The Portland daily press., 1896-12-05
NEED OF THE NEGRO.
Pointed Ont by Booker 7. Washing
ton. /
WHAT THEHTUSKEGEE SCHOOL is
DOING FOR HIM.

Something About the Institution Which
Aims to Uplift the Black Man-Able
Address Of Mr. Washington in the Con-
gregational Church Last Evening.
Almost every seat in the large State
Street Cohgregationalist church was
occupied last evening by those who had
assembled to listen to an address by Mr.
Booker T.. Washington who il probably
cne of the most eloquent and lest known
celosel. men in the United States today.
MIR. Washington is making a tour OF
New England, accompanied by quar-
tette of students from the Tuskegee
N1rInal and Industrial Institute ct
Tuskeeee, Alabama, CT which school he
is the founder and principal, for the
purpose of interesting the people of the
Noith in the great work he is carrying
on in uplifting and improving the condi-
tlon Of the black men Of the South. His
address last evening was not only elo-
quout, but also intensely interesting. and
instructive, aud for over an hour, while
spesking, he held the closest attention of
his hearers.
Rev. DR.. Jenkins opened the meeting
by brief prayer and introduced to the
audience. ths student quartette which
sang several negro melodies as they can
only he sung by th g colored men. These
students, who wore the neat blue uni
form of the Tuske gee school were all
young men with the stamp of intelligence
and noble purpose on their brows
Taking as all example their principal,
Mr.. Washington, who is also compare
lively young man, these students will
devote their lives to instru citing and up
lifting their race in the South and one
could we'll believe in seeing them that
Mr.. Washington's claim cf having right
ly solved the much mooted negro
problem, is well founded.
Mr.. Shuitz, one Of the students first
addressed the audience. Using the best
language and in straightforward,
simple manner he told how he came to
go to be Tuskegee school and what ne
has learned since he went there. For two
years MFR. Shultz's father who owned
his own little farm III Americus, Ala
bama, was able to pay his sons tuition
at Tuskegee, but after that the boy bad
to work on the Tuskegee ferIu and lotor
during his vacations to pay his way. he
has now been OF Tuskegee three years and
besides the book learning he has been able
10 acquire the young fellow has been
taught tho art CT tailoring and hop3s Oh
tae completion of his four years at school
to return to Americus and open a tailor
shop. In glowing terms the student
spoke IF the Tuskegee school, and the
work it is doing in Alabama and pre-
dicted that its graduates will be the sal
yation ef the negro in America.
Mr. Washington then addressed the
audience. He is an easy speaker.
thoroughly convefsant with his subject
and with pleasing manner. He tai ks
without reference to any notes or manu-
sctipt, ana likes 10 get as close to his
hearers as possible " thout any barriers
in 6he WaYftf a desk or speakers sta nd,
while he delivers his appeal for the men
If MS race with selling force. He said:
In tho thirty years which have elapse
since the war. great progress has Eeen
made in carrying on tho work among my
teaple in the South. Immediately after
the war it al almost impossible for the
D1ach jIidH w oNb piopoLU5 u ohy hiAu
IN the South, while school house for
their education was not even dreamed of.
Now the colared men not only own
pruJ Jerty but IN some sections OF the
South are quite heavy tax payers and the
school houss for the negro can be foun d
all over the South with the exception OF
three counties in Louisiana, WHARF Tia ere
is as Jet not n single one. The white
man alike of the North and South HOW
realize that the so-called negro problem
can alone be solved by the education Of
the black men AMI efforts are now being
made in this direction"
Mr.. WashinQton contrasted the ways
which ware attempted to solve the negro
prolem thirty years ago and those now
racognizeh as the only solution to this
much mooted question. He said he could
rememb ber when 600 Of his people ware
shipped to Liberia, back to the country
from which they had been stolen by the
white man. The press and public, when
this emmigration took place, proclaimed
that the negro problem could then be
solved. 1t vas not taken into consider