Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-01-04
THE DIGNlTYOF AGRICULTURE

Dr. Porter Pens 6 Few Pointers on the
Farmers congress-Iie Greatly Adj
mires Brooker T. Washington, the
Negro Lecturer and phiianrhIopist-
Governor Hoard in Ills Element.
EDITOR CESsoR: Ca December 6 u
the Natioral farmers Congress CO.
veued at Fort Worth, Texas, with.x
Governor Hoard in the presidents chair.
Bishop Garrett read the opening invo-
cation. Tho mayor of Fit. Worth well
coined the congress to the city and said.
''c!vilization begins and ends vi b the
pillow" Secretary John M. Stbhl re-
sponded He said the farmers vocation
has become so important that parents
make their fool boys into lawyers ard
traders ard their smartest ones irtc
farmers; advocates good roads, pure
food laws, ard the keeping of gamblers
away from our fairs.
Governor Cnibersop, CT Texas. gave
scholarly address and said the growth
OF agriculture in the United States in
the past half century was upprecedenl ed
in the worlds history. Our population
Is one-sixth of the worlds population,
yet We raise on third of the food and
one half of the fibre Of the world Each
farmer in the United States cnltivates
81 acres against s in the United King
dom and 8 in France. The farmer in
all ages has been The conservative force
IN civilization; his freedom from cor.
ruption is recn9 I'D by al. The agri-
cultural states ara the surest abiding
places OF liberty. CIR at depression
exists in the re OF agricultural pro-
ducts. From 1872 IN 1895 The d preci.
alton amounted 10 So 600, 100000. 1t
occurs to The gov, rnor that :. lief lies
10 crop diversity, in the establishment
OF fhctoiies, in the enlargement OF our
foreign ma: kats and the improvement
of the homes OF our people The gov.
ernCr closed his able address with
princes and Lords are but the breath
of kings: splendid manhood is the
worn Of God"
Col. Clayton, of Iowa. in responding
to the governors address said, "In
thirty years the United States have
accumulated more wealth than John
Bnll has ii 400 years"
President Hoard then read his annual
address. IL was one of the hb,est papers
read at the congress. He dwelt particu-
larly on teaching the elements of agri
Culture in tbs common schools. young
men flee to tie cities because we educate
them to DO so. In Europe the govern.
ments educate turner's boys to stay on
the farms. 1t is 10 great thing to be n
merchant, banker or lawyer; but the
farmer must inter pret the Maker of the
Earth, and he is the only vice gerent
God ever put on the EARTH" Governor
Hosrd is an able presiding officer. In
Introducing speaker he would often
tell short story or make few appro-
pirate remarks. In the evening in in
trodncing Booker T. Washington, Gov
error Hard said: THE people of this
country, regardless of race, nationality
or religion, have been watching the
work of one of the foremost educators
of America; | esteem it profound priv
i|ege to introduce to you Booker T.
WASH gton." A large and enthusiastic
audien greeted this talented negro
orator, who is doing so much for his
race The galleries we're filed with
negroes. Mr. Washington said he was
born slave in 1858 or SO, he knew
not which, AZ d that when old enough
to work, ha went to Virginia add labored
in coal mine He heard of school
"t Hampton, Virginia, where black boys
could learn 10 read and write. He re-
solved to go to that schnoi. He found
himself in Richmond without friends,
food or money He slept under side
walk till morning.; got work next day
1T unloading ship; worked there several
days still sleeping in the hole under the
sidewalk, urJ Ill he had money enough
20 get him TO Hampton He attended
school here ard resolved to devote his
life to the upbuildinn of his race In
1881 he started the uskegee Institute
in one small rickety shanty with thirty
students. Now they have thousand
Students, boys and girls, and constant
population at the college, OF teachers
and students, of twelve hundred. They
cultivate q large farm and make it
constant object lesson; teach drainage,
dairy ing, care of tools, agricultural
chemistry, etc The students recently
made college chapel, built totally by
the students, and it is one of the lsrg.
est and finest churches in the south;
81 of the 80 college buildings have been
erected by the students. A few discon-
nected sentences from my rote book will
give an idea Of Mr. Washington's ad
dress: "Tne negro has got to work
ont his salvation with the saw, plane
and hoe. Negro prayed Lord send dis
darkey turkey None came. He
pray ed Lord send dis daIkey to tur-
key ard it came. In slavery the negro
was taught the mechanical trades. For
twenty years after the war he was edu-
Gated by book alone We fonnd he was
losing the legacy If industrial training
he had paid for in $50 years of slavery.
The negro has got to learn to dignity
and beautify common labor. In Wis
cousin [ saw white man blowing corn
sitting on the pillow end with awning
over him; saw n negro pillow corn in
Georgia with rirkety mule, rickety
old cultivator and breken harness
Must teach the negro to dignity farm
ing Teach that nan cen be farmer
ard be a cultured, educated gentleman.
Eighty-fve per cent of the south live
bv agriculture; so we are educating our
students in the science OF agriculture.
10 the last 80 years the negro las been
taught of heaven and hell, and every
thing ell 9, but how to get living.
When you find an ignorant farming
community, You fnd them producing q
single crop. We teHct diversified farm
ing. A Tuskegee student raised 266
bushels t, { sweet potatoes on an acre and
cleared 1921 The white farmers took
an interest in his experiment and all
admired him for his success. To settle
the race problem put a hundred such
negroes into every county"
Since l heard this remarkable man
lecture, the president of the United
States and his cabinet have made the
Journey up to the little college town OF
Tuskege to show their respect and ad-
miration for him, ard his work. The
president told the students of the 7alue
of 'industry and integrity, quahsies
which they might all possess. Score
tary Long gave :he distinction between
service" and ''servitude." Secretary
Wilson said tint the training given the
4-.1,,,tc tbara obt i1e 1iyan The white