Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-26

OF the forty buildings, many Of them three
and four-story brick structures, all except
the FIRST three small ones have been built
beginning with the making OF the bricks
and the cutting OF the lumber by the pupils
in the mechanical arts classes. Tuskegee
Is the largest school in the world for colored
pupils conducted wholly by colorcd teach
ers. Its executive force and instructors,
numbering nearly 100. are all men and
women Of the negro race, and except for the
board OF trustees, none OF whom reside at
the school, there is no one connected
the race for the helping of which
its efforts are directed one
unique feature OF Tuskegee is its Negro
conference, held there in February Of each
year. There are many other schools for
colored young men and women in the coun-
try, but nowhere else is there a school for
the fathers and mothers OF these young peo-
pie. That is what the conference really Is,
a school, even though its sessions are for
only one day in q year, and the most Of
the pupils who come to 1t have gray hair
and cannot read or write. AS l heard a
gri2zed old negro say, when he made the
prayer which opened one OF these sessions:
"Oh, Lawd, we wants to tank de for dis
our one day OBJ schoolin in de whole year
Tuskegee now has a fine new brick church
large enough to seat over 1000 people
dedicated in the spring of 1898. This build
ing was designed by one of the instructors
there, and, like all the others, built by the
boys. The growth of the school and of the
conference has been SO rapid during the
last five years that until this building was
erected there was no audience room large
enough to accommodate the students at
chapel or the men and women at the con-
ference and a rudely built temporary struc-
ture had been used. / doubt II the new
church will accommodate the conference
now, and If it does l am sure the meeting
will not be as impressive as 1t was in its
old surroundings.
An Intensely Practical Leader.
MIR. Washington is genius as presiding
officer over such a gathering, and gets more
good out of it than any one else could get.
He is intensely practical, and keeps discus
slons down to practical subjects. Don't let
us try to grasp the moon," l have heard
him say; then Let us first take the things
at hand and the others will take care of
themselves"
Suppose you are engaged in milking
cows" he says, 81 thing 1t better to talk
of practical things, with which you are
acquainted, although l know that many OF
YOU boys would much rather have me tell
YOU how you could reach congress than to
prove a successful mixer. But / suspect
that more of us, for a good many years TO
come, will have to milk cows instead Of
having a chance of going to congress, so it
won't hurt 1 think, to talk just now of
milking cows. and II the boy who milks
the cow is a success at that, he may lay
that as a foundation stone for his future
congressional career
Mr. Washington simply leads and directs
the discussion. The speakers are the farm
ers and workngmen and their wives. They
talk of the need of negroes coming TO own
land for themselves, the foolishness of rals-
ing only cotton, the evils of the crop mort
gage system, the need and value OF schools.
There is no CLOSING over of evil or mis-
management. A spade is called a spade
every time. The women take just as ac-
tive a part as the men, which seems very
fitting. since Mr.. Washngton's most ettl-
cient helper at Tuskegee and throughout the
country is his wife. In fact, think the
two most impressive utterances at the last
conference came from women one young
unmarried woman, herself graduate rus
kegee got the floor, after several attempts,
for there are always more ready to talk
than can possibly be heard. Don't De
so shiftless" she cried. God won't help
us unless we help ourselves. I'll tell you
what l did. Last year Mr.. Washington told
what could be done with three acres OIL
land and 1 made up my mind I'd try it,
even If / am woman So l hired three
acres of land and had it plowed. 1 had
II plowed deep, too No lazy niger half
did the Job. for l sat on the ground my
self to see it done. Then l planted it,
She went on to give the details of tie diff
ferent crops and showed how she had
cleared nearly $50 from shat piece of land.
President McI<inicy's Eulogy.
President Mckinley emphasized this fact
when, speaking at Tuskegee, he said: 10
speak to Tuskegee without paying speclal
tribute to Booker T. Washingtons genius
and perseverance would be impossible. The
inception of this noble enterprise was his
and he deserves high credit for it. His was
the enthusiasm and enterprise which made
its steady progress possible and established
in the institution its present high standard
Of accomplishments. He has won worthy
reputation as one of the great leaders OF MS
race. Widely known and much respected at
home and abroad as an accomplished edu-
Gator. good orator and true philan-
thropist."
Mr. Washington's reply to this address
shows the breadth of mind with which he has
approached the problem with which he has
had to deal: I'VE welcome you all to this
spot where without racial bitterness, but
with sympathy and friendship, with the aid
of the state, and with the aid of black men
and white men, with southern help and
northern help, we are trying to assist the
nation in working out one of the greatest
problems ever given to men to solve. In
the presence of the chief magistrate of the
nation am glad to testify that in our efforts
to teach our people to put brain and skill
and dignity into the common occupations OF
life. we have not only the active help of all
classes of citizens in the little town OF
Tuskegee, but OF the best people of the
south"
TOLD OUT OF COURT.