Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-02-03
WASHINGTON SPEAKS.
AIabama's Colored Orator Ap.
pears at Harper's
Theatre.
SOLUTION OF THE RACE PROBLEM.

Holds That the Redemption of His Peo- |
pie Lies in Industrial Development
Succeeded in Their Avocations by the
White Man Through the Employ ment of
Superior Methods-Means OF Education.
Booker I. Washington was greeted at
Harper's theatre last night by anappre-
ciative audience that listened with
great interest to his address upon the
solution of the race problem. Prof.
Washington is large, angular, light
colored negro, with strong, expressive
countenance and a manner peculiar to
himself. He is very eloquent and
forceful in his expressions and carries
conviction TO the minds and hearts of
his hearers. He was introduced by
Judge w. II. Gest.
He said that many solutions of the
race problem had been suggested by
various philanthropists and patriots.
among which were the deportation of
the negroes to Liberia, in Africa, or
the establishment of all the negroes
in colony somewhere in the United
States. The objection to the first plan
was that more children were born per
day than could be deported in a single
month with the ordinary facilities of
travel. To the second method, ter
ritory to which the negroes would be
assigned would have to have high
wall to keep the negroes in and n
higher wall to keep the whites out.
Several other plans had been suggested
but all seemed to fail of the desired
result.
Solution Suggested.
The solution which the speaker
suggested was the education no less
of the hand than of the brain of the
negro and thus fit him to cope with
the superior Intelligence and manual
training of his white brethren. For
$50 years during the time that the
negro was in slavery God was prepar
ing the way for the redemption of the
race through industrial development.
The negro would find himself valued
and appreciated as a citizen in pro-
portion as he learned to do some
thing as well or better than anyone
else. All the work before emancipa-
ton was done by the negro in the
south, said Mr.. Washington. Conse-
Iquently he had habits of industry.
He worked, but through lack of intel
Iligence and the economIZing of effort
he was not able to accomplish as much
as he might. And in almost al the
usual ayocations, which formerly
wore almost exclusively in the con-
troll of the negro, the white man by
superior methods had been able 10
Gust him from his occupations. This
was especially true of the business of
barbering. white-washing, laundrying
and other like occupations. If the
NEGRO was to maintain his position in
the industrial world he must be
trained not only to work, but to work
in the best possible manner and with
the least expenditure of time and
effort. Many illustrations of these
points were given by the speaker
from his personal experience.
Mr.. Washington said the work al
lTuskegee, Ala, and other like insti.
tutions throughout the south, was tc
provide not only an education in the
ordinary common branches of learn.
ing. but to provide as well knowl
edge of the best way of doing a great
many things, and thus fit the gradu
ates for successful competition will
the best white labor north or south.
H.