The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-16
Efforts to Arouse Interest
in Their Behalf
Led By
MIR CLEVELAND
The Meeting Was by Many
of Phiiadelphia's Prominent Citi-
in its Success and He Made An Ad-
dress to the Audicnce-Thc Negro
Population of Philadelphia Is co.
900 and 1t is Increasing at Rate
of 10000 a Year.

Philadelphia, Pa December I1.-Sor-
mer President Gle veland presided to-
night at a public meeting. in aid of the
Bsrean Manual Training school, an in
situtlon which aims to give members
Of the negro race the benefits of an in
dustrial education.
The meeting was attended by prom
inent ~jurists, educators and business
men. Mr.. Cleveland was the principal
speaker and Booker T. Washington,
president Of the Tuskegee Institute also
made an address.
The institution was established less
thar two years ago and has an enroll
ment Of two hundred students. Mr..
Cleveland is personally interested in the
school and in accepting the invitation
to attend the meeting he said:
Il regard the object which the meet
ing is called to promote so benefcient
and so important to the advancement
of a mass of our citizenship, greatly in
need Of Improvement and care. tha. L
have considered it my duty to comply
with the request to preside at the meet
ings."
h colored population of this city is
$4,000. increasing at the rate of 10, 900 a
year and tonight's meeting was held
for the of interesting the peo-
pie OF Philadelphia particularly n of
the country generally in their educa-
ton.
Mr.. Cleveland's address was in part
as follows
1t is absolutely certain that every
where in this broad land, good people
should be keenly alive to their duties
and interest as related to the colored
men. women. youth n children who
constitute a factor, large or small, in
the population of every community.
1t is foolish for US to blind our eyes
to the fact that more should be done to.
improve the condition of our negro pop
ulaticn and it should be entirely plain
taken. the sooner will a serious duty be
discharged and the more surely will we
guard ourselves against future trouble
and danger. Our colored people have
been supplied with a measure of public
school privileges, even though in this
they have been at a disadvantage as
compared with their white neighbors.
We Will not fail to estimate at it's
true value what has thus been accom-
plished, nor will We fail to appreciate
the more Importance Of continued and
increasing effort in extending to this
class of our citizens opportunities for
ordinary school education.
No. one who has given the subject de-
~liberate thought, can doubt that if we
are to be just and fair towards our COL
ored fellow citizens, and if they are to
be more completely made self-respect-
ing, useful and safe members of our
body polite, they must be taught to
do something more than to hew wood
and draw water. The way must be
opened for them to engage in something
better han mental service and their in
terests must be aroused to rewards Of
intelligent occupation and careful thrift.
L believe that the exigency can only
be adequately met through the lnstru-
mentality of well equipped manual
$1,000 ~@N1 g. ~ WI
Quoted either independently or in con-
nection with ordinary educational in
situations 1 am convinced that good
citizenship, and orderly, contented life,
and a proper conception of civic virtue
and obligations is almost certain to
grow out of a fair chance to earn an
honest, hopeful livelihood and a salts
fed sense of protection and considerable
treatment
Though st;u young, the Berean man
ual training and industrial school has
a%bundantly justified It's existence and
demonstrated its power for good. j:
has passed so far beyond an experiment
tai stage that its usefulness is seriously
cramped by lack of means and the
want of necessary accommodations.
Surely If the liberal citizens of Phila-
delphia are once satisfied hat their du-
ty to their less fortunate colored neigh
bors demands the increased success OF
this institution, it should not be difficult
to induce them to extend to 1t a help
ing hand. We cannot anticipate tina
its neglect will be chargeable agains
the people Of this ~philanthropic n pa
triotic city.
CHAMBERLAIN'S