Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-08-31

be was just about as black as it is pos
sible for man to be. Nevertheless, L
sent him on to apply for tho place. |
When he made his errnnd known to the |
owners they looked at him and said: l
A colored man? Oh, that would |
never do, you know.
1.-THE applicant for work said very |
politely that he had not come there to
talk about his color, but about the
making of butter. Still, they said he
would not do.
Finally, however, something the
man said attracted the attention of the
owners of the creamery, and they told
him he might stay two weeks on trial,
although they still assured him that
there was no possibility whatever of
their hiring a colored man. He went
to work, and when the report for the
first weeks shipment of butter came
back-would you believe it?-that but
ter had sold for two cents pound more
than any butter ever before made at
that creamery The owners of the
establishment said to each other, Why,
now, this is very singular! and waited
for the second week. When the returns
for that week came back-a cent a
pound more than for the week previous,
three cents a pound more than the
creamery's best record before our man
had taken charge of it-they didn't
say anything. They just pocketed the
extra dividend, as welcome as it was
unexpected, and hired the man for a
term of years. That extra three cents
q pound on the price of the butter he
could make had knocked every bit of
black out of the color of his skin SO far
as they we're concerned. "
Out of the desire Of Mr.. Washington
to help the struggling negro farmers
has grown one of Tuskegee's greatest
institutions-the annual Negro Confer
ence which assemblies there each year.
About 10 years ago Mr.. Washington
invited few of the negro farmers who
lived near Tuskegee to meet at the in
stitute on a stated day "to talk over
things" Perhaps 20 men accepted the
invitation. These men, gathered in one
of the smaller rooms of the institute,
under Mr.. Washington leadership
discussed the problems with which
they had to contend, the different ones
among them told how they had sue
ceeded or failed. The meeting was felt
to be SO helpful that another was
planned for the next year. From that
small beginning has developed con
ference which now brings to Tuskegoe,
In February OF each year, 1900 persons,
from dozen States, and representing
many occupations besides that of farm.
ing. These men and women are the
parents of the generation which is al
school at Tuskegee and similar institu
| tiohs. These fathers and mothers live6
"too soon" to be able to profit by suct
j. A.. H. Al i -.
write. and nearly all of them know b,
experience what slavery was. The,
see their children learning SO much
which was unattainable for them tina
they ask, "Is there no chance for usY'
The conference is Tuskegee's attemp
to answer that cry. AS one grizzled ole
negro preacher, whom ! heard make
the opening prayer one year, said, &C
our one day OBJ schoolin' in de who'll
year,
n Beginning with this year the confer
ences will be held in the new church
which will comfortably seat all tn
delegates. Until this church was con,
pleted, though, there was no audienc
room at the institute which woul
begin to accommodate all who came
and the sessions were held in rud
. temporary building, which was ais
, utilized for chapel and graduation eS
ercises. Convenient as the new churc
is in every way, / shall always mis-
the unique gathering in that old paw
ion. Imagine broad, low buildin
OF unplaued boards, its floor the eartt
and its seats backless benches made b
! spiking planks on to posts driven int
. the ground. From its rafters han
MASSES Of Spanish moss, amid whic
5 streamers of red, white and blue bun
s ing are woven. On the walls are mar
. American flags, looped back with IL
: spiked leaves of the palmetto tire
: Booker Washington stands on 10
{ platform at one end of the room, ar
4 all around him, packed just as close
Y as they can be, are the people, viii
!, hundreds of late comes cluster arour
Q the doors and open windows like be
4 around the opening Of a hive. \
2 matter il the benches are packless al
: hard. No opera audience in 30 chat
O ever sat half so interested for an ho-
4 as do these men and women throul
all the day, which, long as it is, prov
y far too short for what they have to sa
!, This is the one day of the year
n them, and not minute must be waste
IS The speakers are tho men and wom
" themselves. Mr.. Washington simp
starts the discussions and steers the
It so as to make all the time count. /
d is genius as presiding officer, al
e gets more out of the limited time TIL
!. any one else could do. The subiec
IS which they discuss are the practic
% ones which concern them most vital
q Some have mentioned non -ownersh
e of land, crop-mortgaging, and the o.
IS of raising only cotton. Others are t
,r need. of a longer school year and HI
10 to get it, the foolish extravagsnces
D. buying snowy clocks, sewing machir
os and organs before a house is owned
r put them in, and similar subiec
t. The time is never long enough for
~ there is to be said. The effort is
re make this center from which SOL
" helpful thought will be carried out
RS take root during the year.I
ly ] saw striking example of the inf
On ence which the conference may exert
ns mulatto woman had finally succeed
~ in getting chance to speak, for tn,
wv are always twice as many to talk
ey can find time. "Last year Brot.
or Washington told u.s. she said, "tl
i'll three acres of lard, properly carried I
a. would support person, and told
On how, and said that woman as we'll
ed man could carry on the land. mt
of up my mind I'd try it. / did, and
ge SO. hired three acres of land and i
lie it plowed. had it plowed deep, Il
II. No lazy niger half done the job, 70
1t, sat on .hes ground myself to see
o. done" She then went on to tell wi
NJ, her seed and fertilizer had cost, wi
r. she planted and raised, and what
ito profits were, showing them to be gu