The age-herald., 1899-03-30
BOOKER WASHINGTON
 AT THE LYCEUM 
Will Lecture to Birmingham
 Audience Tonight.
SOCIAL EQUALITY NOT IN II
He Comes Simply to Tell the White People His Experience in Educat- ing the Negro, So Explains
 His Private Secretary.

Booker T. Washington, principal of the famous Tuskegee Normal and Industrial institute for negroes, and one of the fore most men of his race in this country, will deliver an address at Seals hall tonight under the auspices of the Birmingham lyceum.
 Washington's coming to this city to ad dress white audience has occasioned some unfavorable criticism, the principal objec- ton being based upon allegations that the social question is involved.
 Emmett J. Scott, Washingtons private secretary, arrived in the city yesterday to meet Washington, who will arrive here to- day from New York, and to an Age-H Herald reporter expressed the belief that the ob- ject of Washington's coming to this city was misunderstood by those who have raised objection. Scott is an intelligent col ored man and spoke most interestingly of Washington, who has addressed white au- diences in other cities. He said
 Has Many Invitations
 "There is scarcely a day in the year that Booker T. Washington is not asked by southern white gentlemen and ladies to ex- plain the nature, methods and object of the work he is doing at Tuskegee for the edu- cation of the negro race, and I think that in inviting him to appear before them in this city the members of the lyceum asso- citation had in view simply the idea of hav- ing him explain this work to a large num- Der of southern people just as he would have explained it to individuals. He scarce ly ever speaks to an audience anywhere in, lie that ,bar of southern ladies and gentlemen in the audience, and invariably l notice that they always come to the platform afterwards and thank him in the most hearty manner for his treatment of the subject of race re- lations in the south At Thomasville, Ga., he spoke last year to the best white men and women of that section at a fair and no word of criticism came from any one, either because of his color or because of anything said in his address. He was nev- CT more heartily thanked than by these southern men and women.
 Has No Socal Bearing
 Booker Washington's visit to Birming- ham and his appearance before a white audience has no social bearing, and none more than he appreciates this fact He comes dlere not TOT the purpose or QellNer- ing a set or formal oration, but simply 10 talk in plain, informal manner about tle work of the Tuskegee Institute and it's re- suits upon the negro, which the whole south seems to be so much interested in, and am sure that no one who understands Booker T. Washington or the work which he is trying to do can properly have the idea that his speaking before the Lyceum has any bearing: toward social equality. can say that Booker Washington did not decide to come here until he was convinced that the invitation was backed up by the leaders of southern thought and opinion in this section of the state, and he felt that the Lyceum would not have invited him If its members, had not been sure that he would consider it in the proper and sensl- ble light.
 ''The best white people of the south are always interested in anything that tends toward the education of the negro, and in this case they simply wanted to get more definite knowledge about the methods of education at Tuskegee. It seems to be per fectly natural that since the white peep of Alabama pay in so large a measure the cost of the negro's education that they should take every opportunity to get hold of definite knowledge bearing upon his progress in education. This is looking at the matter from a simple, straight business point of view. l am sure that Booker Washington feels that the question of the education of the negro is vital to the in- terestS of every man in Alabama and that it is most important that white people keep in close touch with the education of the black masses"