Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-28
DOING GRAND WORK
DR.. Merriman Tells His Congre.
CATION About Tuskegee
Institute.
he Has Just Returned From Visit to
the Southern institution and Re-
Iates His Impression.

NSi4iiiS from a snort trip in the south
and during his absence he spent a few
Gays at the Tuskegee school, at the head
OF which is the famous Booker II. Wash.
ington. He took occasion, Sunday morn.
ing, instead of preaching a regular SER
mon, to speak of some of the phases OF
the noble work that Tuskegee Institute
under Principal Washington, is doing
for the Improvement and uplifting of the
southern race.
Or. Merriman said in part
nave just returned from a flying visit
TO the south and to one of its most won.
dertul institutions. / have thought ii
would be profitable as well as interest
ing to you, that should give some ac-
count of the scenes and facts with which
my mind has been familiar during the
past week or ten days.
1t is now more than thirty years since
the close of the civil war, when the
south was left PROSTATE and destitute
FROM three to four millions of freedm IN
In ignorance and abject poverty were
upon her hands. The first movement for
these freedmen was with the spelling
book. Quantities of schools were estab.
Llshed. These schools were all schools OF
'SSCNA ASoeA AAAli6s I1IGlG we're uOIl6 Ol Tile
means for an Industrial education.
There was one man, himself product
OF best New England stock, who had
been reared on a missionary ground
who had received his education in New
England college, who had been an Off
Ger Of the war, to see the need of an
education Of the hand. This was Gen
Armstrong. In 1881 a graduate Of the in
stitution at Hampton, who had also been
a teacher there, in response to demand
from group Of colored people at Tus-
kegee, Alabama, went>to the little town,
where the negroes outnumbered the
whites 4 and to l. and there began,
single handed, the instruction of the col
ored people Booker Washipgton's idea
was that of Gen. Armstrong, namely,
that the negro should be taught to do
something with his hand. This idea he
has steadily pursued, and today his in
stitution has about 1900 acres of land, 40
buildings from the most humble cottage
to the new chapel, just now approach
Ing completion, which was the gift of
New York woman, and cost about
S35, 900 and seats $500 persons. The school
has about a thousand students and IS
teachers, every one of them colored, and
q plant valued at about $280, 900, with the
apparatus for the successful conduct of
about % industries. All Of the buildings,
even the new chapel, have been built by
the students.
Mr.. Washington early bought the
brickyard next to the school, and today
the best bricks in northern Alabama are
made by the colored freedmen in Tuske-
gee, and 100000 OF them have just been
purchased by business man there for
the erection Of q block upon the princi-
pal corner in the town. There is also
included in the schools plant a farm,
which is conducted with care for the
economical training of the people. A
carpenter shop, a blacksmith shop, a
wagon-making establishment, machine
shop and foundry, a harness-making
shop, paint shop and printing office
equipped with a cylinder press upon
which the monthly publication of the
school, as well as much of the other
printing of the town is done, are other
features of the school work. For the
young women students there is training
in all the various branches that will
enable a young woman to establish and
properly conduct a decent home.
Every young man who goes to the
school for the first year works in some
one of these industries every day and
has two hours Of studies and recitations
each night. At the end of the first year
the students have schooling during the
daytime on all but two days of the
week. During the two days they work
In some one Of the industrial branches
of the institution. After they have fin
ished that career they are the master of
some trade, il it is no more than the
making Of bricks Tuskegee school is
not simply an industrial school in the
generally accepted meaning Of the word.
1t is really a normal school, and when
the students complete their course and
go out among their fellow-nen they be-
come centres of intelligence in that
special community. Many of them be-
come teachers, and for this their work
at Tuskegee qualities them as much as
1t does for the following OF a trade.
They not only have the command of a
useful avocation, but they have also an
insight into education. They are capa-
BILE OF forming an intelligent and able
judgment of things, and the acuteness
OF the race problem is more likely to be
settled by their Tuskeges training.
There is alsc a training school in bib
hcal science presided over by a colored
man who is a graduate of Andover The
ologicat Seminary. 1t is a simple school
OF theology, and intended to make those
VINO are anxious to preach something.
more than mere exhorters. But all this
IS put small part of the activity of the
A+AoeAtdblOAl ebllO VI I1N. w ASIlllSJOn.
Last Wednesday I had the privilege
of attending the annual negro confer
ence in this place. At the beginning Of
the session there were gathered within
the temporary pavilion, constructed out
OF rough boards, at least 2500 persons
and as many more were outside 1t
was estimated that there were 5000 eon-
gregated to attend the conference.
Bagerness, enthusiasm and the great
est interest to hear every word charac-
terized the meeting, which began at
1890 o'clock and continued until three
o'clock in the afternoon.
There was first a simple devotional
service, and then Mr. Washington told
the people what they ought to do at
their homes Such a DOWNRIGHT matter
of fact, but at the same time, business
like and inspiring address 1 have not
heard for some time. tits a great
thing to get these colored people
to realize their own condition, as they
do by attending these conferences, and
to show to them that corn-bread and
pork and one room cabin are not
suitable conditions of life. By the eve
ming all those who had attended the
day session had gone home again, and
then the students had a gathering at
which rather higher class of exercises
was. conducted.
The various trades, without the sort
of industrial training that is given at
Tuskegee, are likely to slip from the
control of the colored people, who will
then be reduced to mere agricultural
serfs. The enthusiam-,of the north UNI
dertook to teach the people letters and
to give them good literary training,
The result was that when the old peo-
pie, who knew the trades, passed away,
there were no persons to take their
places The colored men must have
some trade learning. 1t is by this train
ing that they are trained in character,
and are enabled to get training in
morals and in decency.
THE result of this work among the