The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-07-19

4.
ilu Ior more than an hour held the att
}tentlon OF his hearers alternately by his
humor and by his hard sense He min
I gled stories Of Southern life and reminis-
cences Of his struggle in building up the
Tuskegee Institute for negroes. s555
NJ. Washington said In part: 4.
Esvery race which gets upon Its feet has got
TO lass through q material and Industrial age.
Fl; ct comes the clearing Of the forest nlantino
of ne SOIL construction of machinery and
building Of houses, and with these for a
foradation comes in later years the esthetic
{; Fo' years have advoca ted the Importance, of
an industrial training for the negro Some
times an objection has come to this form OF
training from those that contend that the
negro for $50 years was worked. That is true,
but the great lesson which we as race want
to learn at present is that the negro must now
learn to work. There Is a vast difference
from being worked and working. Being worked
means degeneration, working means civiiza-
ton. WANT to see a large proportion of our
educated young men and women besin MA nt-
ing themselves in the fundamental and wealth.
producing industries I want to see more Of
them enter those occupations by which thew
make positions for themselves, and they will
not have in any large degree to go about seek
Ing opportunities created by other hands and
other brains. 8 *l @@ IL
With all her disadvantages there is an on
portunity for industrial and business deye1on-
ment for the negro in the South that is
scarcely presented in any other part of this
CouIluy.l = L ile negro is learning to take adj
vantage Of the opportunities by which he is
surrounded. George KEENAN,, the great Rus
sian traveller. who has travelled extensively
through the South, makes the statement that
Notwithstanding the fact that the Russian
serfs were freed at about the same period as
the negro and notwithstanding the further fact
that the Russian serfs were given land bv
the Russian government and that the negro
had to buy any. land of which he has become
possessed. nevertheless the progress of the
negro In the South is to-day equal to or greater
than that made by the Russian serfs In
Georgia alone, according to official statistics
gathered by DIR. Du Bots, the negro owns
100000 acres Of land and pays taxes upon
property valued at over SIS. 900. 900. !.
Strained Relations.
have heard IT stated, more than once within
! recent months that the relations between the
two racad are more strained now than ever
To this statement ~ hardly subscribe In
making 1t one should iear in mini the rela-
lions which existed in the South between sAe
Two races fifty years ago There was but one
relatlon' that. of owner and slave, that of
master and servant. During the last thirty
nVe years the two races have been adiustir .
themselves to new relations; and if, while tn -
adjustment Is taking place, there is friction
/ ana NEST. we must not become alarmed o,
discouraged s. -' - - -
i am glad to see in this council so many
evidences Of the fact that we can sink the
Individual preferences and differences and
Unite our efforts in the direction of uplift-
ing the race sIn this connection we must bear
In mind that the great body of the race lives
IN me south and is to remain there perhaps
Lor an Tune. and we who live in the South
must not become estranged from those of our
race who live in the North Each man must
work for the common good. You must not
take 1t as a sign of cowardice if some of us
who live in the South see CLEANS of hone and
encouragement for the race in that part of
the country which you up in this section can
not always see. ..0-.: .- -. =.
r Friends in the South. IT
T
traitor if l did not assert, while we have
strong helpful friends in the white race in
the North, we have strong, helpful white
friends In the South at the same time, 7 can
not exhibit that kind of ingratitude which
would make me forget the white men who, in
the little town Of Tuskegee. when [ was.