Evening star., 1897-04-06
THE SOUTH'S PROBLEM
Industrial Status of the Negro Popula-
ton.
Booker T. washingtOn's Address at
the Fifteenth street Church
Future of the Race.

The Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church,
Rev. F. ]. Grimke. d. D.. pastor, was
crowded last evening to hear Prof. Booker
T. Washington, president of the Tuskegee,
Ala, Institute. deliver a lecture on The
Forces in Hand.
Dr. Grimke presided The speaker was
introduced by Prof. II. NJ. Brown OF the
Colored High School in some appropriate
remarks
In the course of his remarks Mr. Wash
itgton said: THE problem in the south
is "A simple one if stick to the right
principles. AS bad as slavery was. IL
brought the southern white man into busl-
ness contact with the negro for 80 years
If a southern white man wanted 10 puiid
q house he consulted negro about the
planning and building of that house II
he wanted a suit of clothes made ne con-
suited a negro tailor about the making OF
those clotEes the business contact during
slavery left the negro at the close OF the
war in possession of all the skilled labor
of the South-but the great problem thdt
Is more and more pressing upon us each
year is: Can the negro hold on to those
skilled occupations that were purchased
for him at the expense of 800 years OF
slavery? Can we hold own against the
incoming foreign skilled laborers and
trades unions that are beginning TO spread
through the south? We can not unless
from Hampton and Tuskegee and other in
stitltions we can send out a constant
stream of young men and women with not
only skilled hands, but with h1ghiy cuiu-
waited brains and hearts. who can lead our
people in their Industrial life. 1t Is along
this line that Tuskegee is working
You ask what has this to do with the
higher life-the moral and religious side!
answer much Show me race that is
living on the outer edges of the industrial
world, Is living on the SKINNED milk OF
business and / will show you a race that
cannot be all that ii desires In morals and
religion In the elevation of a race, as
well as of an individual. it is necessary
that threw as n uch responsibility on
the race itself aS possible
Here comes another value of industrial
education at the south In the present
condition of my race 1t means much 70
the mar hood. the independence the self
reliance of our students to give them a
Glance as We do III Tuskegee to work out,
as they do. our farms. in our shops ami
various departments, the greater portion
of their expenses while learning trade
AT Tuskegee We have property that is
valued at S26O.G0. including 800 acres OF
land thirty-six buildings. twenty-six diff
ferent Industries There are 500 students,
representing twenty-five different states
and eighty-one instructors If 1 add our
teachers with their families. we have
cclcny of about LOO. This institution is
largely the result OF the effort of these
students at self-help. Our students work
out the greater portion OF the cost of their
board at our twenty-six Industries. but they
are not able to pay the $50 year In ad-
dtiCn. which is the cost of the tuition BY
personal effort we are compelled to raise
I'm the gulf states - per cent Of our
people are Oh the plantations. but the
problem there Is not discouraging one
If we keep in mind the idea of self-help-
The negro on these plantations works and
ears money enough to support, educate
and church himself. Our people on these
plantations do not need. neither do they
ask that charity be scattered among them
but they do need to have educated men
and women sent among them. who can
teach them habits of thrift, economy, bet
n.fh nIl nf
the money that now goes into whisky.
SNUFF and cheap jewelry and put it into
the purchasing of land and the building Of
decent dwelling and school houses.
Eight years ago one of our graduates
begaI work one of these plantations
whore the people were in debt mortgaging
their crops. with a school taught in log
cabin. lasting but three months Now. in
this same community. / can show you
men Out of debt. owning their own farms,
a school lasting seven months and COM
plete revolution in the religious. Industrial
and educational life of the community.
Not a dollar came from the outside. but
they had this teacher to show them how
TO use their earnings.
The problem between the races will
work itself out Trade. commerce. Is fast
bringing the north and south together. and
this force will bring the white man and
the black man in the south together
wherever there is estrangement.
Here. again, Is the value of Industrial
education In slavery the negro tied
to the white man through the bill of sale.
IA freedom the negro must tie himself to
the white man through the bonds of COM
nerce and by the cultivation in every
manly way OF the sympathetic good will
Of his next-door neighbor.
The black man that has 5000 tC lend
will have no trouble in finding friends and
borrowers among his white ne.ghoors. The
black man that manufactures the best
brick in his community will always find
white men to purchase those brick. When
negro has the best farm to be found In
y Txbi will
him. When negro Is the largest tax
payer to he found in his county, mis- white
neighb1rs will not object very long to his
voting and having that vote honestly
counted In all parts of the country there
should he more vital and practical con-
nectton between the negros educated brair
and his opportunity for earning a living
What | am trying 10 do a; Tuskegee
with our S'h students Is 10 give them sc
much brain and skill that they con.
troll the forces of nature, water horse pow
er. steam power and electricity that they
can make nature do the work, Just as the
white man does Take this view of indus
trial education You can see at once thai
20 Tar from being something TO teach the
negro TO work. IL teaches him rather how
not TO work as in ante-belum days; Il
teaches him how TO lift labor up out Of
toll and drudgery into that which is glori
fed. dignifiei and beautiful
More and more must give attention
10 this Industrial training or go to the wal
as a race. Even now IN many parts of tn,
were. our life-blood that are gradually slip
ping from US Especially Is this true O.
the laundering. nursing, contracting, wooS
work and iron work. Shall we shut ON
eyes TO these important facts or shall W,
face the Issue and prepare ourselves I,
compete with the rest of the world?
Heretofore have had too much O
the idea that educated man must eithe
teach. preach. be n clerk or follow a pro
fession- Our graduated must NOR
and more go TO the farms. into the trades
start brick yards mills factories
open coal mines. They must apply thei
education TO conquer the forces of nature
We must bring our education down I
the plain. practical. hard. everyday facts
As race we are very emotional. We ar
fpclined to spend more OF our time prepar
Ing 10 live in heaven than on earth W
Ike to talk about living in the white man
sions in the upper world and at the sam
time living In one-room cabin here W
Ike to preach about golden slippers ar.
long white robes in the other world and z
barefooted and nearly naked in this worlC
We like TO sing about living on milk an
honey in the next world and eat corn brea
and peas here. i believe that living rfgf