The colored American., 1903-02-14
A SOUTHERN VIEW
A Georgia Educator Places an
Estimate on DR. Washington
work-He Condemns 66e Critics
and Fault Finders
"a. P. NelIa, in Atlanta Age.)

We have read with interest and
chagrn the report of a lecture on
Booker Washington by one Mr.. Ferris,
a graduate of Harvard and Yale, etc,
before the literary elite of the capital
city of the nation. Whatever Mr..
Ferris may have learned at Harvard
or Yale, there are many helpful things
he might have learned outside their
walls SINCE he has left them, that he
has failed tc learn. He certainly does
not know much about the subject of
his lecture, not including what the Bos
ton Negroes think of him. We shall be
glad to hear the criticism of MIR. Ferris
or any other Negro on Mr.. Washington
when he has done Onetenth the good
MIR. Washington has done. We do not
claim a perfect being for Mr.. Wash
ingtOn, for so to do would be placing
him on a level with the only perfect
Man. But We do not hesitate a mo-
meDt in prOclaiming him the greatest
Negro living or dead. Douglass, Lang
ston and Bruce were all men fit for the
times in which they lived and acted,
but either would seem almost a dwarf
in this day in the shoes of Booker
Washington. There is as much differ
ence In the ways of men to-day as there
us in our knowledge of the arts and
sciences years ago.
We have visited Mr. Washington's
9schOol, which has nc duplicate any
where in the South. We have heard
him speak several times, and at no
time did there come from him other
than the most wholesome advice. There
is one thing that Mr. Washington does
not do and that is, play for the plaudits
of his race simply fer the plaudit's
sake. If our critics could or should
succeed half so we'll in raising beans
! and potatoes, since he has gone from
Harvard and Yale to do this kind of
business; we repeat, if he could sue
ceed half so we'll raising beans and
potatoes as Mr.. Washington has in up
lifting his race in this part of the
| South. we should be glad to hear his
| criticism
| We would weep to know that any
| black boy should be Influenced to think
/ that Mr.. Washington is lnsincere or
Ianything than the greatest man of the
! race and well worthy of emulation
We have never seen nor read after
nobler man in any race The white
/ youth Of this country may we'll claim
aud emulate the father of our country
as the nOblest Roman of them all. We
claim that the black youth of the coun-
try have a man for emulation, that not
one, no matter what his circumstances.
may not emulate. There are thousands
of white boys who were never born in
as good circumstances as the Father
of their Country" But there was
never a black boy whose chances were
poorer than Booker Washington's We
are glad TO know that thousands OF
black boys all over this country are
reading and being inspired to nobler
manhood by the life Of Booker Wash
ington. We still hold that black boys
can be inspired truly. only by the lives
Of noble black men.
There is entirely too much complain
ing and fault-fnding on the part OF
many of our public speakers If half
of this energy was spent in helping our
people to education and the getting of
DrOperty and the like there would not
be half so many things to complain
for. The strong has always oppressed
the weak 1t is so in almost all ma
| ture- ~ The weak can best preserve
itself by growing strong or keepine
| out OF the way of the strong. This
ought not SC to be, but such has been
the case ever since the world was Our
| friend, Mr.. Ferris. COMPLAINS ahout
the Negro fast becoming the pariab of
this country What we want TO do is
Ito bUll0 I'm Snoiafu of o,,r ,