The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-05-21
GOSPEL OF SERVICE
INTERESTING ADDRESS BY
 PROF. WARRINGTON.
Negro Educator Gave Sound Advice to Members of Negro Baptist
 Church - Many White
 Persons Present.

I AtohCcSOE oOOhCE "oCAAht tchs
 principal of the Tuskegee Normal
 school for negroe sat Tuskegee. de-
 livered an interesting and instructive
 address at the Dexter Avenue Baptist
 Church Sunday evening at o'clock.
 The address was listened to by a con-
 gregation which packed the church.
 Many white persons were present.
 Professor Washington spoke as fol- lows:
 | The subject which I am going to | speak to you for a few minutes, The
 Gospel of Service," may not on the first
 hearing strike very popular chord.
 but when l assure you that have
 nothing but the highest and best ip-
 terest of the race at heart in speaking
 to you upon this subject I believe that
 l shall have your confidence and CO., operation. The word service" has
 been too often misunderstood and has
 consequently carried with 1t a mean
 ing in too many cases indicating deg
 radiation. Every individual in some
 capacity serves another or should do so. Christ said he who will become
 greatest of all must become the ser-
 want of all. that is he meant to say
 that in proportion as one renders ser-
 vice he becomes great. The President | of the United States is a servant of the l people because he serves them; the Governor of Alabama is a servant be- cause he renders service to the people; the greatest merchant in Montgomery | is a servant because he renders service | to his customers; the school teacher | is a servant because it is his duty to
 serve the best interest of his pupils; | the cook is a servant because 1t is her duty to serve the best interest of those for whom she works; the house maid
 is servant because 1t is her duty to | care for in the best manner the proper | ty intrusted to her care; and so in one
 way or another every individual who | amounts to anything Is a servant. The only man or woman who is not a ser- | want Is one who accompnshes nothing. It Is very often true that a race like an individual does not appreciate the | opportunities that are spread before 1t until opportunities have disappeared. Before US as a race in the South today there is a vast field for service and use- fulness which Is still in our minds
 which I fear will not be ours
 very much longer to the extent that 1t
 has been unless we change our idea of
 service. put new life, dignity and in- tC1aA6 clAIC HUI 1CthdR6 | Oih At
 in saying that in no department of life
 has there been such great progress and such changes for the better during the last ten years than Is true in the de- partment of domestic service or house. keeping. The cook who does not make
 herself intelligent, who does not learn to do things in the neatest and clean
 est manner will soon find herself with
 out employment, or, at least. find her.
 self a drug on the market instead of
 being sought after and paid high
 wages. The woman who does not keep
 up with all the latest methods of deco
 rating and setting her table and put
 ting the food on 1t properly. will find
 her occupation gone within a few
 years. The same is true of general housekeeping, laundering and nursing. All of these occupations are at present
 in Sur hands, but I repeat that very great progress Is being made in every part of the world in all of them, and
 we will find that we will lose them un- less our women go forward and get rid of the old idea that such occupations are only fit for ignorant people to fol- tow. At the present time there are scores of books and magazines being published bearing upon every branch of domestic service. People are learn ing to do things in an intelligent and scientific manner. Sometime ago I sat TOT an hour listening to lecture de- livered on the subject of dusting. It was one of the most valuable hours that I have ever spent. The person who gave this lecture on dusting was a highly cultured and educated woman and her audience was composed of wealthy and cultured people. We must bring ourselves to the point where we can feel that one who cooks and does it we'll should be just as much hon. ored as the person who teaches school. What I have said in relation to the em- ployments which concerns our women is equally true of those occu- pations which are followed by our men. It is true that at present we are in a large degree cultivating the soil of the South, but If other people do this work more intel ligently. learn more about labor-saving machinery and become more conscien- tious than we, we will find our occu- patton departing. It used to be in many parts of the North that the negro was the coachman, but in a very large degree in cities like New York and Philadelphia, the negro has lost the occupation, not because, in my opinion, that he is negro, but because In many cases that he did not see that the oc- CuQdLlOn or COdCHHidH WdB constantly improving, that more and more of 1t was being lifted up and brains and skill put into 1t until 1t has almost be- come a profession. The negro who ex poets to remain a coachman should learn the proper dress for a coachman 1 and learn how to care for horses and | in the most approved manner. | What is true of the coachman is true | of the butler In too many cases fear | we use these ocupations merely as | stepping stones, holding on to them | until We can find something else to do, | in a careless and slip shod manner. | We want to change all of this and put | our whole souls into these occupations | and in a large degree make them our | life work. In proportion as We do this | We will lay foundation upon which our | and grandchildren are to rise | of every race has got to be laid in | the common everyday occupations that | are about our doors. It should not be l our idea to see how little we can put | into our work, but how much; not | how quickly we can get rid ef eur wcr!., | but how well We can do it. I often | wish that I had the means to put a | large training school for giving in- struction in all lines of domestic ser vice in every large city. Few things | will add more to the fundamental use- of our race than would such | school. Perhaps it may be suggested | that my argument has relation only to our serving white people,. It has reference to doing whatever we do in |