro-American
Symphony. It tells the story of the African in America.
He composes music for the movies in Hollywoo , too,
and 1s consi ered one of the best of orth American
composers. It is said that he kno a more about ore estral
color1
colori
than any one in the United States. Orchestral
1 a the b le nd 1
of th soun s of all the 1nstru-
ments of an orchestra. He and I.angston Hughes, the poet,
are goo frierrls. hey sometimes et tog th r a one
vrites the mus1c , and the oth r rit s the o s. Once
they wrote an op ra about t e black people in Haiti.
One can 1 ays tell when 1111a Grant Still 1s
th1nk1 of the Little usic Box, because he es that
orchestra look, and then he 111 rite an entirely ne
46
type of music. And hen you hear his music, you 111 kno 1
that he truly has the spirit of ne and iff rent music.
And all the or 1 ondera at him-
47
OI.A YE
On eve ing a a 11 tt le black ~oman in Georgia as
carry1 a bundle of ood into hr cabin, she had a
vision. A flock of birds fle do n so a 1ftly and so
close to her that she ropped the ood. Rays of yello
and blue light glistened all arou them. She as
startled, but they chirped a eet ly to themse lvea, .. Her
child shall be call 'Fam of The Land.'' Then the 11 ht
disappeared an the bir a era gone.
hen her child as born, s. Hayes re mbere ad
called him, Fame of The Land. :,
But the fat er disliked long names a hes geste
that they think f something short that ould mean the
same thing. They both thought arrl thought, but they could
not think of anything. For a long time they pro ly
called him Boy. • • And hen they anted to make 1 t soun
really important they ould say, Little Blac Boy."
The father as not satisfied, however, an:1 to
every bird that fle out of the oo she ould call out,
"Do you kno a s rt name for • Fame of Th I.am ' ? ' Some -
times the birds ans ered by chirping, but usually they
started flying faster than an airplane.
One day hen Utt le Black Boy gre o 1 er, he
awif ly ran into the house ani told his parents that a
48
voice in the oo a had call d him Rola:rrl. The father as
happy because
no ha could
call "Fame of The
I.a
' 1n a
hurry an he ould have to an er quickly. nd because
he as joyful, the mother a son were aat1af1e
•
Rolanl gre
up to be a very smart boy. He learned
to do a little of everything about the cabin. He orked
fast, too, especially hen his fath9r called in his eep
bass voice. 'Rolam! Oh, Rolan !
His mother taught
him to work hard and to do everything ell.
Sometimes Ro lam had to a 1k barefoot a long
1stance through the oo a doing c res am errarrls for
the family. Often aa he ent he ou)j stop and listen to
the birds. Their music was seater than the sweetest
ones of magic fairy music he could aver ima ine. And it
filled him 1th s et longings. e11 he returned home
his moth r, shak1 her head, ould onder.
One day hen Rola as in the oods 11sten1 g to
th bir s e1n, a voice seemed to say, Some day, you
111 ma~ music evens eeter than birds, 'Fame of The
I.and. '
si •
eople 111 come from all arourrl just to hear you
ou 111 go to all parts of the orld to make
others happy withe eat music.'
Little Black Boy thre back his head am just
laughed, because he ould not see anyone. n:1 he kne
birds did not talk, except to themae lv a. But often, as
he passe the aa
spot, he hou ht hat he heard the
mysterious voice call, • ame of The La
I
•
Fa of The
I It
•
oland's ft er ied and they move a ay from t e
oods to a big city in e see • ola y arne for the
oo s arrl the ma 1cal birds. ity bir s ere too busy to
have concerts as th country bir s di • olan 1 se
them so uch that he bou ht a Victrola. Then he co ld
hear t very s eetest arrl bat of music. Often he oul
1ma ine t the as back in the oo a listening to the
bir a, a someti es a voic o 1 say, ame of he La
' •
a e of The
t
•
Lo 1
for a life of song ani beauty he began to
st dy s1ng1 . He at ~1e for many years, an never once
ave up. Finally he sa
so ell that people every here
be an to talk about his beaut1 ul voice. He ent to
4Jurope an sang bef or the Kin .
he 1 co a e
ola Hay s to s1
for him a ain, not only because he
sang o ell, but beca se he spoke so beautifully.
He s
a in many iff rent languag a, and people
come from all aro nd.
ut hen he si s he hardly ever
sees them. His eyes are closed, am maybe he imagines
that he is answeri
the irds out 1n t
00 9. aybe
soft voic a call,
11
L1ttle Black Boyn a
Fame of The
La
t
' a
then he is very happy because no one ever calls
he P sse the same spot, he thought that he he rd the
mysterious voice call, tFame of The La
ram!"
'
•
Fame of The
oland's f ther ied and they move a ay from the
oods to a big city in Tennessee.
ola yearned for the
oods arrl the ma ical birds . City birds ere too busy to
have concerts as the country birds di • 1olan misse
them so much that he bought a Victrola. Then he cold
hear the very sweetest am beat of music. Often he oul
1ma ine tbat he as back in the ·oo s listening to the
bird a, a
sometimes a voice old say, Fame of The I.a
ame of The ni !
Long1 for a life of song ani beauty he began to
study singing. He at 1ed for many years, and never once
ave up. Finally he sang so ell that people every here
began to talk about his beautiful voice. He ent to
Europe an sang before the Kin . The 4 1 comma ed
Rolanl Hays to sin for him a ain, not only because he
sang so ell, but because he spoke so beautifully.
He sings 1n many d1ff rent l nguages, and people
come from all around . But hen he sings he hardly ever
sees them. His eyes are closed, am maybe he ima 1nes
that he is answering the birds out int woods. aybe
soft voices call, "Little Black Boy" am 'Fame of The
' •
, " an:1 then he 1s very happy because no one ever calls
50
him t ose names any more. They uet call h1 ola Hayes
a say th the sins ores eetly than all the magic bir s
of the la •
I VE
After t Civil ,ar, hen the slaves were free
many chil ren i re lost from their mothers fat rs.
ien s searc or t little e ro baby orge
as ngton Carver. But hen they found him, he aa lost
a home 1 ss.
George re up lovi the flo era, birds, b ea, a
ven spiders. H tried to fin out everyth1n that e
could about all of these thi a. He o ered ho they
ere made and wher the flowers got their color.
Then one ay · t1hen the est i ble i soft y and
the birds ere busy etti orms for their inner,
George ent to the flo era. He aske them if they could
tell some of the thi s that he ould like to know arrl
had been tryi to fin out. T o , the flowers had been
freshly kissed by the ah1n1 de early that morning, and
ere very busy try1 to gro , but they stopped to nod
their has and hispere , Yes! Yes! He stayed 1th
them an found out some of the thi s that he anted to
now.
The carnations looked as if they ha been stare d
an.1 dy din strong dye of hite, pink, and red.
51
ondered here they got tm1r pretty colors. The largest
one of all seemed to 11ft its head ad flap understand.1 ly
52
in th b eeze. eor op ne s eyes 1 er, for he felt
the flo r was in so ay try1 to te 11 him someth1
•
Su denly h thought, 'If I ke p my yes op n at all tim a
I can ro to be very 1se. Then, if I try to fi out
all I can for myself, an1 ant to kno more, Go ill te 11
m •
en George turred to go the bi carnation rooped
1 ta head s if to say, "Take m
1th you, George. Then
you 111 al ay e ember. So, eorge carried it 1th him.
He stud i d hard and tried to learn all that he could
about everyth1
•
He felt that he be an to aee better than
he had ever seen before. He co llecte f lo era, ferns, a
rocks an brought hem home so that he coul study them.
It seemed as if he spoke their language a
r erstoo hat
they said as they re or runt d deep in the dark, arm
earth. As a little boy he re to be 1n goo terms 1th
all the insects a
animals in the for st.
1 arned
everyth1 , from why the bee suckled honey from the flo era,
to what mak a some spiders have d adly bites.
Y are ent by an George Carver never
opped study-
ing about things. He ent to colle e an:i orked very hard.
Always keeping his eyes open. He t ld the farmers of the
south ho they could m ke ye a out of sand n clay. At
first they w uld not bel1ev him until some of them tried
it an found it as tr •
They called him the plant
octor.
Then he stu ie the sweet potato an told people
ow it coul b made into many thi s such as ink, paste,
an coffe . hen the far rs foun out they cou1 do all
th se thi s, they b gan to think that he was a magician.
They look d to see if rabbits ou1 hop out of his hat a
they d for the ma 1c1an'a in the ai e aho.
One day, Dr. Carver, as he 1s now calle , sai
53
that he had foun out someth1 else important, something
that ould interest the whole or1. He told them that he
had found out over three hundre ays in h1ch they could
use peanuts. But the people laughed at this statement
because they had b en tol that pa uts were only fit for
p1 s to eat, or to be thro n to the monkeys at the zoo.
But soon he sho ed them how they could get milk
from the peanut, and ho they coul get five things for
breakfast out of 1t, and they believed him. Once ore
they called him a ma 1c1an. his black man is kno n all
over th world as a reat man, a a movi picture has
been ma e of his life. He was the first to in a medal
from Presi ent oosevelt.
Dr. Carver was asked how he knew so many thi s,
and he sai, ' By studying hard a keeping my eyes open,
nd then sometimes Vihen I o not know, Go seems to tell
m~. Say1 t his h looked don at his car tion and
smil d, for you no on 1s al aye seen 1n his button
hol.
55
STO HUG ◄ S
tl.a.er," aai a 11 t t 1 gro boy looking out of
the in o , as the train rattled alo th tract to exico
~fter e v it 1th father in exico, may go to Africa?
Africa?• said s. u es as h r b autiful eyes
twinkl like a smooth, breeze blo n lake 1th the star
light on it.
11
ha tever makes you think of goi there,
I.an a ton?'
You tol me my ancestors live th re.
I
see the place here they lived, '' he said, beatin
the rhythm of the heels on the railroa track.
ant to
time to
But Africa is so far a ay,' his other sp re ,
"Shh! You 111 annoy the other passe era 1th your
rhythm. '
'.iay I o to urop then, and 11 those other
forei n places you tel me about.' he as e thoughtfully.
'Butt y ~re far a ay too, a it tak--s a reat
deal of money,
0
she s iled. • ore than you ever sa . '
ell, some day I'll o to Africa, a all of those
other places too,
1
the little gro boy insisted very
gently. "Then I can rite about them. '
To see ho chi ran of other places iv d was
pl as1 to La ston. ihil h as in exico, h ore a
bi sombrero every day. n he as al ays munchi on
tortill s. His father bou ht 1
uh1co.
burro hich e called
He en oy their schools hich t y called, 'The
House of The eopl. One re son e 11 e to o as be-
56
e se he lo to· rite. r tin a asy for him an- he
co 1 rit the best stories a po ms in the cl ss.
befor h 1 arne to rit, he oul te 1 little stori s
a Po ms to his other. a y tim s w n his mothers nt
m o stor h for o h she ant , so he ou1 compose
little rhymes about it. If sh ante meat e sai a rhy e
about at an then he ould ev r for t. hym a
rhythm ere a p rt of th bea ty of his soul. as as
rhythmic as the swis n of the blu ocean ater as it
flo a bac an fo th at lo tid . e rhy d and beat
rhythm from morni until ni ht. 1s mother eai that he
ven ma e rh thmic noises in his sleep.
Chico took him many places an sho ed hi many new
thi s. ome th n s ma e him sad, because he saw may
people ho were hun ry, raged, a omeless. He ianted
to help them, but he did not kno how. This iorrie him,
an he chant to Chico, Chico, 1hat can e do? Chico
just i led his ears. Lan ston be an talki to himself
an he rep at d, "
1
~hat can e do?· Can you 1ma i his
reat surprise hen Chico brayed a rhyme that sou e like
this:
o be of erv1c t
Yous ou1 r te--u
1 men,
your pen."
57
La ston' s fr ht ne r ly ca s d him to fall off
Chico. But h n h felt better he sai in a very entle
voice, 'Chico, hat d d you say? But Chico just ig 1 d
a ear a.
He on ered if Chico' bray as somet meaning-
ful to him · and he b ca e so oughtful that he har ly ea
anythin lse until Ch1co, a stubborn donkey, steppe in
the road, a ould not b e.
I.Doking up he saw a little old oman sobbing on her
doorstep. Langston ave hr the lune that he as carry
ing in a box. The appy oman then reached into hr pocket
and ban ed him something, saying, 'Take t is pen. It is
magic. K ep it al aye as 1t ill write whatever you 1sh
and you 111 help all people. An th n she ad e ,
11
To b~ of service to all m n,
You sho 1 rite th am ic p n.
Langston never for ot his experience in exico.
After h went back to the Un d States he ote more
poetry than ver. He finis h1gh school and college,
w1nn1 prizes for wr1t1 poetry and stories. is
noted for the f ne rhythm he uses in his po try, and he
is the first poet of any race to us jazz rhythm in poems.
gained attention all over the Unite Stat a 1th his
poem cal1 d The
set to music.
ary Blue a.
58
ny of his poems have been
He has been to Africa a other foreign countries
many times, al aye wr1t1 a helpi humanity. He 1s
as fast in his wr1t1 as a cornet player is 1n thro 1ng
out tunes bile playing quick music. His books have been
translated into five or s1x 1fferent languages, a are
read all over the or ld.
1nteresti stories a
He rites beautiful poems and
stage plays. Some are for chil ran
and some are for adults. His book of poems for children
1a called, The ram Keeper. e rites n ays that he
thinks 111 best help poor people a black people, because
they are his people and he is very prou of them. His
nae 111 be honored forever.
In one of his poems he says:
nThe night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people• '
And in another one:
'I am a egro:
Black as t night is black,
Black like too depths of my Africa."
Here is one of bis e 11ghtful poems for c hildren:
This little houee 1s sugar,
Its roof 1th sno is piled,
from its tiny in o
59
ps a maple a arc 1.
eople o read hie poetry, his stories, and s
plays think them so fine that they often say as t y slo ly
shake t Air heads, Lan ston ughes must 1rite 1th a magic
pen.
Ho ever, no one but Chico shares his secret, an
Chico says not , but just wiggles is ears.
60
III. 0 CTIVE UTILI Y OF STO IS
" 1111am rant Still. In ere st may be stimulate in
this bio raphy t ough the music ppreciat1on lesson. T
appreciation must be a oyous experience t ou h ch the
c ld comes into his musical inheritance. us1c appr -
ciat1on has been def1n
•
•
Appreciation of music is that pleasurable response
ch almost all people make to musical tones and to
t melodic, harmonic, a rhythmic impressions that
are conveyed by tones. The gree of appreciation
depends on the hearer's ability to listen 1ntell gent
ly, that is to say, with musical discrimination.
After th class haa listened to a recor once, the
teac er might have them clap to the rhythm or to make any
other rhythmic motions. Then she might ask t m to listen
for the ifferent instruments in the orchestra.
Instr mental music is another means of self
expression. Instr mental stuients certainly evelop
a higher egree of appreciation for orchestral a
ensemble music because of elementary experiences in
actually 1 arni o to produce music on various
instruments. 3
Corre lat1
the biography then 1s ai ple.
he
1ght then suggest reading a story of a little boy ho
listeoad all around to f1
the 1fferent instruments in
2
usic d ucat on n the
(Sacramento: California State
1939), P• 69.
3
Ibid., P• 70.
lementary Sc ool
epartment of E ucat1on,
61
an orchestra. Se could tak t class to t ac ol
orc hestra practice. r t c lass could hear a
ore eatra xplaine •
hav t e
various natrumenta oft
To furt r the int r st, t ri ter, in present1
t his b1ograp y to c h11 re , brought a uaical po er box to
sc hool as an 1llustr tio n of The L1ttl usic Box. '
Again, t· a bi9 ra y may be 1 trod uc d if the
c h11 r n have a r hythm band or have 11 tene to anot her
class perfor m t t he r hythm ba •
acord s oft
musician's orks ay be playe .
olan r .. ayes.
Spann1 t uma n life, interpretation of so has
prov d itself to b one oft gr atest of soul
satisfying agencies. .istory aho s t t the si era
a ong the earli at n~ n peoples ave cast their spells
upon t eir listeners.
God sent his si era pon arth
·1th so s of lad ess ani of mirt h ,
That they mi ht touch the h arts of men,
n bring them back to art h aga1n!5
Tis biography may also be introduced after or
uring a music appr c1at1on period . A recor of some
simple Nero piritual sung by ola
H ayes may be playe •
At tis time a simple spiritual may be tau ht to t he class.
4
Ibid., P• 90.
5 H. • Lo fello , The Co plete Poetical orks
(Boston: oughton- 1ffl1n Company, 1902), P• 138.
62
One eaco
si ' •s i
~rade, taught by t r1 ter, as e to lear to
et Char ot, afte ari
Victrola. It 1 s sa1 that, "T ou h music, you
1 t on he
people
row in an app eciation of v lu s, recognize that genius
k o s no national or racial boun ariea.
6
Continu d interest may be created by t maki of
a puppet sho of the biography an using cardboard puppets
for the story.
gain, the interest may be create for ~he first
rea ing o t s biography after a nature st dy lesson on
bir s. It might occur after a trip
re t class has
observed birds a
has listened tot 1r music. A secon
gra e class of the n-iter visited a room in the bu11d1
that had t
birds. In fact, there are many aye in
1ch
a resourceful teacher may create an interest for an in
biography.
Interests may b 11dened and extent into t
ha11d-
ork period. Clay birds may be made. Or a book of the
different kinds of birds that tm class has heard si
may be introduced.
George
______ ....,..ng...._t~o_n arver. Interest int e bio raphy
of Dr. Carver may be initiated t ought e study of the
6
ua1c Education in the
-
lementary School, .Q.E.· cit.,
p. 90.
sci nee table in the room. One can al aye fi
11 ttle
inter sted group loiteri
Kilpatrick says:
arou t science table.
Our aim in teac ng little ch11 ren 1s to introduce
11f in suc h a ay that they 111 actually become
acqua1nted 1th their surround1n s an later learn
ho to apply ne experiencea.7
The teacher could re late an incident rom t e life
of a boy ho loved to atch things gro . Then the above
biography cou1 be rad.
It could be fol lo ed by a unit or hobby on collect-
ing rocks, plants, or insects, etc.
book of pressed
leaves may be ma e or the class mi ht make a case of
insect a.
This bio raphy may also be introduoed during the
clay period. The teacher could tell about the little boy
ho liked to mode 1 1th clay and ho, later,
en e became
a man le rred o to make many useful t
such as dyes, an ink.
s from clay,
Aft r the biography has been read products from the
peanut of interest to different grade levels might be
displayed.
ro ucts suc h as peanut butter or eanut candy
1n the lo er gra es could also be display d. The outcome
of this display ould be social or cultural, as it could
7
Teachers' Gui e to Ohil evelopment (Sacram nto:
California State Pr1nt1ng0ff1c , 1930), PP• 117-18.
64
develo_ in o p rty, sing peanut products. nv1tations
could b ritten, paper pl es ecorate , a t e chi:L ren
could make anim ls 1th peanuts a pipe ate cleaners.
T 1r na ea coul be printed on t e peanuts an oul
serve as place-cards.
An impromptu ramatization oft
life of this
famous scientist could be given as an entertainment at the
party.
Langston ughes. he teacher may introduce t s
story by first read1 several of his poems from he
Keeper, his boo of poems for c ~ ren. These poems
ay be committed to memory. The book conta1 s poems th t
are suitable for all rades. oetry books my be made by
t class. ectograph copies oft ese poems may be ade
byte teacher an 1llu trat by the c 1 ren.
t t pea of int rest 1 t ese poems t e teac er
su eats th t t y rea something about t man o rote
these poems for c 11 ren. Then she may read t e biography.
This bio raphy may 1 troduced byte r verse
order of the above. The teac er may first rea t he
bio raphy an int rest the in the esire to kno somethi
of s ork.
One B2-A2 class of tbe rit r composed music to t10
of Iangaton Ilughes • poems. Some of the poems could be used
65
for verse choir ork or 1n the atagin of poetry . Or one
of his plays for ch11 ren may be rea byte teach ran
improvise nd ram tiz
•
abov biographies a ealth of creativ
sch as creative stories about the men.
ork may be used ,
lso creative
poems a
songs may be inspire through t se bio rap ies.
The esire to create original songs or r yt s ay
come through some special unit of work. The ability
to create may be dev lop a through such musical
activities as r1t1ng tunes and rhythms appropriate
tot nit by setti of po m or or1 1nal verse to
melody.
Claremont said:
If can prov1 e atmosphere fort c
stress pon the creative si e of the ork a its
beauty, and above all, givi the child an opportunity
to express the feeling a1 e of its nature in dance,
song, acting am play, e shall unloose tremerrlous
powers which are latent in every human being. 11
the anders a splen ors of civilization have be n
t e result of tre release oft creative faculty of
man, and a reat step to ar a that future of hich
e ream will be the release of the creative faculty
in youth. This is in the po ers of t he teacher · of
today. There 1s unlimited po era in very human
bei and we have to release it.9
It is from the readi of poetry of such authors as
8
usic Education in the
-
lementary Sc ool, o. Ci!•,
P• 70.
9
c. A. Claremont, ew Education Fellowship (Calais:
~ d ucat1on Fellowship Press, 1921).
66
hist t t teacher may evelop t e subject of po try
er atively. The er at1ve mood expresses itself more
po rfully in poetry, even 1n America, here re le o
believe that t inventor is above the poet.
The ma a oft cha i social or1- are so reat
that every phase o teaching e ould contribute to improve
human relations. Creativ poetry is a sple id activity
for the teac ng of race friernliness and race pri e, for
1t teaches the child to rationalize an analyze s
observations and experiences. By analyzing an stabilizing
hie emotions, a ell-roun ed and happy personality 1a
developed.
The essential values sou ht for in the te chi of
creative poetry are the religious, spiritual, aest et1c,
social, and intellectual. he in 1vidual develops a
philosophy of courage by learni to face life fairly and
aquar ly am stating this interpretation in terms of s
on personality. He le rns to be true to his on 1 eas
1th tre courage to adh re to them, am at the aa time
to evelop a sincerity of feeling.
From t standpoint of education, the essential
nterest 1e not in the ork of art produced, but rat r
in the subjective ohang s ro ht in the life
experience of the producer. Such cha ea n dir cted
t ough creative learning, may be achieved to the limit
67
of any ch11 's pres nt bility fo gro t h and ev lopme t.
The big hope is not th creation o an object, but the
creation of a atro
mi a spirit.
ra1t h aite, the em1 nt gro poetry critic, says:
Once made really to see am feel these secrete, t y
seldom lose the power an significance of t m; and
even if they do not become expressed poets ter on,
they will b come possessed of that culture hose spirit
is poetry. It 111 be onde ful later, to look back
an see hat perfection has ~en created 1 anlfest
art or manifest personality.
ummary. The present chapter has illustrated ho
bio raphical literature may be used to contribute to ard
improving human relations.
It has been s hown ho biographical stories that in
clude instrumental and vocal usic, science, and poetry
provide apl ndid activities for the teaching of race
friendliness and race pride .
In t his chapter there has been 1nclu ed a full
account oft
various met ods by hich the interest of the
c hild may be aroused and sustained in tl1e social stu 1es
curriculum.
These stories are experiments. The thesis u er-
lying them has already be n stated. It is the hope that
lO . earns, Creative Youth (1e York: Doubleday
Doran ani Company, Inc., 1925 ) , P• 3•
theses or1e may stimulate oth rs
aimil r 11n s.
re ork1
68
lo
V
s
y A
CO CLU IO S
he purpose oft s study as to discover aye of
directi racial attitudes in re ard to the r gro through
literature. The investigator has attempted to sho the
value of the study by the fact that t majority of other
racial groups think of the egro in terms of stereotypes.
oat of th9se stereotypes have be n instill d by the
misrepresentation of egro life on the sta e, in certain
books, ani int newspapers and comic sections. This
superficial or erroneous vie of the egro could bar ly
create just or ependable attit es.
These prejudicial influences that operate to distort
an exa gerate tre ~gro characteristics have prod ced a
survival of the racial antipathy toward t e ro.
It has been concl ded that.
1. The e ro child 1a in need of a more extensive
education in ri ht attitu es that 111 fit him to take is
place as an inte 111 ent American c1 tizen. Our sc oo ls
hav failed so far in that t~y have neglected to give
?egro youth as good, as extensive, as inspirational an
e ucat1on as is correspondingly given to bite youth.
Yet, the egro, good or bad, ae regated or not, is a
ef1n1te part of American civilization.
70
2. Th e ro yo t 1 not in
e of a se r e
ad distinct ki of e ucation. e 1s 1n nee of tr h
ful presentation oft e history of our country. ur sc ' ool
histories completely ignore t egro or mention i only
in cone cen ing or eroga ory te ms, yet r e roes have
pl y ar1 1 portant p rt in aki A~rican istory. In
t 1s n 1 ct we are not be1 true to t e principles upon
w 1ch our overnment was foun e an
egro yout of his rightful heritage.
e are robbing t e
here are t ousan s
of ~gro yout ho do not kno of or ve ever ear of
the many egroes ma e heroes on merican soil. This
omission leaves the egro youth 1th no a st ini force
when pre udice arises. ace pri e 1s not agic- hey must
ot only kno their racial 1story in merica, butt ey
shoul also know of the rich cultural bac grourn of the
African. It ill g ve the a still 1 her feel1 of
racial self-respect an pri e.
It 1s fallacious to teac egro 1story as a
separate a etache subject. tearni egro history as
sue , the st, . ent fails to et the contextual sense of tbe
subject. Biograp ical sketches holly restricted tote
egro s ould not be iven as such. This restriction, ho -
ever, is bett r than eliminati e ro history, but the
1 eal situation ould beat be accomplisre by inaerti
the egro in his logical a true relation to mer1can
his ory n by an explanation oft
manner an e r
has influence an a ape it.
• Until our text-books a biographies are re
r1tten, in 1v1 ual teach rs m st study 1th a careful
research and apply the r kno le ge an skill to their
teac of American history an literature.
There are many books such as Little Black ambo
71
that
that influence racial attitudes un avorably. any books,
such as our histories, are neutral. Their neutrality lies
in the fact that the mention of various heroes of a
minority people 1s neglected entirely.
4. 1th1n the past to enerations, an entirely
new attitu e has been created to ar tM Indian by an
enormous literature of fiction for chil ren.
ac1al a
national attitu ea are influenced not only by the best in
all literature, but also by the orst. There is a 1 e
gap bet ean literature and tras h . Yet in the study of
racial attitudes, it 1s har ly necessary to d1st1 uish
bet en the for the trash makes as deep a last1
impressions on the min a of 1 ivi uala as the xqu1s1te
perfections of the enius. Too publics ems in fact to be
more impressed by t former.
Th re 1s a efinite need for fiction literature for
e gro chil ren that 111 portray the egro 1th the same
heroic qualities that the In an has been portraye •
72
inite nee 1n literature fort
k1 of
Th r is a
gro men omen ho exist in 11f. Bio raphi a o the
h roes of the egro race are c saary to th e ro youth
as a ustain1 fore . Thia pr1d 111 not only atre t n
them spiritually, but 111 also ad to th ir value as
..,
mer1can citizens.
5. Unconscious 1mpreaa1ona that are created do not
lose their reality. Th eekly "comics
I
circulation to
several millions are peruse by chil ren long before they
oan read. These funnies present the popular myths concern
ing the h1te man's superiority, al aya the egro as menials,
and the orientals as myst rious plotters.
The total impact of a chil 's reading far exceeds t
content of school books. Thy are early co 1t1oned by the
hearing of adult conversations of books read a
magazines
hich contain misleading escriptions of otber peoples an
race a.
Uterature read 1n childhood leaves a lasting im-
pression injurious to the formation of att1tu es on the
basis of personal experiences. Illustrations ere given
in Chapter II.
6. Race pri e cannot be bu lt up 1n 1 1v1duals
over-ni ht. It must gro from their knowledge of all that
is best in racial history. It must be the outgro th of a
faith oft
strength and capacities of the race. One
73
cannot lecture to ch11 ren on race pri ea expect to
instill it 1 to youthful m1 a. foun ation must be la1
a t seed planted that 1th constant nurturi 111
blosao nto something strong. It is necessary to be
ell fortified 1th a kno· le ge a faith to fail back
upon hen confronte 1th pr ju ice.
7. It is jut as important to evelop race fr1en -
liness as it is to evelop race pri e. ogress cannot be
made in race fr1e 11ness until ach roup nos somet
oft leadership of th3 otter. T s friendliness an
respect cannot be establism alone by the substitution
of e ro characters of history for te charact rs.
Negro h ro s shoul be place int history text-books in
their proper place of historical events. That a t
child is tau ht to appreciate such e ro men as Boo er T.
aahin ton an orge • Carver o snot meant the 111
not hav a eep appreciation for Geor e aah1 ton and
Thomas A. dison. A pro ram that deprives t black or
h1te ch11 from the appreciation oft heroes of the
other race is a short-s1ghte one.
8. O oft most forceful ays of 1nst1111
pride, fri n lin as, loyalty heroism 1s through the
f eld of bio raph1cal literature.
The r vie er feels that this subject might be
investigated to a muc great r extent. For instanc , it
74
is not w1 bin t e sco e of s atu y to inclu t
subject of music that 1s su as part o t course of
study in our public schools. S s 1th such approbio a
express ons as • arky an I'se a' coming, a my ea~ is
bendi lo. uch coul be sai abo t tis asp ct of
ucat on, ut t he inv stigator fe ls that it shoul be a
topic for a entirely aep rate st dy. uch is being one
at present by ~ ro poets an composers sue~ as /il l a
c. H andy an la aton to co nteract t influence
of the above so s.
The e ro in Ha i 1 a int other m ricas as ell
as tte United tates of merica has a e arrl 1s ma 1
noteworthy contributions tot c lture oft e orl.
uch coul be said on African literature. Africa
ha s a literature and it had a tree ous influence on t e
folk literature of merica. he ric ~ frican folklore of
hich eh ar so much to ay as t e prod ctions of
mericanize uropeane consists of myths n fables
hande on by Africans. A general collection of this
literature ould emonatrate conclusively ho much t s
country is thus in ebted to the frican.
76
•
BOOK
Barton,
m
22
eb cca Chalmers, ace Coneciousneaa an the
1can egro. Copenhag n: Buack Company, 1934.
PP•
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353 PP•
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Brorup, •• , The ace ~uestion in the Unite tates.
Fitzg ral, eorgia: . an s. ubliahers, 1902.
30 PP•
Bryant , ara Cone, B st Stories to Te 11 Chi 1 ren. e
York: Hou hton- 1ffl1n Company, 1912. 181 PP•
Cather, Katherine ., E ucating £I, tory Jelli •
Yonkers-on-Hu son- Book Company, 191 • 396 PP•
Clare ont, c .. , __ tion Fello p. Calais:
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Cullen, Countee, Color.
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York: Harper an rot hers,
Du Bois, • D. Burghardt, Black Folk-- hen _a ___ _
York: Henry olt an Company, 1939· 401 PP•
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cClurg an
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Gr ory,J •• ,The enaceofColour. L:,non: ely
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ugh a, Ia aton, The earx Blues. York: Knopf an
Company, 1935. 109 PP•
Johnson, James aldon, egr~ Americans ' hat
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Ne
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Chapman Company, 1935. 1 PP·
I.ask r, Bruno, ace tti tu ea in Chi 1 ren.
H nry Holt and Company, 192§. 2§4 pp'.
e York:
L9 Bon, Gustave, The BICholof. of eoples. e York:
Stickert and Company, 191. Vol. xx. 236 pp.
Ieiper, Henry m1th, Blin pots,
self cure of race prejudice.
ress, 1929. 143 pp.
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Ne York: Frie ship
longfello , H. • , Complete oetical orka. Cambri ge:
Ho ghton- ifflin Company, 1893. 862 PP•
cDou all, illiam, The Group in. Cambridge: The
University ress, 1920. Vol. XXII. 418 pp.
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Boston: arahall Jones Company, 1918. Vol. x.
278 PP•
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Phila elphia: J •. Lippencott Company, 1924.
Vol. XVII. 196 PP•
tchell, Lucy Sprague, Another Here an o ~torl Book.
ew York: Dutton an:i Company, Inc., 1937. 369 PP•
77
, usic ducation in the Elementary School.
---S-a-oramento: California State Department of ducation,
1939. 152 pp.
euter, •. B., The rrerican
ro ell Company, 1927.
ace roblem.
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resa,
., Alien mericana.
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PP•
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78
York:
Tm Viki
tearns, Harol , rica York: Scribner's one,
1938. 606 PP•
Teachers' Gui e to Child evelopment. acramento:
dal1forn1 state rintin Office, 1930. 658 pp.
eatherford, 1111s D., a
Relations. York:
590 PP•
Charles s. Johnson, ace
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Ginn a Company, 1925:- Vol. VIII. 258 PP•
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aye ho logy.
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Brothers, 1932. 621 PP•
•
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e York:
e York:
Akin, a • , T egro Boys and G1r ls Series. Oklahoma Cit :
H arlow ubl1ah1n Company, 193 •
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Boston:
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Bontemp , Arna, a Langston H hes, opo an_ ~ifina.
York: ac illan Company, 1932. 100 VP•
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In pita of Han 1caps.
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80
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Johnson, Dorothy Vena
(author)
Core Title
Methods for directing children's racial attitudes through literature with reference to the Negro
School
School of Education
Degree
Master of Science
Degree Program
Education
Degree Conferral Date
1942-02
Publication Date
01/31/1942
Defense Date
01/31/1942
Publisher
Los Angeles, California
(original),
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
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OAI-PMH Harvest
Format
theses
(aat)
Language
English
Contributor
Digitized from microfilm by the USC Digital Library in 2023
(provenance)
Advisor
Thompson, M. M. (
committee chair
), Adams, Fay (
committee member
), Dalzell, Cloyde D. (
committee member
)
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Ed 42 J66 (call number),etd-JohnsonDorothy-1942.pdf (filename)
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