The age-herald., 1901-01-02
THE ANNIVERSARY
 OF EMANCIPATION Colored People Celebrate in True Spirit of Occasion INTERESTING EXERCISE s Booker T. Washington Delivered an Ad. dress at Sixteenth Street Baptist church-W. H. councilI the Orator at Bessemer.
INTERESTING EXERCISES

the proclamation of independence which was issued thirty-eight years ago by Pres idet Lincoln. The celebration began at 10 o'cIack by the various organizatio and societies forming in line at St. Paul's A. M. E. Church in Sixth avenue and march, ing to the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, where the proclamation of independence was read and other exercises appropriate to the occasion were held.
 Last night at the Sixteenth Street Bap- tst Church Booker T. Washington, presi- dent of the Tuskegee Normal Institute de- livered an address for the benefit of the Alabama Old Folks and Orphans Home. He spoke of the objects and benefits of the home and commended the enterprise and humanitarian spirit that impelled its promoters.
 Booker Washington's Remarks.
 Taking up the subject of advancement for the race Washington said:
 T wish to congratulate you among other things upon the excellent and far-reaching work that has been done in Birmingham and vicinity through the wide and help full influence of the Alabama Penny Saw ings Bank. Few organizations of any de- scription in this country among our peo- pie have helped up more, not only in culti- vating the habit of saving, but in bringing to us the confidence and respect of the white race. We must make up our minds that in order to be respected we must cultivate habits of economy, thrift and in- dustry. No people who spend all that they make can ever attain to any high degree of Mo ed, ton they may receive they will not be respected so long as they are without bank accounts and without homes. There Is no question but that one of the weak points of the race Is that we lack in too large a degree the saving habit. We are too much inclined to spend all that we earn at the end of the week or yield too often to the temptation when we get few dollars ahead to cease work until all of that Is spent. I most earnestly advise you to save money, not so much for moneys sake, but because a bank account represents fore sight, self-denial thrift and economy.
 "The people who save money, who make themselves intelligent, and live moral lives, are the ones who are going to control the destines of the country. Our children should
 
 There is no more useful lesson that can be taught in our schools than the habit of sav- ing pennies and nckels. Every school, so far as possible, should have its saving bank department In this same connection it is most important that we bear in mind that we can never attain any high degree of success until we own our homes and until we cease to live in rented cabins in dirty, filthy alleys. Many of us throw away enough money every two or three years to buy a respectable home. Whenever man owns a home he begins to respect himself begins to take pride in keeping that home clean and attractive and in making himself and family happy and comfortable. The home is the foundation upon which our civ ilizatton is based. If 1t Is weak, all else will be uncertain and unsatisfactory.
 The Saving Habit.
 'I believe that the habit of saving has a great deal to with ones moral and even religious character. While we have a great number of colored ministers in the south whose lives are in every way all that could be expected, on the other hand we must acknowledge that still very large number of our colored ministers are morally unfit for their work. We can gain nothing by att tempting to smother or overlook this un- wholesome truth. Improvement Is going on from year to year in the character of the ministers, but such improvement will only continue in proportion as the minister Is made to feel that the weight of public sen- timent Is in the right direction. There are far too many ministers and others who have received little education who are travelling from one end of the country to the other, trying to live by their wits and by every scheme known to man, except by hard and earnest and honest work. At one time they are in politics, at another time they are preaching, at another time they are organizing some cheap and uncer- tain society for the purpose of extorting money from people by unholy means. We must give our ministers and teachers to understand that they cannot remain in our pulpits or cannot remain as our teachers unless they live correct lives. What seems easiest in the long run When minister acts wrong, it is great deal better to hold him up as an example before the world in- stead of trying to shield his sins by trans- ferring him from one district to another. When once the minister understands that the people are going to tolerate no immor- ality, no weakness on their part, we will have an improved pulpit. Many of these so- called ministers are led into evil ways be- cause they are trying to live without work. They have church organizations that are