Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-05-25
An ELOQUENT Address Before the Mother
Congress.

dergartenS In different sections of Wash.tE
ington for colored children It Amounted
out with the kindergarten the question
came to us, where shall we find teachers
A wrote to New York and to Philadel-&
phia and to the west for teachers. butt
prepared for this work that we could not
get any Of them Il Out OF that arose the
necessity for training young women for 4
this work. We have up to this time sent
out into the field twenty-eight young
women, some in the north. two in the
south, two who are teaching private kin 4
dergartens, the rest to be public school
kindergarten teachers. When we estab.&
lished these private training schools sup
ported by private effort. we felt the bur.
den was too heavy, SO we went to our
municipalities, our commissioners, who
preside over our destinies. We asked
them If they would not necommend to
congress, which makes all the appropria-3
Of $4,000 to have kindergartens made a
part Of our public school system. I was
appointed to 60 before the district CON-
mittee, Of whom that, grand old man,
whom the colored people love, honor and
trust, Senator Allison, Is a member. You
know the colored people never appeal to
Senator Allison in vain 1t there is any
merit behind the appeal and he would
not say no, even IN the senate, II he did
I made my argument he said: ''You have
made a noble argument for your race,
and well,'' he said. 'You shall have the
appropriation Of $4,000, 5000 to the white
colored people forming one-third Of the
district population. Now we have to Sc
cure to the children Of Washington and
in few cases children of the south a
kindergarten for the children. We must
still maintain that training school for
teachers. That may possibly be done by
Individual effort for Washington alone
But we must do more than that we must
send these teachers throughout the length
and breadth Of the southland II We are
ever to solve Alright the race question. 1t
Is our hope that next year we may bring
from Tuskegon four young women rec
commended by Booker Washington, four
recommended by South Carolina, four
recommended by Shaw county, four rec
commended by Louisiana, bring them and
train them in washington because there
is no other training school in the
country In order to do that we must
have funds. We have had many solutions
offered. 1t is the absorbing question of
the day. Light is breaking, I think, when
men come together as they did week be-
fore last and as they will come in Ten
nessee soon to discuss this question.
Take all the solutions that have been
offered to put peace and harmony and
love between the races in the southA
They seek our Acknowledgement to SOLVE
the question They make mistake, for
Wlen the dlV1ne spark OF freedom has
once stirred In the soul it is dearer than
life itself. For while we acknowledge.
that labor in the sweat of ones brow is
the only antidote for vice, yet labor does
not secure the blessings to posterity that
it should. 1t is potent factor for the
present. &E s
The solution of this question lies in the
building up Of a strong character. Where
are you going to begin to mold char
acter? How shall you mold character:
Can you mold character? Can you plant
the seed in the harvest time and expect
to reap ripe, rich fruits?
1t must be sown in the spring time Of
fife. we must take the little children,
we can secure it through the home. But
we must take the best substitute we have
the kindergarten There we do find
the wise home and the wise mother That
is the solution Of the race question.7se.sss
course it will take years and years, but
If 1t is not solved 1t is a menace to the
institutions Of this country. You must
stand by your assertions, that # man can
control himself he does not have to be;
controlled by few. 81 II
And my plea to you today, the women
of the east, the women of the west, the
women of the north and of the south, is
what will you do to send this gospel Of
love and peace and joy into the south-,
land? For forty years, almost, we have
been wandering in the wilderness like
the children of Israel. Blasted hopes are
burning. almost in bitterness.