An Eloquent Lecture

Saturday night Booker Washington (lelivcrwl the Chicago Alumni numtoer of the S. I. A. course. Mr. Washington was unable to reaeh town uutil iHMrly 9 o'clock because of bad traiii connecüons, and the audiencc was letft to amuso itseïf for a time, whfceh tt did very good naturedly. The speaker was .-u-o om pa ui o il by Saannei h. Hawley, '85, secretary of the Chicago Alumni Associatlon. Mr. Washington spoke in sttbstaace as follows: "A few yeara ago when a number of nesroes left for Liberia, África, many persona said that fhe raec qnestion waa settllng ltself. Bu1 that was a mistake, the negroes wili uot leave the United States. Many so-caïïed solutions of tais ]r:.l;i'.n hare been suggested. Some tlnnk it would te woll to colonizo the üegroes in somc vacant, territory in the west. but that would rcquiïe 1 large wall 10 keep negroes in and 8 larger onfi to keep the whites out. The Mackinan caunot lio absorbed a? one percent of negro blood makes him still a negro. There is but one solution and that is eddcation. "Bnt there is now too mud) oí' a tcndency to run eaeh individual tlirougb the same educatlönal movrid ut spocial condlüons and ends. T. ■ e hief wants of a race nol far adv. :eed in civilization are irial in : ■, viz., food, elothin,! and liousing. ■ blackmau must recelve mdiiftri: . , ■-. -ation to próvido, lip se wants and to place himself in a posltio-n to risc out of his present romiiiioji uto a hlgher state. At TuAegee the pupüs are enabled to earn thelr owa living wliile reeelving an Industrial educaitlon. Twenty-slx ibrancbeB otf Indnstry are thoroughly taught, and .-i competent and culturod mastêr is al the head of each. Wliile actually engagod ín the woTk of hls trade the pupil at the same time earns tli ■ iuidc-iling ]■: nciples of the trade. Jle gets riii of iie idea that labor is degrading. He gpis rid of the idea that labor of banda is degradlng. He Uterally works out his salvaticn fby Industry. The first thing necessary is to do wliat Is aroimd us aud then to dignify comnifin laibors. The one blessing to slavt: the negro was that it left bim n rossessiou oí all the comiuoii and si iiled labor in the South. The profo! now is can he kee) it? The te ni:m froni the North and the it and Europe now competes with But once give the negro sufflciemi skill that the result of his labor is a neeesslty to the white man, pre.iudi;e against him at once dísappeara and his future ;s secured. It is not ihat the negro will not work, but that lie does not know how to work protit■bly. IIow can the ignoraiH negrc farmer of the South compete with tho skilled farmer oí the North, wiih all liis labo; savtag machinery. But h(w is the conJition oí the rank r.nA file to be ehanged? By sending injong them the 'Gaptaio oí Iinlusi i y' edncated at Tuskegee and sijml;;:' instltutioa?. .The Tusbegee Industrial [nstitnte has now beet established IG years. Ii cwns 10,000 ames oí land, íii'd A'i buildings, all except f. mr havbeen im.lt by students. PracticalI, all this property has boea acquired tlirongh the eaminga of thp schaal. I!iTt 1.000 people are housed and i'tlu■." lel in industrial arts. T!i; gradiKifes of this institution settle for the ii.ost part in the Black Belt, anj take i'.;i the trade learned in school. They among the people and give them counsel on business matters. These j.;';'ple are willing enough to do what s Iicst, luit do not Iniow how. They lold what to buy and what not to bny, aml how tlioj' niay to the best ïdvantage carry on tlieir owu vor. Thpy are t&ught to live siiuply for i time and save mouey, and soon tlirough the personal eíforts ni' ono in tcrci-ied. capable person, a whole conj munity is revolutior.ized. The poí)k ave oou able to buy honses and savi me:, y. As soon as you have sueh a sel! iiporting community apid ad var. es may bc made. Scaoolhouses an : hes eau be built and the whol trae of the people ciianged. These In: al schools iré to creot a light house to poiut tlis black man and the ui cut of the storm and night of tUe race problem. The prog iy the negro has giveu the white man faith in tlio educatlón of tiie and tlms overeóme eme of tlu obstacles to the advancemenl the negro. The greatest cura was that it took frora the neli-is inltlative and executive powet. Kor i wo eeuturies and a half he was :ot required, nay, no;t even and illowed to use his mimi, hut bis act was decided by another. He had no wil] ot thought of his own. It is ui jiist tu expect negro to rvpain in 30 years what it bas taken 250 'usb out of hlm. "The missionary work done by northeru people has largely boen 'i failuTe. 'A hungry man can't be a rlstian.' Three fourth of the missionary seriunns are de & io n n imaginary description of hcaven. This is said in iio spirit o: iiTevercncc, but beeause the work has 110 practical value. "All people have been onable to n-1 nntil they had aquired Industrial freedom. So the negro must vise. As sooi as vou have a coinraunity wliose m bers own thelr homes, and are saviug, and hnproving tlieir industrial processes. then you have a coinmnnity Ju which you will flnd men wbo eau become successful business, professional and literary men. "If a negro lias l)ecome the leadlng printer, contraetor, or earpenter of a village, and is giving employment to white men you need have eo fear that great projudice will exist against bim. His white employee will not drive him tram the poll on election ly. ii me man bas boen able to vaisc better and more corn or cotton to the acre and at less cost than his ueighbm-s, bj Improved metUods, the commercial wurkl does not care whetber lii skin be black, wblte, brown or g1nger-eak color, trat will come to him ana ask how was it done? "The world wants a man who ca] do aometbing and when it Buds om projudlce agalnst him vaiüshes." The great negro waa fllled wlli earnestness, and his sinc-erit.v won tin sood will of the audiëntie. II is lecture was replete witli natura! and hoinelj wit, whieii caused frequent ontbreaka of entüuelastte applause.