Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-03
THE RACE PROBLEM
President Washington Finds Its Solu-
ton in Training OF the Hand.

President Washington Finds Its Solu-
ton in Training of the Hand.
In the evening the Howard Opera House
was crowded for the lecture by Booker !.
Washington, principal of the Tuskegee
Normal ana Industrial school. Every seat
in the body of the house was sold, many
purchased sittingS on the stage ana not
few occupied places III the aislos. Among
those who occupied seats upon the 'front.' or
the stage were President w. f. bradbury,
Secretary f. w. Whitney the Hon. w. r..
Ranger. State superintendent of education,
Col Olin Merrill, Prof l.. r. Jones, j. -.
Hartley, II. r. Rustodt, Treasurer Alvin +.
pcase. Principal Isaac Thomas and ether
prominent educators, both ladies' and
gentlemen. PREVIOUS Ia the lecture the How
ard Opera House orchestra rendered sew
cral selections
The speaker was introduced by President
Bradbury and for an hour and half held
the closest attention of all present. The
characteristic which perhaps most i'm
pressed his auditors was the carnestncs5
with which he put forth his solution OF
the race problem His discourse was en-
liVoned by many witty stories and timely
anecdotes Mr. Washington said in part
The question to which we want to di-
rect our attention this evening is "A ma
tiondi problem ana one that should con-
Germ the pcopl, of all sections of the coun-
try and receive the careful consideration
of every man and woman interested In
ol,,ationnj work
1~ho race question has been widely dis
cusscd already. / have a good friend in
the South who advocates tho putting Of
the negro IN n colony By himself but it
wouhi bc impossible to establish place
where the colcrcd man could be kept in
and the white man kept out. a few years
ago II vas thought that a solution of the
problem would he reached bv dcporting
the colorcd people but this scheme WAS
found to be impracticablc Another man
urged that the negro was being absorbed
and would be disposed of in that way but
it is commonly understood that it takes 10
per cent of Anglo-SaAon blood to make a
white man. while a person with one per
cent. Of African blood is considered a
ucgro so our race would absorb yours
sooner thar. yours would absorb ours.
Three hundred years ago % negroes were
brought to this country and negro slavery
WAS instituted here. To-day there are D.
10000 colorod people in the United states.
so il is cViO mt that the race is not to be
come extinct. Your race came here in 1892
against the protest of those who then held
the soil hut you thought SO much of us
that YOU sent for US and paid our passage
here. We were the only race ever brought
mere against its viii; yet some say We
should be deported to Africa, while We
claim we would be ungrateful to leave "A
p"opl" VINO eNerted themselves so much in
bringing us here
The problem must be worked out here.
! ne negro was Drought to TINS country
ana III tae To serve IN" "hlte man inter-
'StS lie IS an American citizen and must
remain here The speaker then gaze a
oriof and exceedingly interesting account
Of his life and of the struggle which has
made him tho foremost man of his race in
this country to-day, He was born slave
ON a Virginia plantation In lNiS or 1No,
which he Is not sure, but he maintains that
all must ADMIT he was born somewhere
and ~ some time. There was not slav
ON his native plontation who could read
or write, yet no class of people followed
more closely the events of the war which
gave them their liberty than did the slaves
and whom towards the close OF the stlug-
gle tho slaves Were called TO the big house
al realized that liberty was at hand.
After being given his liberty, MIR Wash
inrton found employment in Coai fields nnd
II was there that he heard persons r.-
gagged in conversation about Hampton In
stitute, where black boys were permitted
10 20 to school, He struggled ON. trying
to earn enough for his entrance into
| HAMPTON Institute and for his mothers
support When at last he presented him
ecif at the school he was in such a wretch
90 condition that the teacher hesitatcd
| bltut accepting MN as a 1uIDl. lie WAS
| told to clean room and this he did 50
VOL that the teacher could ind no fault
/ with il and he was told that he might en-
Ter. This experience he regards as his en-
trance examination.
| Here II was that he resolved to devote
/ his life to the uplifting Of his people and
after leaving the institute he went into
! the BLACK Belt" of Alabama, where no
Groos exceed white people in some place
ten to one. This was in 1851. The country
was said to be good only for negroes ant
mules. When he began his work at Tus.
! koFoe II was his resolve to lift UP tn,
/ people OF his own race alone Now his de
sire is to serve the highest interests Of al
| the people of the South. lie started tn,
work at 1uskegcc in miserable shantl
| with about 30 pupils. He has built up
| school that is going to have and is nov
| having a vital influence in solving the rae,
question
Il There are in the school about 200 pupils
one third women and two-thirds men
/ There are 100 instructors and upon tn,
school grounds there is a total population
Of over 400 people. To the original shant,
in which the school was begun n disuscD
hen house was added and to-day there ar