The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-17
President NIcKinIey's Address.

Governor Johnston then introduced Presi-
dent Mckinley, who spoke as follows:
Teachers and Pupils of Tuskegee-To
meet you under such pleasant auspices and
to have an opportunity of personal OBJ
servation of your work is indeed most graft
flying. The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial
Institute is ideal in conception, and has all
ready large and growing reputation in the
country, and is not unknown abroad cons
graduate you all who are associated in this
undertaking for the good work which it is
doing in the education of it's students to
lead lives of honor and usefulness, thus ex-
alting the race for which it was established
Nowhere, / think, could more delightful
location have been chosen for this UNIQUE
educational experiment, which has attracted
the attention and won the support even of
conservative philanthropists in all sections
of the country.
ITO speak of Tuskegee without paying
special tribute to Booker T. Washington's
genius and perseverance would be impos-
sibe. The inception of this noble enterprise
was his, and he deserves high credit for it.
His was the enthusiasm and enterprise
which made its steady progress possible and
established in the institution its present
high standard of accomplishment He has
won worthy reputation as one of the great
leaders of his race, widely known and much
respected at home and abroad as an ac-
complished educator, a great orator and
true philanthropst.
What steady and gratifying advances
have been made here during the past fifteen
years a personal inspection of the material
equipment strikingly proves. The fundamen-
tai plan of the original undertaking has
been steadily followed, but new features have
been added; gaps in the course of instruction
have been filled in; the patronage and re-
sources have been largely increased, until
the Legislature of the State of Alabama rec
ognized the worth of the work and the
great opportunities here afforded. From one
small frame house, the institute has grown
until it includes the fine group of dormitor-
les, recitation rooms, lecture halls, and work
shops which have so surprised and delighted
us to-day. A thousand students, l am told
are here cared for by nearly hundred
teachers. altogether forming, with the prep
aratory department, a symmetrical scholas-
tic community, which has we'll been called
a model of the industrial colored schools of
the South. Certain it is that pupil fitting
herself or himself for mechanical work can
here have the widest choice of useful and
domestic occupations.
A PROGRESSIVE POLICY.
zone thing like about this institution is
that its policy has been generous and pro-
gressive; 1t is not so self-centered or in
terested in its own pursuits and ambitions
as TO ignore what is going on in the rest
of the country or make 1t difficult for out
siders to share the local advantages. l al
lude especially to the spirit in which the an
nual conferences have been here held by
leading colored citizens and educators, with
the intention of improving the condition of
their less fortunate brothers and sisters.
Here we see is immense field and
one which cannot too soon or too carefully
be utilized. The conferences have grown in
popularity and are well calculated not only
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