Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-18
NOT UP TO DATE
Prof Booker Washington Describes the
Position of the Negro.
He Says Education fl Needed to Make
the Colored People Equal Com.
petit0rs With the White.


Tuskegee. Ala, Institute arose to lecture
last evening at Metropolitan A. NJ. E.
Church before the Bethel Literary Asso-
citation he received an ovation from his au-
dence. which numbered fully 1900 persons.
Among them were grave bishops, reverend
clergy, lawyers and other representative
men and women of the race from every
part of the District.
Prof. Washington's theme was indus
trial Education and he treated the sub
ject in a mastery manner. well deserving
of all the applause which was bestowed at
frequent intervals during the delivery of
the address. The speaker devoted the ma
tor part of his remarks to demonstrating
that unless the colored people of this coun-
try, mainly in the south, shall speedily
realize to a much fuller extent than they
now do the necessity of making use Of the
various kinds of labor-saving machines
tirely excluded from all occupations where
there is low competition or that the white
man cares to enter.
In part Prof Washington said: eff our
education means anything, if our young
men and women have any object In life,
this object should be to lift up the masses
who dwell in so large measure on the plan
tations of the south. If tonight you will
place yourselves in the place of the col
ored men and women Of the south you can
better appreciate what 1 shall say.
I'VE hav. got to make an effort to better
our condition. We must remember that
our position Is peculiar one. The rela-
tons that should exist between the two
races are still unsettled.
1T has taken the white race one thou
sand years to reach its present high plane,
Of some Of the advances made by them"
Lot of the Negro.
"Our people in the south are finding out
they care very little about what a man
knows, but they do care what he does with
his knowledge.
1.-The negro produces almost every bale of
cotton that is raised in the south, but let
him go to a factory where cotton goods are
manufactured. whether it be in Massachu-
sets, Rhode Island, North Carolina or Mis-
slssippi. and ask for work, and the door will
be shut in his face. There are but two or
three states in the south where the negro
can ride in a first-class railroad coach, but
let that negro go into the shop in Massa-
chusetts where that coach is made and he
will be turned out of the place.
i have often wondered why 1T was that
fully one-half of the money earned ~ the
Georgia negro farmer had to be spent in the
north for corn. and pork and other neces-
saries of life. which the farmer must have
to support himself and his family during the
year, but never could understand the mat
ter until 1 went into Indiana 4 few months
ago. There ] saw a white farmer in a field
riding on some kind of a machine of the
use of which then knew nothing The man
was riding on the machine, to which were
attached two spirited horses and the ma MS
principal occupation seemed to be TO keen
the horses from going too fast. Not only
was the man in the comfortable position to
which l have referred. but he had an UNI
breila to cover his head to protect him from
the rays of the sun. L analyzad that ma
chine, and l found that it pIouyhed the
ground. laid out the rows, and planted two
rows OF corn at time.
One-GalIus Man,
"A short time afterward 1 was down in
Georgia, and l saw negro farmer plant
ing corn He had an old mule attached to
an a1tquated plough, and dragging behind
was a pole about five feet long Every lit
tie while the mule would stop, and then the
farmer would reach behind, take I'D the
pole and beat the mule. This would cause
the animal to move on again, but before
going far it would be necessary for the
man to stop the mule and repair the har-
ness, which was made Partly of leather and
partly of rags. This he would fix up. but
in little while it would become necessary
10 make some repairs to the plough. And
IT would not be much longer before the
farmer would have to stop to fix his pants.
TOT our negro farmers are all one-gallus
fellows, who are used to making repairs
While at work to their trousers"
Speaking of the trades in which colored
n:en once had monopoly, but from which
they have been almost entirely excluded
by white Eien, Prof Washington said:
Thirty years ago there was scarcely a
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York or Bos-
ton Today there is not a first-class bar
Der shop in one of them that Is owned by
a coiored man. The latter failed to realize
that ne must progress with the times. He
was satisfied to have a dingy shop on
side street. The white man came along
saw an opportunity for making money,
rented a nice, bright room on front street.
fixed it up with improved chairs, hung pic
lures on the walls, and took all the colored
mans trade. The name of the craft was
changed; the colored man was a barber,
the white man styled himself tonsoriaI
artist, but he took the Colored mans trade
all the same.
Even the WasherwOman.
Our mothers and sisters in the south
who now make their living at washing and
ironing will lose even that occupation I'M
less they will develop progress with the
times. was in Chicago short time ago,
and one Monday morning at o'clock I
sent my laundry from my room to be wash
ed and 1roned. AT pm. OF the same day
it was returned to me in perfect condition
How does this compare with the course
pursued In the south, where You send your
TO the washwoman at 6 m Mon
day and get it back possibly by 6 pm. Sat-
urday? Some Of these days an enterpris-
ing northern white man will go into At
lanta or Montgomery or some other city
and start steam or electric laundry and
the occupation of the washerwoman will
be gone
Mr.. Washington showed by many other
that it was to the interest of
the colored people to wake up to a sense
of the necessity of making use of labor
saving machinery ard improved methods in
all mechanical pursuits or they will soon
be reduced to the lowest condition attain
able in the Industrial world.
Transfers of Real Estate.