The colored American., 1900-05-26


Booker T. Washington has come an
gone.
His visit was a triumph. Our communit
knows more of the man and his work, an
his influence has expanded and taken firme
root.
Tuesday evening the famous wizard O
Tuskegee," the most illustrious apostle o
Industrial education, addressed the peopl
Of Washington on the status of the negro
treating the theme on entirely new lines
anayzng our condition from moral, relig
ous, political, economic and educationa
standpoints. Despite the strong counter at
fractions, an illuminated parade down tow
and a fire only a block away, spaciou
Metropolitan A. M. E. Church has rarel
been filled by larger or more thorough
representative audience than that whicl
greeted Mr.. Washington on this occasion
Mr.. Washington came by invitation o
Bethel Literary and Historical ASSociat tion
of which Prof. w. H. Richards is the ca
pable and energetic presiding officer.
Professional men and women, lnduStrla
factors and commercial agents, OF all de
grees, typical of the best progress and de
velopment of the race, sat side by side ant
listened, spell-hound, for an hour and
half to the eloquence and wisdom of tn
most renowned negro on American soil
Fully 1000 persons were there and the beS
evidence that the address struck popula
chord was the rapturouS applause Whlcl
followed every significant utterance an
punctuated every paragraph.
Mr.. Washington's appearance upon tn
rostrum was the signal for storm Of hand
clapping and the fiuttering of ladies' daint
handkerchiefS. He was introduced in
happily phrased and highly complimentar
speech by Prof. w. H. Richards.
THE wizard used but a moment for pre-
liminary remarks, proceeding directly to tn
discussion Of his subject. He was never il
better voice. and, though speaking for tn
most part from manuscript, so thorough.
was his topic imbedded in his mind, and 81
comprehensive was his grasp of the though
that none of his thrilling and magnetic ora
tOrical powers were sacrificed thereby Tht
opinion was generally expressed that th'
address Tuesday evening was the finest eff
fort yet put forth by the distinguished in
dustrialist, and that it more clearly thar
any previous utterance enunciated the prin
cipIes upon @hich he has built his lifes rep
utation.
Mr.. Washington said in part:
Mr.. WashfngtOn's Address.
When a great ship at sea is being tossed
during anxious days and nights by vino
and wave, and its very life seems threat
ened by the elements of nature, then is the
time for all on board. and especially those
charged with the duty of managing the yes
sci. to keep a cool head, a clear conscience
and a steady hand. In the midst of such
danger and excitement it becomes doubly
important that every insignificant and self
ish consideration be lost sight of, tha,
every fiber of energy of each individual Oh
board the endangered vessel be bent in one
directiOn-that of bringing the imperile6
craft into a harbor Of safety.
If ever a race needed supreme faith.
calmness, unity and invincible determina.
tiOn those qualities are needed by the
black race in America at the present time
when it is passing through season of tris
and testing such as has seldom fallen t1
the lot of any race in the history of the
world. But beyond and above all we mus:
not lose hope or courage. In the midst OF
the storm let us be guided by the compass
The ocean track through which our YES
sci Is to pass was carefully and safely
charted in Holy Writ more than eighteen
hundred years ago. Let US examine 1t.
The chart:
In much patience, in affliction, in necss-
sity, in distresses, in stripes, in imprison-
ments, in tumuts, in labors, in watchings
in Hastings; by pureness, by knowledge. by
long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy
Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word OF
truth, by the power of God, by the armof
Of righteousness on the right hand and on
the left, by honor and dishonor, by evh
report and good report; as deceivers and
S0' u ue' dS uIlhHoW-l anu yet wen hiio" u
as dying and behold we live, as chastened
and not killed, as sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing: as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing and yet possessing all
things"
The Storm the Test.
1t is in the storm that the vessel is
tested and not in the calm.
In our case, the world should be con-
Stantly reminded that the problems that
have grown out of our presence as a race