The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-02-08
MOST ELOQUENT BLACK
Hooper z. " ashingto 3 ,ixs In Z: Most
Brilliant and Effective
vEay.
now 10 SOLVE TIE NEGRO pRoBLEn
The lssro Thinks Of ao,den. Slippers In
the Next World Gut Has Moth
Ing In This.

The Nspro Thinks Of 0olden Slippers In
the Next World Gut Has Moth.
ing In This.
It has been q long time since a. Min
heapolis church was SO beseiged as was
the Church of the Redeemer last Sunday
night, when the great negro orator and
educator, Booker T. Washington, spoke
about the industrial school which he has
started in the South, and about the prob
lens that confront his people. About 900
persons were locked out Of the building
and waited in vain for the great doors
TO open and receive them, for. the church
was crowded to the doors inside long be-
fore the meeting opened. On the plat
form beside the famous speaker sat Rev.
DR.. Shutter, Judge Elliott, Prof. D. l..
Kiehle, Judge Shaw, Daniel Fish, J. S.
McLain, Judge Torrance and William
Morris, the local colored attorney, to-
gether with several other noted citizens
of Minneapolis. Rev. DR.. Shutter intro
duced the eminent gentlemen to the au-
>dtence. ~
Mr.. Washington delivered one of the
most eloquent and impressive addresses
ever heard in the city. He is an eloquent
and earnest man, a man of practical
ideas, not an enthusiast wholly, as too
many of his race are, but with a firm
hope in the future OF his people. This
hope is born Of belief in eternally keep
ing at the problems which confront his
people, and is not one that springs from
an illogical enthusiasm, or a misleading
emotion. -. .s, /;
He began by stating that he was ex-
ceedingly interested in the many sug-
gestions which are continually put forth
for the solution Of what is called the
Trace Problem" Said he: :
II read but short time ago of little
company Of negroes who embarked OH
vessel to sail for Africa, and imme-
liately more than one writer exultingly
declared that the problem was going to
settle itself, as the blacks were going
back to Africa. But this problem, can
tell you, is never going to be got rid OF
in this way. The gentlemen forgot that
on that same morning when that little
company of negroes embarked for Africa,
500 negro babies were born in the South
before breakfast. Other men love to set
white race will absorb the black eventu-
ally. But you know that 1 per cent of
negro blood makes man negro, and
the 80 per cent Caucasian blood is out
weighed by that j per cent of negro
blood.
$50, you see we are stronger than you
are and we will not soon be absorbed.
Another scheme often put forth is that
of colonization. But it is impossible. You
would have to build two walls, one to
keep the negro in and the other to keep
the white man out. And you can't do
that We won't be got rid of SO easily,
I assure you. In fact we are the only
people who came here by special invita-
ton. We were invited here and we are
going to make a long stay. The white
man came here in 1892 much against
the wishes of the people who lived here
then. We came because we were brought
here. My friends, there is but one solution
and that is to treat the black man as a
Christian brother, that is all"
The speaker then proceeded to give
little history of the Tuskegee Normal In
Z stitute, in Tuskegee, Ala, In the BLACK
Belt of the South where the negroes
outnumber the whites five to one.
That school was founded Il years ago,
and at that time had but one teacher and
30 pupils. Today 800 young men and wo-
men, representing Is states, attend
school there, and as many more were re-
fused admission because of lack of room
to accommodate them. The course of
study is a high school course, except that
especial emphasis is put upon Industrial
lines of study. The conditions and needs
OF the people are kept in view and deter
ri, ho A,-st
aside from literary and religious teach
ing, the school has emphasized Industrial
training. This has two effects. First it
gives the negro boys a chance to earn
part of their expenses at college and Sec
Ondly it is an ,object lesson which the
negro needs more than anything else.
The students cultivate 800 acres of land
at the college, and learn the chemistry
of soil and the use of machinery. They
are made thereby more Independent and
more manly. They are now putting up
large three-story brick building, and
every brick is made by the students of
the college. This is Kidding them of the
prevalent idea among the races in the
South that labor is degrading. They go
out from the school proud and glad TO
work for q living, and knowing how to
work we'll They are made conscious of
their ability and that gives them GER
tain independence and certain moral
stamina not to be received in any other
way The school has 1,40O acres of land
and property, altogether worth $250,0O0.
The students build all the buildings and
till the soil and do all of the work around
the place. They are thus enabled to pay
their own way, except $50 annual tut
ton. All OF the graduates will go out to
teach their own people how to work to
their own advantage and how to take
care of themselves.
The speaker spoke of the terrible deg
radation of the Southern black under
the mortgage system. They are in debt
every year and unable to get out. He
said that most negroes were hard work
ers they having been made 50 by slavery,
But they failed because they did not
know how to utilize the results Of their
labor. They are imposed upon by agents
who sell them sbuggies when they have
not even mule to drive with, and they
buy clocks with a years savings, when
they cannot tell o'clock from II o'clock.
On teacher spent several years just Wis
iting the homes and teaching the parents
how to save and how to get out of debt
In one year she saved enough to build a
schoolhouse, and in two years she had
II -.